AASWomen Newsletter for October 29, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of October 29, 2021
eds: Heather Flewelling, Nicolle Zellner, Maria Patterson, Jeremy Bailin, and Alessandra Aloisi

[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

1. Early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic penalised women in academia

2. White House Seeks Ideas for Advancing Equity in Science

3. Astro2020 Decadal Survey to be released November 4

4. Women’s Professional STEM Societies Rethink Gender Diversity

5. A Perspective on the James Webb Space Telescope

6. Job Opportunities

7. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

8. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

9. Access to Past Issues

An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

AASWomen Newsletter for October 22, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women           

Issue of October 22, 2021

eds: Heather Flewelling, Nicolle Zellner, Maria Patterson, Jeremy Bailin, and Alessandra Aloisi

[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: UF files motion to dismiss complaint of former astronomy Ph.D. student in ongoing lawsuit

2. Astronomers for Planet Earth: Gina Maffey

Dr. Gina Maffey (Item #2) 

3. Evaluating the Role of Scientific Awards
4. AAS to Establish a Working Group on Ethics
5. Eight career tips from Nobel Laureates
6. Dr. Sian Proctor, the First Black Woman to Pilot a Spacecraft, Makes
History: “A Phoenix Rising”
7. Book on Gendered Abuse in Academia and Connecting to Women in STEM
8. Fellowships at the Cosmic DAWN Center, University of Copenhagen  
9. Job Opportunities
10. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
11. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
12. 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.

Crosspost: UF files motion to dismiss complaint of former astronomy Ph.D. student in ongoing lawsuit

Update: In April 2022, the university’s internal investigation found that the allegations were unsubstantiated and no sanctions were issued against the faculty member. The allegations on Twitter have since been deleted.

Written By: Grace Blair for WUFT News

<embedded tweet deleted, 7/12/2023>

The University of Florida filed a dismissal on Thursday afternoon to a complaint made by former astronomy doctorate student Sankalp Gilda in an ongoing lawsuit regarding Gilda’s reported mistreatment by his former program supervisor.

The legal complaint was filed by Gilda on Sept. 6 based on “unpaid overtime wages,” according to the complaint obtained through public records. UF filed a motion to dismiss the complaint after citing failure to state a claim, according to the dismissal.

Gilda, who worked under assistant professor Zachary Slepian for three years in the astronomy program, discussed some of his experiences in a tweet made on Sept. 15. In his post, which consisted of 24 tweets, Gilda described multiple instances of Slepian engaging in during his time as Gilda’s adviser, as well as the circumstances that led Gilda to sue UF for improper overtime compensation.

Gilda also announced through Twitter that he filed charges against the UF astronomy and astrophysics department on the basis of “racism, harassment, and retaliation.” Gilda filed a case through the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about Slepian’s behavior. The report consisted of Gilda’s experiences as a doctoral candidate from August 2015 to August 2021 and the various forms of “harassment and discrimination” that he faced during that time based on “national origin, race, and disabilities, unpaid wages, ADA violations, harassment, promissory estoppel, and intentional infliction of emotional damage.”

<edited, 7/12/2023> Read more about the case here:

https://www.wuft.org/news/2021/10/18/uf-files-motion-to-dismiss-complaint-of-former-astronomy-ph-d-student-in-ongoing-lawsuit/ 

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Gina Maffey

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Dr. Gina Maffey, an interdisciplinary science communicator and founder of the Wildeor Foundation.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Gina Maffey is an experienced science communicator and interdisciplinary scientist with a guiding passion for the natural world. 

What is your current career and how did you end up there?

I currently sit as the chair of the Wildeor Foundation—a charity with the aim of Bringing Nature Back to Life. It’s been a very windy road getting here, but the path has never veered too far from environmental topics. Academically, I started in the UK with a BSc in Zoology, Masters in Ecology and Environmental Sustainability and a PhD in Environmental Science. However, during this time I also built up a portfolio of experience in science communication, including a British Science Association Media Fellowship. I began to wonder whether moving to another discipline would offer an opportunity to really understand and improve my science communication skill set. After working in South America for two years in environmental communication I accepted a part-time post in the Netherlands at the Joint Institute for VLBI ERIC (JIVE)—a European Radio Astronomy Institute—where I was introduced to a whole new universe of concepts, ideas and terminology. Throughout my time at JIVE I maintained a strong connection with the natural world, also working with conservation and outdoor skills organizations - and even spending a year living outside in some of the wonderful natural areas that the Netherlands has to offer. I was inspired by many of the conversations that I had with the astronomy community and a small group of us came together to establish the Wildeor Foundation, where we are keen to explore cross-disciplinary approaches to nature connection in everyday life.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I am one of the co-founders of the European arm of A4E. This began in 2019 at the European Astronomical Society conference in Lyon—what started as a conversation with one astronomer on climate change quickly snowballed into our first official meeting by the end of the week. As we were establishing ourselves we came across the newly formed Astronomers for Planet Earth in the US; at this point, we met online and joined forces to form an international group—after all, there is only one planet we are fighting for! I continue to be actively involved in many different aspects of A4E, and currently this is focused on much of the background framework to ensure the long term sustainability of the movement.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
I really want to work towards astronomers having a key voice in the environmental movement. I continue to be inspired by the dedication and depth that astronomers engage with the climate crisis, you (astronomers) speak the language of data and you can see that data as part of a much greater and complex picture. The climate crisis may be our global society’s most pressing problem, but it sits alongside a plethora of environmental issues that require as many voices as possible to collectively shout that something needs to be done, now.

Dr. Maffey observes the delicate beauty of an elephant hawk moth.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
For me, this sits the other way round. My passion for environmental issues has never waned, and engaging with the astronomy sector has only stimulated me further. To pin an actual moment in time is difficult, but the greatest catalyst was undoubtedly meeting the wonderful group of people at the 2019 European Astronomical Society in Lyon. Many of these individuals have become friends through the A4E movement and that social interaction in turn serves as an incredible motivator.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
It has steered my career in ways that I could never have anticipated. I have been lucky enough to present and write about astronomy and climate change, which forces me to review and reflect on my own thinking and I am continually challenged by the discussions that occur through A4E. Above all though, it is influencing how the Wildeor Foundation is growing. It is now less an intersection and more a parallel, conjoined path.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
By understanding how environmental change will affect the conduct of astronomy. It is somewhat misleading to think of environmental topics under a disciplinary label. The environment should form the foundation of each action and decision that we take— what will the long term impact be? What is the true economic cost? Who will be affected by the decisions that we make now? Asking these kinds of questions embeds astronomy in both (local and global) social and environmental frameworks. It also demonstrates that there is a lot of room for change, and that, at the very least, astronomers have the power to make those changes in their own field.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Investment banking.

No, I jest. I still think of myself as an outsider in astronomy, just as I do in ecology, environmental science and science communication. For me, the labels mean little, but my interest for nature runs deep. I know that wherever I was, even in investment banking, I would be fighting on behalf of the natural world.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Join Astronomers for Planet Earth.
Start asking questions and challenge the status quo.
Finally, don’t be intimidated, there is an overwhelming amount of data on climate change, there are climate scientists, climate communicators, climate policy officers… the list goes on. It is impossible to read and know everything, the unifying factor is that those in the field trust what the data is telling them and understand that change has to happen now. The best thing you can do is support them and amplify their message.

AASWomen Newsletter for October 15, 2021

The James Webb Space Telescope is expected to be launched in December 2021 (from item 3, courtesy: NASA)

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of October 15, 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.]

This week's issues:

1. Astronomers from Planet Earth: Victoria Grinberg

2. Researchers voice dismay at all-male science Nobels

3. NASA hit by resignation over its handling of investigation into telescope renaming

4. New Primary Source Set on Women in Science and Technology

5. Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund open for applications

6. Job Opportunities

7. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter

8. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter

9. 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.

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Victoria Grinberg

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Victoria Grinberg, an astrophysicist and liaison scientist at the European Space Agency's Science Division.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Victoria Grinberg is an astrophysicist researching two of the most extreme environments in our universe: accretion disks around black holes and massive stellar winds.

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I am a newly-minted liaison scientist with the European Space Agency (ESA). I did my PhD in Germany, held postdoctoral positions in the USA and in the Netherlands, and had a fixed term appointment leading a junior research group (roughly similar to an assistant professorship) in Germany.

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I am involved in several of our working groups and am part of our ops team. I was one of the founding members of the European group.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
To make a difference!

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
For me, fighting climate change and being conscious of humanity’s future is actually a longer passion than astronomy. I was rather engaged as a high school student, but had to scale down during my studies and then the demanding postdoctoral period with several international moves. A very hot summer at a conference in Lyon and meeting several like-minded astronomers allowed me to combine both. I really needed that community—a lot of changes that need to be done cannot be done on a personal level, but have to be institutional and/or carried by the whole community. And to make them happen we need a lot of engaged people.

When she's not analyzing X-ray emission data from black holes, Dr. Grinberg creates fun and engaging science doodles on a variety of topics from surviving a PhD to portraits of women astronomers like Dr. Anna Walker. 

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
It is less my actual career and more my personal efforts to capitalize on my status as a scientist whose work the general public trusts and whose voice they want to hear— they allow me to reach a wider audience. And to be a (very imperfect!) example of what we can do.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
Listen. Amplify the message. Change our own practice as an example of what can be done. Contribute to general science literacy through outreach activities.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Definitely some kind of science, but I don’t know which one. So many interesting possibilities out there!

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Look for like-minded people and build a support bubble for your climate crisis activities. Joining A4E is a good way to do so, but certainly not the only one. Don’t hold yourself and others to impossible standards, but try your best.

AASWomen Newsletter for October 08, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of October 08, 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.]

Ilgari Inyayimaha (Shared Sky), an indigenous art piece, from item 4.
Painted by artists Margaret Whitehurst, Jenny Green, Barbara Merritt, Charmaine Green, Kevin Merritt, Sherryl Green, Tracey Green, Wendy Jackamarra, Susan Merry, Johnaya Jones, Gemma Merritt, Craig ‘Chook’ Pickett, and Nerolie Blurton

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: Meet Nancy Grace Roman, the "mother" of the Hubble Space Telescope

2. Astronomers for Planet Earth: Abigail Frost

3. Network for Women in Space launches in New Zealand

4. How making a film exploring Indigenous stories of the night sky enriched my perspective as a scientist

5. And the 2021 Nobel Prizes go to men...so far

6. International Day of the Girl: October 11

7. Job Opportunities

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

An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

Crosspost: Meet Nancy Grace Roman, the “mother” of the Hubble Space Telescope

Written by Briley Lewis for Massive Science

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman talks about her childhood love of stargazing and her pioneering work in observational astronomy for an interview with NASA Goddard before her death in 2018.

Today we take for granted that part of NASA’s job is to do astronomy, like with the legendary Hubble Space Telescope and the upcoming James Webb Space Telescope. But that wasn’t always the case — and we have astronomer Nancy Grace Roman to thank for shaping the space agency that it is today.

Roman, known now as the “mother of Hubble”, was born in Tennessee in 1925 and grew up as the quintessential kid with their head tilted up at at the stars. Her mother took her on walks to observe nature, showing her constellations at night, while her scientist father answered her curious questions. Of course, her favorite thing to draw as a kid was the Moon.

But, like many women at the time, her budding interest in STEM was discouraged. Her high school guidance counselor advised her to take more Latin instead of advanced math classes, since it was more “ladylike” to do so. When she finally made it to Swarthmore College, Roman had a rough start, recounting how, “the Dean of Women interviewed each freshman girl. If she failed to convince her not to major in science or engineering, the Dean had nothing more to do with her for the next four years.” With a series of poor physics professors, she was left to figure out a lot of the content on her own. Her first bit of backhanded encouragement, though, came from one of these professors, who said, “I usually try to discourage girls from going into physics, but I think maybe you might make it.”

Read more about how Dr. Roman did in fact, "make it," with a long and fulfilling career that culminated in the creation of the Space Telescope Science Institute at: 
https://massivesci.com/articles/nancy-grace-roman-hubble-telescope-our-science-heroes/

Astronomers for Planet Earth: Abigail Frost

This feature is part of our ongoing series about the amazing women at Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E), a global network of astronomers and astronomy enthusiasts dedicated to offering their unique perspective to the fight for climate justice. For this post, we'll hear from Abigail Frost, a postdoc at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.

If you're interested in learning more about A4E's work combating global climate change and want to get involved, join them here at: https://astronomersforplanet.earth/join-us-1. And be sure to check out A4E's white paper on what astronomers (like you!) can do to address the climate crisis: Astronomers for Planet Earth: Engaging with the Public to Forge a Sustainable Future.

Dr. Abigail Frost is a postdoc researching stellar formation with the European Research Council's MULTIPLES project.  

What is your current career and how did you end up there?
I am a postdoctoral research associate in astrophysics at KU Leuven (Belgium).

What is your role in Astronomers for Planet Earth (A4E)?
I am involved in a number of working groups in A4E and have recently been involved with writing a CAP article about the organization for the journal.

What goals do you have for your role in A4E?
I would like to help A4E’s presence become more known and to help it create positive sustainable change in astronomy.

Describe the first time you made a personal connection between your passion for astronomy and the urgency of fighting climate change.
When I heard about A4E. I was having a bit of a crisis of conscience because fighting for the planet is extremely important to me, but I spend my 9-5 (or longer) doing something completely separate from that. I worked hard to prove myself in my career and didn’t want to give that up, but I felt guilty. I heard about A4E at a conference and it was great, as I could finally link my career with my environmental passions.

Dr. Frost explores the vibrant beauty of a luscious, tropical garden.

How does your career in astronomy intersect with the fight against climate change?
Because I have the opportunity to do a lot of outreach with schools, I feel that this is an important avenue to help spread the news of the climate crisis and emphasize that while we can dream of going to Mars and beyond, none of that will be possible on a large scale unless we look after the Earth.

How can the astronomical community engage with the climate crisis movement?
Astronomers have a fortunate view in the public eye. Astronomy is particularly successful in outreach, meaning that our voices can be heard by many people. It’s up to us when we engage that we also use this platform to talk about protecting our Earth too.

If you weren’t in the field of astronomy, what would you be doing?
Working in environmental/climate science.

Do you have any advice for future astronomers who might also be interested in addressing the climate crisis?
Join A4E and get involved. Additionally, find your own ways to share information related to the climate crisis and push for change in your own household, department and city.

AASWomen Newsletter for October 01, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of October 01, 2021
eds: Heather Flewelling, Nicolle Zellner, Maria Patterson, Jeremy Bailin, and Alessandra Aloisi

[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

Item 10. Credit: APS.

1. Crosspost: Shandera appointed director of Institute for Gravitation and the Cosmos

2. Astronomers for Planet Earth: Jessica Merritt Agnos

3. Proposed New Language on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility for NASA Announcements of Opportunity

4. IAU Women in Astronomy Working Group Updates

5. SETI Institute, Unistellar & The Planetary Society Events to Inspire Girls to Discover Space During World Space Week

6. Un Cafecito With a Woman in STEM: Sandra Cauffman, Deputy Director of Earth Science Division at NASA SMD

7. Australia's chief scientist urges for diversity in STEM to help fill the country's skills shortage

8. The need to recognize and reward academic service

9. Ada Twist, Scientist review: Brilliant children's TV for the curious

10. Women who have received major physics prizes share their thoughts

11. Job Opportunities

12. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

13. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

14. Access to Past Issues

An online version of this newsletter will be available at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

Crosspost: SETI Institute Joins Unistellar & The Planetary Society to Inspire Girls to Discover Space During World Space Week

Written by Rebecca McDonald for the SETI Institute

A budding astronomer observes the night sky on a chilly, winter night with Unistellar's popular evScope.

The SETI Institute is supporting a vital effort to help girls discover space during World Space Week, October 4-10, 2021. The 2021 theme for World Space Week is "Celebrating Women in Space," and the SETI Institute is teaming up with Unistellar and The Planetary Society to help girls discover all the wonder and possibilities of space. This initiative supports one of the SETI Institute’s strategic goals of improving science literacy in general and focusing on girls and other underserved communities.

"As a young girl ~ 8 years old, I was walking along a very dark beach in the Florida Keys with my dad - as he pointed out the constellations, I remember thinking that on a planet circling one of those stars, there would be a young creature walking along their beach and seeing our Sun as a star in their sky," said Jill Tarter, Co-Founder of the SETI Institute and SETI pioneer. “Having a science-based view of all of us as Earthlings will foster the cooperation that will be needed to find solutions to the challenges that threaten our long future on this planet.”

“Women remain a minority among the space and tech industries, but through outreach and education, these figures can change,” said Whitney McChane, Vice President, Communications for Unistellar. “Among the girls we’ll reach during World Space Week are the world’s future asteroid hunters, Mars explorers, stellar astronomers and astrophysicists. Early exposure to the majesty of space can spark a passion in girls that lasts a lifetime.”

Learn more about the all of the fun, inclusive events planned for World Space Week 2021 here:

https://www.seti.org/press-release/seti-institute-joins-unistellar-planetary-society-inspire-girls-discover-space-during-world-space 

And check out, https://unistellaroptics.com/world-space-week/, for even more details, a downloadable eBook with activities for all ages, and a sign up for the Asteroid Art Contest.