Women In Astronomy: AASWomen Newsletter for February 23, 2018

AAS Committee on the Status of Women AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of February 23, 2018
eds: Nicolle Zellner, Heather Flewelling, Christina Thomas, and Maria Patterson

This week's issues:

1. Cross-post: How to Find a Woman Scientist
From: Patricia Knezek via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

An article in the Voices section of Scientific American by Katarzyna Nowak on February 12, 2018 discusses how a new database is fighting the poor visibility of women in STEM by offering female professionals as speakers, panelists, experts, course leaders and advocates for diversity and equity.

2. A guide to juggling fieldwork and pregnancy
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]

By Emily Sohn

"Conservation biologist Amy Dickman had built her career around remote fieldwork in Namibia and Tanzania — extended trips that included close run-ins with wild animals. She had encountered venomous cobras in toilets and bread bins. She had been charged by elephants. And she had been attacked by a cheetah. During her first expedition to Tanzania in 2004, a lion sniffed at her tent and eventually fell asleep on top of it, trapping her arm beneath its body.

The likelihood of such events — both thrilling and terrifying — was high in her work, which aimed to reduce conflicts between humans and carnivores. So when Dickman learnt in 2013 that she was pregnant, it felt at first as if she might be risking a huge career setback."

3. He Became A Celebrity For Putting Science Before God. Now Lawrence Krauss Faces Allegations Of Sexual Misconduct.
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]

"Lawrence Krauss is a famous atheist and liberal crusader — and, in certain whisper networks, a well-known problem. With women coming forward alleging sexual harassment, will his “skeptic” fanbase believe the evidence?"

4. The More Gender Equality, the Fewer Women in STEM
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]

"Though their numbers are growing, only 27 percent of all students taking the AP Computer Science exam in the United States are female. The gender gap only grows worse from there: Just 18 percent of American computer-science college degrees go to women. This is in the United States, where many college men proudly describe themselves as “male feminists” and girls are taught they can be anything they want to be.

Meanwhile, in Algeria, 41 percent of college graduates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math—or “stem,” as it’s known—are female. There, employment discrimination against women is rife and women are often pressured to make amends with their abusive husbands."

5. Sydney Wolff, First woman in the US to head a major observatory
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]

[Editor's note: I recently found out that at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Sydney Wolff was associate director (1976-1983, and acting director (1983-1984). When I googled her, I found out that she was the the first woman in the U.S. to head a major observatory. I want others to know more about her!]

6. 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

- Director, Gemini Observatory http://www.aura-astronomy.org/news/news.asp?newsID=376

- Visiting Assistant Professor, Physics, Albion College, Michigan https://www.albion.edu/about-albion/administrative-divisions/finance-and-administration/offices-and-programs/human-resources/employment-opportunities/faculty-positions/posting/415/visiting-assistant-professor-of-physics

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Friday, February 23, 2018

AASWomen Newsletter for February 23, 2018