AASWomen Newsletter for June 30, 2023

Jane Rigby

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of June 30, 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:

1. Crosspost: A Call for Action Against Harassment in Astronomy
2. This Astronomer Discovered What the Stars Were Made Of, and Few Believed Her Discovery
3. The First Black Woman To Earn A Degree In Astrophysics At University Of Wisconsin-Madison Launches New Company
4. International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES19) in Auckland, Aotearoa New Zealand, September 2023
5. Coming out at work: transgender scientists share their stories
6. Q&A: How gender stereotypes in early learning keep girls out of maths and science
7. NASA Names Dr. Jane Rigby New Webb Telescope Senior Project Scientist
8. Spectrum: Empowering Equitable Excellence
9. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
11. 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: A Call for Action Against Harassment in Astronomy

By Authors of Astrobites

Disclaimer: This article was edited by a group of Astrobites authors. It is not intended to be representative of the views of the AAS (which supports Astrobites) or all astronomers.

Over the years, we’ve released many statements encouraging our community to consider how we deal with abuse. With each statement, we’ve been met with hundreds of Twitter likes, tens of retweets, followed quickly by silence and then slowly, but inevitably, the news of yet another harm that we feel obliged to comment on again. 

It’s time we act on these considerations in order to ensure an astronomy that is safe and welcoming to all.  Below, we list a series of actions that would begin to spark this positive, real change. We hope that you, the reader, will join members of Astrobites in signing your name to this open letter.

Read more and sign the letter at

https://astrobites.org/2023/06/25/a-call-for-action-against-harassment-in-astronomy/

Eds note: The CSWA published its Strategic Plan for the 2020s, infomred by its 2019 community survey. Objectives and proposed projects to address Harrassment & Bullying (Focus Area #1) can be found therein.

AASWomen Newsletter for June 23, 2023

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of June 23, 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:

1. Citation Ethics in Publishing
2. AAS Publishing Introduces #BlackSpaceWeek2023 Video Series
3. Crosspost: Astrophysicist hopes her story resonates with Egyptian women
4. 60 years ago Valentina Tereshkova launched into space
5. Remembering Sally Ride — 40 years after she shattered the glass ceiling on the way to space
6. Study examines women's strategic concealment of LGBTQ+ affinity
7. Astronomical Society of the Pacific CEO, Linda Shore, Announces her Retirement
8. Interviews on unpaid caregiving and academic STEMM
9. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
11. 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: Astrophysicist hopes her story resonates with Egyptian women

By Ashraf Amin for ahramonline

In her new book, Starstruck: A Memoir of Finding Light in the Dark, astrophysicist Sarafina El-Badry Nance links her knowledge of the universe to her journey as a child of immigrants who witnessed 9/11 and tried to integrate into white Texas society in every chapter.

Credit: ahramonline

Born in the US to an Egyptian mother and Albanian-German father, Nance is a PhD candidate at UC Berkeley and a science communicator who makes complex subjects fascinating and accessible. She has been named in Forbes' 30 Inspirational Women and 30 under 30 lists, as well as the Arab America Foundation's 40 under 40 list.

In the following interview, Sarafina talks about her journey as a scientist, the surgery she had to go through after finding out she had an 87 percent chance of getting breast cancer in her lifetime and the journey of sharing science on social media.

Read more at

https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/501877.aspx

Read more about Nance's choice to pose for Sports Illustrated at 

https://www.today.com/health/womens-health/astrophysicist-sarafina-nance-sports-illustrated-mastectomy-rcna87916 

AASWomen Newsletter for June 16, 2023

Dr Shohini Ghose, item 5.
Credit: Ghose / Amazon

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of June 16, 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:

1. Crosspost: Encourage whistle-blowing: how universities can help to resolve research’s mental-health crisis
2. Increasing Women’s Representation in STEM Fields
3. Meet Annie Jump Cannon, the “Harvard Computer” that Brought Order Out of Chaos
4. Sexual Harassment Still Pervades Science
5. 'Her Space, Her Time': Quantum physicist Dr Shohini Ghose to release book championing women in science
6. Tackling pervasive sexism in Australian science requires money, leadership and time
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.

Crosspost: Encourage whistle-blowing: how universities can help to resolve research’s mental-health crisis

By the editors of Nature

Researchers working in academia are more likely to experience anxiety and depression than are members of the population at large, as we report in a Feature investigating the mental-health crisis in science. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken its toll on researchers, as it has on many in wider society, but it is clear that a major factor common in academia is a toxic work environment. 

Credit: Alamy 

A proliferation of short-term contracts, low salaries (particularly for early-career researchers), competitive working environments and pressure to publish are all contributors — but so are bullying, discrimination and harassment. Study after study has reported on the devastating effects that these behaviours can have, especially on under-represented groups such as women, people of colour, low-income students and members of sexual and gender minorities.

Regrettably, the finding that bullying and harassment are widespread in academia is not new, as reporting by Nature and other journals show. But few academic leaders seem to be doing much to solve the problem. 

Read more at

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-01703-9

AASWomen Newsletter for June 9, 2023

Item 5

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of June 9, 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:

1. Crosspost: Journey to the stars: the personal stories of women in astronomy
2. Seeking reviewers for NASA SMD Bridge Program Seed Funding proposals
3. Pride at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)
4. Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney is the 2023 DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee
5. NASA Awards $5 Million to Women’s Colleges Tackling STEM Gender Gap
6. Collective action is needed to build a more just science system
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.

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1. Crosspost: Journey to the stars: the personal stories of women in astronomy

From: Bryne Hadnott via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

Written by Karel Green for physicsworld

As recently as the 1970s, the field of astronomy was so dominated by men that telescope facilities didn’t even have women’s toilets. Ann Merchant Boesgaard – who spent much of her research career studying the stars from telescopes on Hawaii after completing her PhD in 1966 – had to campaign for this basic amenity to be installed, as well as women’s dormitories for when they had to do overnight data collection.

Read more at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2023/06/crosspost-journey-to-stars-personal.html

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2. Seeking reviewers for NASA SMD Bridge Program Seed Funding proposals

From: Padi Boyd [patricia.t.boyd_at_nasa.gov]

NASA's SMD Bridge Program is seeking reviewers for proposals received in response to the Bridge Program Seed Funding call for proposals (ROSES-2023, Appendix F.23). Desired areas of expertise include all areas of science, engineering, and technology development relevant to SMD. We are also seeking reviewers with experience in professional and workforce development, including mentoring, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) work, and STEM education. Reviewers will be compensated for their time. Please send questions to hq-smd-bridge_at_mail.nasa.gov.

Volunteer at

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekHJZk2xIJjqfo-__YdN8T-s4csk6REEKI2P_-ky8_nS6ndA/viewform

Learn more about the Bridge Program Seed Funding solicitation (F.23) at

https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?solId=%7b4C8B84E1-912B-E387-F03A-19DA6873F508%7d&path=&method=init

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3. Pride at the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO)

From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

By Tony Beasley, Director

Once again in 2023, the NRAO is changing our Observatory logo for Pride month to send the clear message that NRAO values our current and future LGBTQIA+ colleagues, friends, and family members. We believe our obligation is to create and maintain an environment that is safe, secure, and welcoming. I want to be clear that NRAO stands unambiguously and firmly with the LGBTQIA+ community, and that we explicitly welcome and support our trans and non-binary colleagues.

Read more at

https://public.nrao.edu/odi/pride/

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4. Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney is the 2023 DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee

From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

By Catherine Neish, Serina Diniega, and Theodore Kareta

In 2021, The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) established a partnership with the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), Earth and Planetary Systems Sciences (EPSS) section, to recognize and support a DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee. This year, the awardee is Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney, an astronomer specializing in observations of Ice Giants. ... Dr. Rowe-Gurney’s research interests lie in atmospheric characterization of Uranus and Neptune, based on observations collected by space telescopes such as JWST, Spitzer, and Hubble. Her work with these remote observations expands our understanding of ice giant atmospheres, contributing towards our understanding of their composition and complex weather systems.

Read more at

https://dps.aas.org/news/2023-dps-nsbp-speaker-awardee-dr-rowe-gurney

Read Dr. Rowe-Gurney's CSWA Career Profile interview at

https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2023/03/career-profile-dr-naomi-rowe-gurney.html

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5. NASA Awards $5 Million to Women’s Colleges Tackling STEM Gender Gap

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By Katherine Brown

As part of a Biden/Harris initiative, NASA will award more than $5 million in funding to seven Women’s Colleges and Universities (WCUs) to research and develop strategies that increase retention of women in STEM degree programs and careers.

