Why We Leave

Reaching to the stars
by Ares Nguyen via flickr

The charge of the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy is to recommend to the AAS Board of Trustees practical measures that the AAS can take to improve the status of women in astronomy and encourage their entry into this field. We define women to include people who identify as female, including trans women, genderqueer women, and non-binary people who are significantly female-identified. As an organization, the AAS supports and promotes increased participation of historically underrepresented groups in astronomy.

The CSWA has existed for almost 42 years. In that time we have seen a growth in women in the field (although the number of men has also increased alongside this). The linked AIP report found that there was no significant attrition of women between career stages in astronomy. However, attrition does occur for people of all identities, especially those who are underrepresented. We all know someone who left the field at some point.

AASWomen Newsletter for March 26, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women

Issue of March 26, 2021

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

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

This week's issues:

1. Women of Arecibo: Allison Smith

2. Crosspost: Inclusive Mentoring: The Mindset of an Effective Mentor

3. Supporting gender equality through understanding intersectionality

4. Diversity is hard to find among the highest paid leaders at elite research universities

5. Upcoming launch of $8.8 billion telescope places women’s leading roles in center focus

6. Women In STEM: Voices From Around The World

7. Women must not be obscured in science’s history

8. Upcoming SHIELD Webinar: Fri April 9th, 2021 2:00 PM EST

9. Meet the unknown female mathematician whose calculations helped discover Pluto

10. Vera Rubin, astronomer extraordinaire — a new biography

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 of the AASWomen Newsletter

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Women of Arecibo: Allison Smith

This post marks the launch of Women of Arecibo, a new blog series highlighting the achievements and experiences of women who built their careers around the 305-meter telescope at Arecibo Observatory. In this entry, Allison Smith details the legacy of the observatory, what the fall of the 305-m telescope meant to her, and what comes next. 

written by Allison Smith 

I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Arecibo Observatory, and I study the diffuse interstellar medium of our galaxy with the goal of investigating the atomic to molecular transition of gas as well as how our galaxy accretes gas for star formation. I’m thrilled to have a chance to share with the AASWomen community my story and my experience at the observatory. Please note that I’m sharing my personal perspective only (not my employers), but that the impacts of the observatory and the effects of the loss of the 305-m telescope are far reaching. I look forward to (and am honored to be featured alongside!) other women from many different backgrounds in our community sharing their perspectives during this series of featured posts. 

Crosspost: Inclusive Mentoring: The Mindset of an Effective Mentor

By Chandralekha Singh

Mentoring is the process of forming, cultivating, and maintaining relationships that support and advance mentees in their pursuits [1-2]. As physicists, we mentor undergraduate and graduate students in diverse settings: when we teach them in various courses, when we advise students in their research, or when we counsel them about academic and non-academic issues. For example, we give advice on what courses to take, whom to do research with, how to live a balanced life while managing academic and non-academic responsibilities, and how to apply for financial support, scholarships, and jobs.

AASWomen Newsletter for March 19, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
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?

5. Sexism, racism, prejudice, and bias: a literature review and synthesis of research surrounding student evaluations of courses and teaching

6. Children’s Book Series She Persisted Highlights Women In History From Harriet Tubman And Sally Ride To Ruby Bridges And Helen Keller

7. An Interview With Dr. Shirley Jackson, The Ultimate Role Model For Women In Science

8. Job Opportunities

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.

AASWomen Newsletter for March 12, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of March 12, 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:

Item #6. Credit: womeninmotionmovie.com

1. Cross-post: Beyond Marie Curie: The women in science history we don't talk about

2. International Women's Day I: Profiles of women making current contributions to astronomy

3. International Women's Day II: Profiles of women who have made historical contributions to astronomy

4. Scientists want virtual meetings to stay after the COVID pandemic

5. Women in Aerospace: Stories from the Smithsonian Collection

6. From sci-fi to science: Film presentation shows how Nichelle Nichols changed the face of space

7. Physics camp has proven benefits for high school girls

8. Empowering women leads to better science, research and innovation

9. Making it Happen: Women in STEM Shorts Program at Athena Film Festival

10. Where Women Scientists Are the Majority

11. New DPS Mid-career Prize: The Claudia J. Alexander Prize

12. Physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein spans the whitewashed history of astronomy in her new book, ‘The Disordered Cosmos.’

13. Data shows women making gains in STEM workforce but still underrepresented

14. Job Opportunities

15. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

16. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

17. 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.

International Women's Day II: Profiles of women who have made historical contributions to astronomy

 In celebration of International Women's Day on March 8, 2021, there have been a number of recent profiles of women who have made historical contributions to astronomy and space science.

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AWIS celebrates the many achievements of women scientists

The Association for Women in Science celebrates the achievements of many women scientists, including astronomer Maria Mitchell, astronaut Mae Jemison, and mathematician Katherine Johnson.

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Three women from our past who paved the way for women in science today

"It wasn’t that long ago that women had to fight for a spot on the team, a turn at a telescope, or even just to walk in the door. Today, the [Carnegie Science] Earth and Planets Laboratory has 21 female scientists on campus including staff scientists, postdocs, and scientific support staff working to enhance our understanding of the world around us. A lot has changed since the first woman joined our campus, but there is still a lot of work to be done to promote diversity and equality on campus and across the sciences.

In this article, we highlight the work of three Earth and Planets Laboratory (previously Department of Terrestrial Magnetism and Geophysical Laboratory) scientists who paved the way."

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Pluto crater named for female engineer who helped bring the planet into focus

"When NASA's New Horizons spacecraft came to within 7,800 miles (12,550 kilometers) of Pluto in July 2015, aerospace engineer Lisa Hardaway saw the fruits of more than a decade of her labor come into sharp focus. In a few brief seconds, the Ralph imager and spectrometer, a scientific instrument onboard the spacecraft, collected color images and compositional maps that would soon ripple around the globe, inspiring awe and fascination of the farthest body then explored by humankind.

Sadly, Hardaway passed away almost two years after those iconic moments, in January 2017, at the age of 50."