Women In Astronomy: AASWOMEN Newsletter for March 04, 2016

AAS Committee on the Status of Women AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of March 04, 2016
eds: Daryl Haggard, Nicolle Zellner, Meredith Hughes, Elysse Voyer, & Heather Flewelling

This week's issues:

1. The Status of Mental Health in Planetary Science

From: Christina Richey via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

[This is a repost of Dr. Angela Zalucha's piece for the Women in Planetary Science Blog ... Angela Zalucha: Angela Zalucha received her PhD in atmospheric science from MIT in 2010. She now works at the SETI Institute modeling the dynamics of planetary atmospheres. She currently lives in Boulder, CO where she enjoys skiing and volunteering in the clinic at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley.]

I meant to write this article yesterday. That's not a statement of procrastination. I suffer from depression, which was triggered a few years ago by events directly related to my career. The symptoms of depression are different from person to person. For me, I have to go lay in bed, in silence. Tasks like getting up to heat leftover pizza up in the microwave are insurmountable. So I wasn't exactly up to the task of writing a blog article, even if it was about the condition I suffer from.

2. 2016 NASA Planetary Science Summer School Applications Open

From: Leslie Lowes [leslie.l.lowes_at_jpl.nasa.gov]

NASA is accepting applications from science and engineering post-docs, recent PhDs, and doctoral students for its 28th Annual Planetary Science Summer School, which will be held July 25-29, 2016 at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

During the program and pre-session webinars, student teams will carry out the equivalent of an early mission concept study, prepare a proposal authorization presentation, present it to a review board, and receive feedback. By the end of the session, students will have a clearer understanding of the life cycle of a space mission; relationships between mission design, cost, and schedule; and the tradeoffs necessary to stay within cost and schedule while preserving the quality of science.

Applications are due April 6, 2016. Partial financial support is available for a limited number of individuals.

Further information is available at

http://pscischool.jpl.nasa.gov

3. Celebrating the History of Women in STEM

From: Elysse Voyer [elysse.voyer_at_gmail.com]

by Allison Lantero and Carly Wilkins

Many people find it a challenge to name a woman in STEM besides Marie Curie.

This Women's History Month, the Energy Department is working to fix that by highlighting the work of women who've made a difference in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields throughout history.

Last year, we profiled the lives and contributions of scientist Rachel Carson, technologist Grace Hopper, engineer Edith Clarke and mathematician Emmy Noether. This year, we're specifically focusing on women of color, whose contributions often get overlooked or forgotten.

Every Thursday this month, we'll post a new illustrated portrait on our Instagram and ask our audience to guess who it depicts. On Thursday afternoon, we'll reveal her identity along with a blog profiling her contributions in either science, technology, engineering or math.

And that's not all we're doing for Women's History Month. On March 22, we're hosting a Twitter chat about the current status of women in STEM. We'll share other Women in STEM facts and information on Energy.gov and our social media accounts throughout the month.

Find original posting here

http://www.energy.gov/articles/celebrating-history-women-stem

Read first blog profiling Astronaut Mae Jemison here

http://www.energy.gov/articles/five-fast-facts-about-astronaut-mae-jemison

4. National Science Foundation Launches Million-Dollar Initiative To Improve Diversity in STEM

From: Elysse Voyer [elysse.voyer_at_gmail.com]

by Laurel Raymond

The lack of diversity in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields has been a persistent problem for decades. White men currently take up 51 percent of all STEM jobs despite making up only 31 percent of the population - which means women and most minority groups are underrepresented and underserved. Not only does this contribute to race and gender wage gaps - STEM workers typically have higher salaries and currently enjoy a lower rate of unemployment than the general working population - but it also critically shortchanges the STEM community, since it means there are likely talented minds that haven't been reached, and important perspectives that are missing.

Now, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is asking the scientific community to close that gap.

NSF launched a new initiative this week dubbed NSF INCLUDES, a mouthful of an acronym that stands for "Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science." The organization has officially called for proposals for projects aiming to increase the participation of women, members of racial and ethnic groups, persons with disabilities, and persons of low socio-economic status in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields.

	Katie Eckert
	Regina Jorgenson
	JoEllen McBride
	Christina Richey
	Joan Schmelz

Women In Astronomy

Friday, March 4, 2016

AASWOMEN Newsletter for March 04, 2016

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