Read more at

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-awards-5-million-to-women-s-colleges-tackling-stem-gender-gap

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6. Collective action is needed to build a more just science system

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

Rayne, A., Arahanga-Doyle, H., Cox, B. et al. Collective action is needed to build a more just science system. Nat Hum Behav (2023).

The current science system is unjust — from the systems that determine its membership to its outputs and outcomes. We advocate for contextually responsive, collective action to build a more just science system that demonstrates a relational duty of care to all its participants. To achieve this, we urge the science community to harness the powerful processes of complexity with deliberate intent.

Read more at

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-023-01635-4
or
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-023-01635-4

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7. 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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8. 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/aaswlist/subscribe/ and enter your name and email address, 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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9. Access to Past Issues

https://aas.org/comms/cswa/AASWOMEN

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

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Crosspost: Journey to the stars: the personal stories of women in astronomy

 Written by Karel Green for physicsworld

Go the distance in The Sky Is For Everyone women talk about their lives in astronomy, describing the good, the bad and the ugly. (Credit: iStock/Allexxandar)

As recently as the 1970s, the field of astronomy was so dominated by men that telescope facilities didn’t even have women’s toilets. Ann Merchant Boesgaard – who spent much of her research career studying the stars from telescopes on Hawaii after completing her PhD in 1966 – had to campaign for this basic amenity to be installed, as well as women’s dormitories for when they had to do overnight data collection.

Now an award-winning astronomer at the University of Hawaii, Boesgaard is one of 37 women who have shared their research journey in The Sky Is For Everyone: Women Astronomers in Their Own Words. Edited by American astronomers Virginia Trimble from the University of California, Irvine, and David A Weintraub of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, The Sky Is For Everyone is an anthology focusing on the stories and experiences of women in astronomy, both past and present – and it manages to fit a staggering amount of information into its 504 pages.

Before you get to the personal stories of current astronomers that make up the bulk of this book, there is an important introductory chapter entitled “Beginnings”. It provides a special reference, not only to the women featured in its pages, but also to those who could not be – and why...

Read the rest of Green's book review at: https://physicsworld.com/a/journey-to-the-stars-the-personal-stories-of-women-in-astronomy/ 

AASWomen Newsletter for June 2, 2023

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of June 2, 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:

Image credit: ceoworld.biz

1. DEIA Activities at the Summer AAS Meeting
2. Ten Ways to Improve Support Resources for Workplace Incivility in Astronomy    
3. The glass ceiling in the ivory tower: A century of gender gaps in academia across the globe
4. Theano of Thuria: The Female Astronomer of Antiquity
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.

DEIA Activities at the Summer AAS Meeting

By Karly Pitman, Chair of the CSWA

This summer’s AAS 242 in Albuquerque (4-8 June 2023) promises to be a good one!  This meeting features a strong plenary slate of women speakers, including:

Julia Blue Bird

Kathryne Daniel

Jeyhan Kartaltepe

Linda Shore

Meenakshi (Mini) Wadhwa

Katarina Yocum

In addition to the great science and education talks, other sessions you might be interested in related to state of the profession, inclusion, equity, and DEI are happening on Monday, June 5.

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM MDT
102 - Community & Profession
Albuquerque Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 3
9 Presentations

9:00 AM – 10:30 AM MDT
Making DEI Work: Current Issues In DEI Change Management
Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Room 110

10:00 AM – 11:30 AM MDT
106 - Engaging Audiences through Effective Engagement Strategies and Inclusion
Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Rooms 18/30
6 Presentations

1:00 PM – 3:00 PM MDT
Introduction to Equity-Minded Mentoring
Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Room 120

And as always, please take advantage of the many networking opportunities during the conference.  Receptions and the grad student fair happen on Sunday & Monday June 4-5. The Committee for Sexual-Orientation & Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA) is hoting a meet & greet on Tuesday, June 6:

7:00 PM – 8:30 PM MDT
SGMA Meet and Greet for LGBTIA Members and Students
Albuquerque Convention Center, Meeting Rooms 15/16/32