Thursday, September 28, 2017

AAS President's response to Charlottesville and letter to Congress about DACA

The AAS President, Christine Jones, has issued a statement in response to the events in Charlottesville.  That statement can be found here:

https://aas.org/posts/news/2017/08/message-aas-president-charlottesville 

She has also sent a letter to Congressional Leadership about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.  You can read the letter here:

https://aas.org/posts/letter/2017/09/letter-congressional-leadership-aas-president-daca

Wednesday, September 27, 2017

Cross post: Mental Illness/Wellness and Your Career

Today we re-post "Mental Illness/Wellness and Your Career – LPSC WiPS Event Summary 2017" from the Women in Planetary Sciences blog.  It appeared on June 6, 2017, and summarizes a presentation by Holly Doggett, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) at the the 9th Annual LPSC Women in Planetary Science Susan Niebur Networking Event, and notes from the subsequent questions and discussions.  


Contributed by Nicolle Zellner, Mallory Kinczyk, and Lillian Ostrach
In March, the 9th Annual LPSC Women in Planetary Science Susan Niebur Networking Event was held. Holly Doggett, Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Texas spoke to us about mental illness/wellness and its effect on careers. One in five American adults experiences some form of mental illness in any given year, and across the population, one in every 25 adults is living with a serious mental health condition such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or long-term recurring major depression. During her presentation, Holly told anecdotes and suggested coping strategies for instances when we might be affected by changes to our mental wellness.

Friday, September 22, 2017

AASWomen Newsletter for September 22, 2017

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of September 22, 2017
eds: Nicolle Zellner, Heather Flewelling, Christina Thomas, and Maria Patterson

This week's issues:

1. A Letter to Congressional Leadership from AAS President on DACA
2. Two Surveys: Women in STEM
3. Regional Undergraduate APS Meeting at Kansas University 
4. AGU's Board Approves an Updated Ethics Policy           
5. Job Opportunities   
6. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
7. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
8. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter

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1. A Letter to Congressional Leadership from AAS President on DACA
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

AAS President Christine Jones, in consultation with the Committee on the Status of Minorities in Astronomy and the Committee on Astronomy and Public Policy, sent a letter about DACA to Congressional leadership.

Read the AAS press release and letter at


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2. Two Surveys: Women in STEM  
From: Laura McCullough [lauramccphd_at_gmail.com]

I am currently doing research involving two surveys about women in STEM. I’d like as many people as possible to see this because the populations I’m looking for are unique. One survey will assess the experience of women in STEM who also have been leaders: barriers, support, path, etc. The other survey will update the work (http://www.physics.wm.edu/dualcareer.html) by McNeil and Sher (1999) on couples who are both scientists.

To participate in research on women in STEM with leadership experience, please go to the anonymous link at: 


To participate in research on dual-science-career couples, please go to the anonymous link at: 


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3. Regional Undergraduate APS Meeting at Kansas University
From: Greg Rudnick [grudnick_at_ku.edu]

On the weekend of January 12-14, 2018, the University of Kansas Department of Physics and Astronomy will host a regional American Physical Society (APS) CUWiP meeting for undergraduate physics and astronomy majors in the central region of the United States. Our region includes Nebraska, Missouri, Arkansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas. The APS CUWiP is a series of regional conferences held simultaneously around the United States for undergraduate women interested in physics and astronomy. The goal of this conference series is to encourage undergraduate women to pursue a career in physics or astronomy by giving them the experience of a professional conference. This includes networking with women in physics of all ages and professional levels, plenary talks by prominent women in physics, and panel discussions providing information about graduate school and career opportunities in physics.  

More information can be found at 


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4. AGU's Board Approves an Updated Ethics Policy
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

The American Geophysical Union’s Ethics Task Force spent over a year developing a new ethics policy. “This policy takes a much stronger stance against harassment by including it in the definition of research misconduct and expanding its application to AGU members, staff, volunteers, and non-members participating in AGU-sponsored programs and activities including AGU Honors and Awards, and governance.”

Read the press release at


Read the policy at


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5. Job Opportunities

For those interested in increasing excellence and diversity in their organizations, a list of resources and advice is here: https://cswa.aas.org/#howtoincrease 

- Tenure Track Assistant Professor, University of Kansas

- Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Astronomy and Astrophysics,  California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

- Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Observational Astrophysics, University of Bath

- Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Bath

- Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Emergent Phenomena/Theoretical Soft-Matter or Statistical Physics, University of Bath

- Education and Diversity Programs Manager, American Physical Society

- Research Associate in Theory/Numerical Simulation of Optical Frequency Combs, University of Bath

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6. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org 

All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including your email address. 

When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting. 

Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.

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7. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List by email: 

Send email to aaswlist+subscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have subscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like. 

Be sure to follow the instructions in the confirmation email. (Just reply back to the email list) 

To unsubscribe by email: 

Send email to aaswlist+unsubscribe_at_aas.org from the address you want to have UNsubscribed. You can leave the subject and message blank if you like. 

To join or leave AASWomen via web, or change your membership settings: 


You will have to create a Google Account if you do not already have one, using https://accounts.google.com/newaccount?hl=en  

Google Groups Subscribe Help: 


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8. Access to Past Issues

  
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

The Power of Stories


I have never been a story teller. I’ve never developed the flair, pacing, and audience connections needed to tell a good story. So when I attended the “Women in Business – Transitioning to Leadership” workshop at the University of North Carolina’s (UNC)Kenan-Flagler Business School in May, I wasn’t expecting to tell a story. Dr. Heidi Schultz, Clinical Professor of Management and Corporate Communication at UNC and the facilitator of our Wednesday afternoon session, told us that the story a speaker tells is often the only thing an audience remembers! Once I heard that, I realized that I wanted to know more about the power of stories.

In her article for Forbes Magazine, How To Tell A Good Story, contributor Kristi Hedges shares the reasons why most people don’t consider themselves good storytellers.
  • I never think of it
  • I tend to ramble and lose the point
  • I have a hard time gauging interest
  • I am never sure how much detail to use
  • I don’t have good stories to share


Friday, September 1, 2017

AASWomen Newsletter for September 1, 2017

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of September 1, 2017
eds: Nicolle Zellner, Heather Flewelling, Christina Thomas, and Maria Patterson

This week's issues:

1. AWIS webinars open to AAS members          
2. New partnership with Canada to support early-career women scientists in the developing world
3. Lonely at the top for women scientists
4. The Universe Needs You: To Help in the Hunt for Planet 9
5. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
6. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
7. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter