Friday, May 19, 2023

AASWomen Newsletter for May 19, 2023

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of May 19, 2023
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Nicolle Zellner, Sethanne Howard, and Hannah Jang-Condell

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

This week's issues:
 Frontispiece to Bryan's astronomy book.
Credit: Fred Zwicky

1. Cross-post: Why Peer Mentors Are Crucial for Women in STEM
2. Mysterious Author of Early Astronomy Textbooks Unveiled – Researcher Uncovers New Details   
3. Gender parity – or not?
4. Why aren’t we acting on the evidence of what works for gender equality?
5. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
6. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter
7. 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.

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1. Cross-post: Why Peer Mentors Are Crucial for Women in STEM
From: Nicolle Zellner via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

By Rebecca Coglianese for Inside Higher Ed

We recently celebrated Women’s History Month, and the month prior was International Women and Girls in Science Day, a time to reflect on what all women have accomplished in STEM fields. This day, and every day, I remember the important women who charted pathways and helped me become the scientist I am today.

Read more at


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2. Mysterious Author of Early Astronomy Textbooks Unveiled – Researcher Uncovers New Details
From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau

In the early 1800s, an English schoolmistress, Margaret Bryan, wrote several well-regarded textbooks on astronomy and physics for young women. Despite her correspondence with some of the era’s most esteemed mathematicians and astronomers, details about her life remained largely elusive until recently.

New insights into this mysterious academic’s life and lineage have been brought to light by Gregory Girolami, the William and Janet Lycan Professor of Chemistry at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His research findings were disclosed in a study published in Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science, providing previously unrevealed details about Margaret Bryan’s background.

Read more at


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3. Gender parity – or not?
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

In a recent article, "...the authors determined tenure-track women in science, technology, engineering or math were at parity with men in tenure-track positions in the same fields when it comes to grant funding, journal acceptances and recommendation letters."

Read more at


Find the article at


But in a rebuttal, a math professor claims that the article presents a “Misleading Portrayal of Women's Equality in Science”.

Read more at


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4. Why aren’t we acting on the evidence of what works for gender equality?
From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By Athene Donald

Abundant myths and historical stereotypes are sustaining the harmful notion that girls just don’t like mathematical subjects…

Read more at


[Eds note: Access requires registration or a subscription.]

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5. 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.

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6. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List through the online portal:

To Subscribe, go to https://aas.simplelists.com, and in the "Subscribe" area, add in your name, email address, select "The AASWomen Weekly Newsletter", and click subscribe.  You will be sent an email with a link to click to confirm subscription.

To unsubscribe from AAS Women by email:

Go to https://aas.simplelists.com, in the "My account and unsubscriptions", type your email address. You will receive an email with a link to access your account, from there you can click the unsubscribe link for this mailing list.

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7. Access to Past Issues


Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

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