AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of July 06, 2018
eds: Nicolle Zellner, Heather Flewelling, Cristina Thomas, Maria Patterson, and JoEllen McBride
This week's issues:
1. Cross-Post: Summary of the 2018 LPSC WiPS Event "Overcoming Imposter Syndrome"
2. How Henrietta Leavitt Lit the Way to Distant Galaxies
3. Update: Committee On Space Research (COSPAR) awards male scientists
4. The Elephant in the Women in Science Room
5. Webinar: Put Talent First: Practical Steps to Eliminate Gender Bias in Science
6. LGBTQ Scientists are Still Left Out
7. Scientists on Twitter: Preaching to the Choir or Singing from the Rooftops?
8. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
9. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
10. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Cross-Post: Summary of the 2018 LPSC WiPS Event "Overcoming Imposter Syndrome"
From: Cristina Thomas via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
The Women in Planetary Science blog recently posted a summary of the discussion from their 2018 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference event. The post includes stories and a summary of strategies for combating impostor syndrome.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2018/07/cross-post-summary-of-2018-lpsc-wips.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. How Henrietta Leavitt Lit the Way to Distant Galaxies
From: Cristina Thomas [cristina.thomas_at_nau.edu]
By Kiona N. Smith
"Most of what we now know about the size and structure of the universe, we owe to the work of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, born on July 4, 1868.
Her work provided later astronomers with a tool for measuring the distance to faraway points in the universe. Astronomers refer to object like these as "standard candles." Objects which are further away appear less bright than nearby objects; that's why our Sun is a blazing disc in the daytime sky, but Alpha Centauri is just a bright speck in the night sky. But if you know how bright something actually is, then you can compare that to how bright it appears from where you're standing, and then you'll know how far away it is."
Read more at
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/07/05/how-henrietta-leavitt-lit-the-way-to-distant-galaxies/#48c948ac2195
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Update: Committee On Space Research (COSPAR) awards male scientists
From: Ruta Kale [ruta.kale_at_gmail.com]
"I am a regular reader of the AASWomen Newsletter from India and find it a very important source of learning.
I opened the COSPAR pdf that you posted and found a woman honoured among the Zeldovich Medalists: Remya Bhanu from India.
Just wanted to say there is one! The point remains that there is only one and probably none among the awards at senior level. (I also cannot interpret all names.)"
[Dr. Bhanu was recognized for "major contributions to generation of mirror mode and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the magnetosphere and understanding of radiation belt dynamics." --eds]
Read the press release at
https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/sites/default/files/press_release_cospar_awards_2018.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. The Elephant in the Women in Science Room
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
By Jane Willenbring
"Scripps Institution of Oceanography recently held a symposium celebrating the 50th anniversary of the theory of Plate Tectonics. As part of the symposium, I moderated a panel of women geoscientists and geophysicists who were graduate students and postdocs at that time and many were among those who helped shape the theory themselves. They recounted their stories of being told that they couldn’t do math or science or go on research vessels simply because they were women. When they proved that they could do it, they were then told that they didn’t belong in the ‘community’ in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. I suspect the panel members spared us their most painful memories in such a public setting. Interestingly, some of these stories rang true for me too, though I was a student decades later."
Read more at
https://speakingofgeoscience.org/2018/06/29/the-elephant-in-the-women-in-science-room/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Webinar: Put Talent First: Practical Steps to Eliminate Gender Bias in Science
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
The Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office is hosting an hour long webinar on July 11, 2018 at 12:00 pm ET featuring an expert panel of scientists discussing efforts that institutions can implement to reduce the gender bias in science.
"The #metoo movement has swept Hollywood, politics, and even Uber. Is science next? This live roundtable discussion will address the continuing problem of gender-based discrimination in the sciences. Our expert panel will examine the efforts being taken by scientific organizations, academic centers, and funding agencies to end gender bias in science. They will also consider the cultural changes needed in the sciences to prevent and eradicate discrimination, including moving the narrative away from blaming the victim and excusing discriminatory behavior, and toward community responsibility. Only through collective action across the scientific community can we create workplaces that are gender equitable, nondiscriminatory, and bias-free."
Learn more about the panelists and register at
http://www.sciencemag.org/custom-publishing/webinars/put-talent-first-practical-steps-eliminate-gender-bias-science
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. LGBTQ Scientists are Still Left Out
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
By Jon Freeman
"At university in New York City in the 2000s, a professor warned me that I wouldn’t get into any PhD programmes if I kept “looking” the way I did. During a single tenure-track job interview in 2011, 13 people asked me: “Do you have a wife?” And when I was an assistant professor, a colleague pulled aside a candidate for a postdoctoral position in my lab to let him know that I’m gay, just in case it would be a problem.
I doubt these people had bad intentions; much has changed since 1975, when gay men and lesbians were still banned from federal employment in the United States."
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05587-y
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Scientists on Twitter: Preaching to the Choir or Singing from the Rooftops?
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
By Isabelle M. Côté & Emily S. Darling
"There have been strong calls for scientists to share their discoveries with society. Some scientists have heeded these calls through social media platforms such as Twitter. Here, we ask whether Twitter allows scientists to promote their findings primarily to other scientists (“inreach”), or whether it can help them reach broader, non-scientific audiences (“outreach”). We analyzed the Twitter followers of more than 100 faculty members in ecology and evolutionary biology and found that their followers are, on average, predominantly (∼55%) other scientists. However, beyond a threshold of ∼1000 followers, the range of follower types became more diverse and included research and educational organizations, media, members of the public with no stated association with science, and a small number of decision-makers. This varied audience was, in turn, followed by more people, resulting in an exponential increase in the social media reach of tweeting academic scientists. Tweeting, therefore, has the potential to disseminate scientific information widely after initial efforts to gain followers. These results should encourage scientists to invest in building a social media presence for scientific outreach."
Read more at
http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2018-0002
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. 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:
https://groups.google.com/a/aas.org/group/aaswlist
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:
http://support.google.com/groups/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=46606
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Access to Past Issues
https://cswa.aas.org/AASWOMEN.html
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
Issue of July 06, 2018
eds: Nicolle Zellner, Heather Flewelling, Cristina Thomas, Maria Patterson, and JoEllen McBride
This week's issues:
1. Cross-Post: Summary of the 2018 LPSC WiPS Event "Overcoming Imposter Syndrome"
2. How Henrietta Leavitt Lit the Way to Distant Galaxies
3. Update: Committee On Space Research (COSPAR) awards male scientists
4. The Elephant in the Women in Science Room
5. Webinar: Put Talent First: Practical Steps to Eliminate Gender Bias in Science
6. LGBTQ Scientists are Still Left Out
7. Scientists on Twitter: Preaching to the Choir or Singing from the Rooftops?
8. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
9. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
10. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Cross-Post: Summary of the 2018 LPSC WiPS Event "Overcoming Imposter Syndrome"
From: Cristina Thomas via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
The Women in Planetary Science blog recently posted a summary of the discussion from their 2018 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference event. The post includes stories and a summary of strategies for combating impostor syndrome.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2018/07/cross-post-summary-of-2018-lpsc-wips.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. How Henrietta Leavitt Lit the Way to Distant Galaxies
From: Cristina Thomas [cristina.thomas_at_nau.edu]
By Kiona N. Smith
"Most of what we now know about the size and structure of the universe, we owe to the work of astronomer Henrietta Leavitt, born on July 4, 1868.
Her work provided later astronomers with a tool for measuring the distance to faraway points in the universe. Astronomers refer to object like these as "standard candles." Objects which are further away appear less bright than nearby objects; that's why our Sun is a blazing disc in the daytime sky, but Alpha Centauri is just a bright speck in the night sky. But if you know how bright something actually is, then you can compare that to how bright it appears from where you're standing, and then you'll know how far away it is."
Read more at
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kionasmith/2018/07/05/how-henrietta-leavitt-lit-the-way-to-distant-galaxies/#48c948ac2195
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Update: Committee On Space Research (COSPAR) awards male scientists
From: Ruta Kale [ruta.kale_at_gmail.com]
"I am a regular reader of the AASWomen Newsletter from India and find it a very important source of learning.
I opened the COSPAR pdf that you posted and found a woman honoured among the Zeldovich Medalists: Remya Bhanu from India.
Just wanted to say there is one! The point remains that there is only one and probably none among the awards at senior level. (I also cannot interpret all names.)"
[Dr. Bhanu was recognized for "major contributions to generation of mirror mode and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves in the magnetosphere and understanding of radiation belt dynamics." --eds]
Read the press release at
https://cosparhq.cnes.fr/sites/default/files/press_release_cospar_awards_2018.pdf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. The Elephant in the Women in Science Room
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
By Jane Willenbring
"Scripps Institution of Oceanography recently held a symposium celebrating the 50th anniversary of the theory of Plate Tectonics. As part of the symposium, I moderated a panel of women geoscientists and geophysicists who were graduate students and postdocs at that time and many were among those who helped shape the theory themselves. They recounted their stories of being told that they couldn’t do math or science or go on research vessels simply because they were women. When they proved that they could do it, they were then told that they didn’t belong in the ‘community’ in subtle and not-so-subtle ways. I suspect the panel members spared us their most painful memories in such a public setting. Interestingly, some of these stories rang true for me too, though I was a student decades later."
Read more at
https://speakingofgeoscience.org/2018/06/29/the-elephant-in-the-women-in-science-room/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Webinar: Put Talent First: Practical Steps to Eliminate Gender Bias in Science
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
The Science/AAAS Custom Publishing Office is hosting an hour long webinar on July 11, 2018 at 12:00 pm ET featuring an expert panel of scientists discussing efforts that institutions can implement to reduce the gender bias in science.
"The #metoo movement has swept Hollywood, politics, and even Uber. Is science next? This live roundtable discussion will address the continuing problem of gender-based discrimination in the sciences. Our expert panel will examine the efforts being taken by scientific organizations, academic centers, and funding agencies to end gender bias in science. They will also consider the cultural changes needed in the sciences to prevent and eradicate discrimination, including moving the narrative away from blaming the victim and excusing discriminatory behavior, and toward community responsibility. Only through collective action across the scientific community can we create workplaces that are gender equitable, nondiscriminatory, and bias-free."
Learn more about the panelists and register at
http://www.sciencemag.org/custom-publishing/webinars/put-talent-first-practical-steps-eliminate-gender-bias-science
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6. LGBTQ Scientists are Still Left Out
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
By Jon Freeman
"At university in New York City in the 2000s, a professor warned me that I wouldn’t get into any PhD programmes if I kept “looking” the way I did. During a single tenure-track job interview in 2011, 13 people asked me: “Do you have a wife?” And when I was an assistant professor, a colleague pulled aside a candidate for a postdoctoral position in my lab to let him know that I’m gay, just in case it would be a problem.
I doubt these people had bad intentions; much has changed since 1975, when gay men and lesbians were still banned from federal employment in the United States."
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05587-y
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Scientists on Twitter: Preaching to the Choir or Singing from the Rooftops?
From: JoEllen McBride [joellen.mcbride_at_gmail.com]
By Isabelle M. Côté & Emily S. Darling
"There have been strong calls for scientists to share their discoveries with society. Some scientists have heeded these calls through social media platforms such as Twitter. Here, we ask whether Twitter allows scientists to promote their findings primarily to other scientists (“inreach”), or whether it can help them reach broader, non-scientific audiences (“outreach”). We analyzed the Twitter followers of more than 100 faculty members in ecology and evolutionary biology and found that their followers are, on average, predominantly (∼55%) other scientists. However, beyond a threshold of ∼1000 followers, the range of follower types became more diverse and included research and educational organizations, media, members of the public with no stated association with science, and a small number of decision-makers. This varied audience was, in turn, followed by more people, resulting in an exponential increase in the social media reach of tweeting academic scientists. Tweeting, therefore, has the potential to disseminate scientific information widely after initial efforts to gain followers. These results should encourage scientists to invest in building a social media presence for scientific outreach."
Read more at
http://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2018-0002
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8. 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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
9. 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:
https://groups.google.com/a/aas.org/group/aaswlist
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:
http://support.google.com/groups/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=46606
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10. Access to Past Issues
https://cswa.aas.org/AASWOMEN.html
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
