Issue of July 10, 2020
eds: Heather Flewelling, Nicolle Zellner, Maria Patterson,
Alessandra Aloisi, and Jeremy Bailin
[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. Be well! --eds.]
This week's issues:
1. Crosspost: #BlackInAstro from astrobites
2. Crosspost: A Break-up Letter with Astronomy, From a Young Black Woman
3. Meet Central American-Caribbean Astronomy Bridge Program Fellows - Part 3
4. Gender bias kept alive by people who think it’s dead
5. New Update - Maria Mitchell Women of Science Symposium 2020
7. Candidate designs reviewed for 'Teacher in Space' Christa McAuliffe coin
9. Three extraordinary women run the gauntlet of science — a documentary
10. Seeking an ‘exit plan’ for leaving academia amid coronavirus worries
11. As more parents return to the office, some face an impossible choice
12. The Laura Bassi Scholarship
14. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
15. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
1. Crosspost: #BlackInAstro from astrobites
From: JoEllen McBride via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
Astrobites, a grad-student led website that summarizes astrophysical journal articles for undergraduates, has been posting articles highlighting the experiences of Black astronomers in their series #BlackinAstro. We highlight the articles here with links to read more.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2020/06/crosspost-blackinastro-from-astrobites.html
Back to top.2. Crosspost: A Break-up Letter with Astronomy, From a Young Black Woman
From: JoEllen McBride via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
By Lauren Chambers
Dear Astronomy,
It’s not me, it’s you. I had intentions of leaving you for over 3 years, even before I finished my astronomy undergraduate degree. The original reason I cited for wanting to leave is that I felt I would never be fulfilled by the content of what a career in astronomy would look like. Spending a lifetime studying stars and galaxies while watching my neighbors suffer from structural inequalities — inequalities that I have studied rigorously and am capable of fighting against — felt irresponsible and selfish to me.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2020/07/crosspost-break-up-letter-with.html
Back to top.3. Meet Central American-Caribbean Astronomy Bridge Program Fellows - Part 3
From: JoEllen McBride via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com
The Central American - Caribbean bridge in astrophysics is a program created to mentor and train the next generation of students in astrophysics from that region. This was created because there is an enormous lack of resources and research opportunities for students interested in astrophysics. We hold monthly webinars and invite a speaker every month to talk about their personal life, academic obstacles, and research. The goal is for the students to feel represented, motivated, and capable, especially women in our group. More recently, we began a remote REU-like internship where students are able to complete a mini-project within a four-month period. Last Fall 2019, we had four students from Costa Rica and Honduras who worked with professors from Mexico, Chile, and Brazil. This Spring 2020, we are working with three students from Honduras, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. This opportunity brings research opportunities to these students and connects them to potential advisors and PhD programs.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2020/07/meet-central-american-caribbean.html
Back to top.4. Gender bias kept alive by people who think it’s dead
From: Heather Flewelling [flewelling.heather_at_gmail.com]
"Workplace gender bias is being kept alive by people who think it’s no longer an issue, new research suggests. In the study, managers were given identical descriptions of a worker – the only difference being either a male or female name. Most managers rated the male worker as more competent, and recommended a higher salary – an average 8% pay gap."
Read more at
https://www.exeter.ac.uk/news/homepage/title_802676_en.html
Back to top.5. New Update - Maria Mitchell Women of Science Symposium 2020
From: Jascin Finger [jfinger_at_mariamitchell.org]
I am pleased to announce that we will be hosting a virtual Maria Mitchell Women of Science Symposium on Friday, October 2, 2020 from approximately 1-4PM. This will be FREE and we will be hosting Catalina Martinez of NOAA as our keynote speaker and a moderated panel on Inclusion, Diversity, and Intersectionality.
Our sponsors for the online version are: The American Astronomical Society, Novartis, and the Tupancy-Harris Foundation of 1986. Their generous support has allowed us to provide this shortened MMWSS for free to all attendees.
We are excited to continue the momentum from 2018 and while we will be meeting virtually instead of in-person, we hope to continue our dialogue from 2018 and to plan for an in-person meeting in 2021 in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Mark your calendars as it will be September 23-25, 2021.
Please register for the virtual MMWSS here: https://www.mmwiss.org/events/maria-mitchell-women-of-science-symposium .
I look forward to "seeing" you on October 2, 2020 online.
Back to top.6. Reports from NASEM
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have released information that may be of interest to readers.
Read about the current study to review available data on the well-being of LGBTQI+ populations and future research needs for this community at
https://www.nationalacademies.org/news/2020/07/understanding-the-well-being-of-lgbtqi-populations
Read about "Inclusive Disaster Planning ... for Vulnerable Populations" at
Back to top.7. Candidate designs reviewed for 'Teacher in Space' Christa McAuliffe coin
From: Heather Flewelling [flewelling.heather_at_gmail.com]
By Robert Z. Pearlman
"A new U.S. silver dollar will depict the first teacher to launch towards outer space in a way that is representative of all educators, should the recommendations of two advisory panels and the desires of the late astronaut's family be followed. Christa McAuliffe, who died on board the ill-fated launch of NASA's space shuttle Challenger in 1986, will be memorialized on the coin, as was authorized by Congress in 2019. The 2021 Christa McAuliffe Silver Dollar Commemorative Coin will be released for sale 35 years after the Challenger tragedy."
