Issue of March 19, 2021
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.]
The first four children's chapter books in the She Persisted series are about Harriet Tubman, Claudette Colvin, Sally Ride, and Virginia Apgar. The series is inspired by Chelsea Clinton's children's book series She Persisted. (From Item 6; Credit: Forbes) This week's issues:
1. Women in Astronomy: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going!
2. Australian chief scientist on creating the right climate for girls and women in STEM
3. Australian Academy of Science awards inaugural Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and other honorifics
4. COVID-19: A Moment for Women in STEM?
7. An Interview With Dr. Shirley Jackson, The Ultimate Role Model For Women In Science
9. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
11. Access to Past Issues of the AASWomen Newsletter
An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.
1. Women in Astronomy: Where We’ve Been and Where We’re Going!
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]
The CSWA's own Stella Kafka was profiled by The Female Scientist. She writes "As a woman in a position of power in STEM, I’ve dedicated much of my energy to ensuring that future generations of young women are empowered and inspired to join the scientific community (particularly in a career in astronomy, but I guess I am a bit biased). For future generations of women to feel comfortable embracing a career in STEM, we must pave the way for them to pursue their personal and professional aspirations in a society that respects and appreciates their contribution."
Read more at
Back to top.2. Australian chief scientist on creating the right climate for girls and women in STEM
From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.ed]
By Jill Rowbotham
"Cathy Foley is giving strategic consideration to how she can help create the right climate for girls and women to embrace study and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and to see those paths as manageable and desirable.
A simple message comes with the chief scientist’s conviction that the society and economy are missing out on formidable talent as the numbers choosing and sticking with STEM remain stubbornly low: “The thing that really is exciting about STEM is that whatever you do actually is able to really make a difference. Most people want to make a difference in life”.
Foley speaks from experience. The latest figures from the 2016 census show six per cent of the workforce has university STEM qualifications and women account for about 30 per cent of that. She is among the few who have reached the heights of a career in science."
Read more at
Back to top.3. Australian Academy of Science awards inaugural Ruby Payne-Scott Medal and other honorifics
From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]
The Australian Academy of Science announced its annual honorific awards to Australian scientists, including the inaugural award of the Ruby Payne-Scott Medal, a "career medal that recognizes researchers of the highest standing in the physical and/or biological sciences", named after the radio astronomy pioneer. Also among the awardees was Cathryn Trott, who received the mid-career Nancy Millis Medal for work studying the epoch of reionization.
Read more at
Back to top.4. COVID-19: A Moment for Women in STEM?
From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]
By Colleen Flaherty
"Colleges and universities had to react quickly to COVID-19, including with respect to the faculty. A year into the pandemic, it’s time to pause and assess the impact that it has had on professors -- especially on women, who face disproportionately more caregiving work at home and corresponding blows to their productivity. Then it’s time to move forward more thoughtfully, guided by policies that center equity and intersectionality.
This is the essential message of a massive new consensus report on COVID-19 and the careers of women in academic sciences, engineering and medicine from the National Academy of Sciences."
Read more at
https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/03/10/covid-19-moment-women-stem
Read the report at
https://www.nap.edu/download/26061
Back to top.5. Sexism, racism, prejudice, and bias: a literature review and synthesis of research surrounding student evaluations of courses and teaching
From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]
By Troy Heffernan
"This paper analyses the current research regarding student evaluations of courses and teaching. The article argues that student evaluations are influenced by racist, sexist and homophobic prejudices, and are biased against discipline and subject area. This paper’s findings are relevant to policymakers and academics as student evaluations are undertaken in over 16,000 higher education institutions at the end of each teaching period. The article’s purpose is to demonstrate to the higher education sector that the data informing student surveys is flawed and prejudiced against those being assessed. Evaluations have been shown to be heavily influenced by student demographics, the teaching academic’s culture and identity, and other aspects not associated with course quality or teaching effectiveness. Evaluations also include increasingly abusive comments which are mostly directed towards women and those from marginalised groups, and subsequently make student surveys a growing cause of stress and anxiety for these academics. Yet, student evaluations are used as a measure of performance and play a role in hiring, firing and promotional decisions. Student evaluations are openly prejudiced against the sector’s most underrepresented academics and they contribute to further marginalising the same groups universities declare to protect, value and are aiming to increase in their workforces."
Read the full paper at
https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/KG5W2MSQKM7J4JRTVMKS/full
Back to top.6. Children’s Book Series She Persisted Highlights Women In History From Harriet Tubman And Sally Ride To Ruby Bridges And Helen Keller
From: Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]
By Rachel Kramer Bussel “A new children’s chapter book series, She Persisted, which launched in January, highlights a different historical woman every month. Published by Philomel, a Penguin Books USA imprint, the series is inspired by Chelsea Clinton’s bestselling children’s book series that started with 2018’s She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed the World (illustrated by Alexandra Boiger) and aimed at children ages six through nine. 13 authors, including Andrea Davis Pinkney, Meg Medina, Kekla Magoon, Courtney Sheinmel and Renée Watson will each contribute to the series’ first year.” Read more at
Back to top.7. An Interview With Dr. Shirley Jackson, The Ultimate Role Model For Women In Science
From: Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]
By T-Mobile for Business
“Dr. Jackson holds a B.S. in Physics, and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Elementary Particle Physics from MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). She is the first African American woman to receive a doctorate of any kind from the university. In addition to the doctorate, Jackson has received 55 honorary doctoral degrees, numerous awards, and leadership roles across academia, government, and scientific industries. These honors are a reflection of her revolutionary work and ability to bring together experts from all walks of life to create solutions that will benefit the world. She is why words like “extraordinary” were invented.”
Read more at
Back to top.8. 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
- Visiting Professor (sabbatical replacement), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Sonoma State University, CA https://employment.sonoma.edu/en-us/job/499426/physics-and-astronomy-visiting-professor
- Assistant Director for Astronomy, University of Michigan, MI https://careers.umich.edu/job_detail/195386/assistant_director_for_astronomy
- Research Analyst, Sr. Research Analyst, Mission Operations, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Details.aspx?JOB_CD=15-01459
- Research Analyst, Sr. Research Analyst, Heliophysics, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Details.aspx?JOB_CD=15-01427
- Postdoc, Outer Solar System, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Details.aspx?JOB_CD=15-01487
- Postdoc, Heliophysics, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO https://resapp.swri.org/ResApp/Job_Details.aspx?JOB_CD=15-01491
Back to top.9. 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.10. 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:
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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.11. Access to Past Issues
https://aas.org/comms/cswa/AASWOMEN
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
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