Read more at
https://www.space.com/christa-mcauliffe-teacher-in-space-commemorative-coin-design.html
Back to top.8. white supremacy culture
From: Megan Donahue [donahu42_at_msu.edu]
This was shared by Brian Gaensler on social media. I thought this document was very interesting. It articulates some aspects of our “scientific” culture I find very frustrating personally as a scientist, and negative from the aspect of learning how the universe works. Plus soul crushing, from the human perspective.
Read more at
https://www.dismantlingracism.org/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture.pdf
Back to top.9. Three extraordinary women run the gauntlet of science — a documentary
From: John Mather [johncm12_at_gmail.com]
By Alexandra Witze
"Ask people to picture a scientist, and what do many imagine? A white man in a white lab coat, sadly.
The film Picture a Scientist shows why. It chronicles, through the stories of three extraordinary female researchers, the gender and racial biases that drive so many people out of science. All the usual suspects are here: systemic racism, institutional bias, sexual harassment. Together, they tell so many aspiring researchers the lie that they do not belong."
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-01912-6?WT.ec_id=NATURE-20200702
Back to top.10. Seeking an ‘exit plan’ for leaving academia amid coronavirus worries
From: Heather Flewelling [heather_at_ifa.hawaii.edu]
By Chris Woolston
"The full impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on scientific careers might not be known for years, but hiring freezes and other signs of turmoil at universities have already shaken faith in academia as a career option. As universities try to adapt and survive in a pandemic world, a growing number of PhD students and other early-career researchers will be looking at careers in industry, government and other sectors."
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02029-6
Back to top.11. As more parents return to the office, some face an impossible choice
From: Heather Flewelling [flewelling.heather_at_gmail.com]
By Mahealani Richardson
"HONOLULU, Hawaii (HawaiiNewsNow) - As more parents return to the workplace, some are facing an impossible situation as they struggle to find care for their kids or face repercussions at the office."
Read more at
http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/07/03/state-private-workers-face-tough-choices-over-teleworking
Back to top.12. The Laura Bassi Scholarship
From: Charles Anderson [c.anderson_at_editing.press]
The Laura Bassi Scholarship, which awards a total of $8,000 thrice per annum, was established by Editing Press in 2018 with the aim of providing editorial assistance to postgraduates and junior academics whose research focuses on neglected topics of study, broadly construed. The scholarships are open to every discipline and the next round of funding will be awarded in August 2020:
Summer 2020 Application deadline: 25 July 2020 Results: 15 August 2020
All currently enrolled master’s and doctoral candidates are eligible to apply, as are academics in the first five years of their employment. Applicants are required to submit a completed application form along with their CV through the application portal by the relevant deadline. Further details, previous winners, and the application portal can be found at: https://editing.press/bassi
Read more at
https://physics.yale.edu/laura-bassi-scholarship
Back to top.13. Job Opportunities
For those interested in increasing excellence and diversity in their organizations, a list of resources and advice is here:
https://aas.org/comms/cswa/resources/Diversity#howtoincrease
- Professor Theoretical Planetology, University of Bern https://www.jobs.apps.be.ch/offene-stellen/professor-theoretical-planetology/f24c0ee8-dfea-46a5-bed2-6e5abc5df44c
- Princeton University Research position https://puwebp.princeton.edu/AcadHire/apply/application.xhtml?listingId=16561
- Assistant, Associate, or Full Project Scientist (FY 20-21), UC San Diego https://apol-recruit.ucsd.edu/JPF02502
Back to top.14. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_lists.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.
Back to top.15. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
Join AAS Women List by email:
Send an email to aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org. A list moderator will add your email to the list. They will reply to your message to confirm that they have added you.
Join AAS Women List through the online portal:
Go to https://lists.aas.org/postorius/lists/aaswlist.lists.aas.org and enter the email address you wish to subscribe in the 'Your email address' field. You will receive an email from 'aaswlist-confirm' that you must reply to. There may be a delay between entering your email and receiving the confirmation message. Check your Spam or Junk mail folders for the message if you have not received it after 2 hours.
To unsubscribe from AAS Women by email:
Send an email to aaswlist-leave_at_lists.aas.org from the email address you wish to remove from the list. You will receive an email from 'aaswlist-confirm' that you must reply to which will complete the unsubscribe.
Leave AAS Women or change your membership settings through the online portal:
Go to https://lists.aas.org/accounts/signup to create an account with the online portal. After confirming your account you can see the lists you are subscribed to and update your settings.
Back to top.16. Access to Past Issues
https://aas.org/comms/cswa/AASWOMEN
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
Back to top.
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