Women In Astronomy

Friday, December 2, 2022

AASWomen Newsletter for Dec 2, 2022

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of December 2, 2022
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Nicolle Zellner, Alessandra Aloisi, and Sethanne Howard

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

This week's issues:

1. 2022 Holiday Gift-giving Guide
2. Women and LGBTQ+ people aren’t tokens — don’t treat them as such
3. The Women Behind ENIAC
4. We’re Living in a New Era for Women in Space, On Screen and Off
5. Job Opportunities
6. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
7. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
8. Access to Past Issues
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.

1. 2022 Holiday Gift-giving Guide

From: Nicolle Zellner via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

By Emily Rice, Debbie Kovalsky, and Kelle Cruz

Hello and happy holidays from STARtorialist HQ! In case we are new to you, STARtorialist was founded by professional astronomers to curate space- and science-themed products, support independent designers, and contribute to STEM education and outreach. After several years of pop-up ”BOOTHtiques” at AAS meetings, our online shop (https://shop.startorialist.com/) launched in summer 2020. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the astronomy research community, especially during the holiday season.

2. Women and LGBTQ+ people aren’t tokens — don’t treat them as such

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By Gwen Grinyer

"I recently turned down an invitation to participate in an important conference in my field. Such an invitation is normally an honour — and an opportunity for professional advancement that many early-career scientists don’t get. So, why did I decline?

The invitation wasn’t to talk about my research, but to co-organize a one-hour session for delegates to engage in conversations about equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in physics. According to conference rules, I was told, this session had to be led by a woman. My heart sank. I felt I was invited only because of my gender — not because of my qualifications as a scientist.”

3. The Women Behind ENIAC

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By Joanna Goodrich

Kathy Kleiman’s new book "Proving Ground: The Untold Story of the Six Women Who Programmed the World’s First Modern Computer” follows on her previous documentary film on the women responsible for programming ENIAC, the first general-purpose computer. In this interview, Kleiman discusses the accomplishes of these women and her inspiration in telling their story.

4. We’re Living in a New Era for Women in Space, On Screen and Off

By Margaret Weitekamp

"The critically acclaimed film 'Hidden Figures' (2016) brought public attention to significant aspects of NASA’s history. Based on Margo Lee Shetterly’s book of the same name, the movie dramatized the real-life story of three African American female mathematicians—KatherineJohnson (Taraji P. Henson), Mary Jack son (Janelle Monáe), and Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer)—who worked at the aeronautical research facility that became NASA’s Langley Research Center.

This history was not unknown. After all, President Barack Obama awarded Katherine Johnson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in November 2015, before both the movie and the book came out. And NASA announced some months before the movie was released that a newbuilding at Langley would be called the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility. But the popular reception of the movie greatly increased awareness of their story. Perhaps most significantly, the term “hidden figures” became shorthand for historiesthat had been forgotten (or previously ignored or dismissed), giving people a way to name those whose work had largely been overlooked.

The time seemed right for celebrating NASA’s women. In April 2016, Nathalia Holt published 'Rise of the Rocket Girls', recounting the histories of the women working at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from its earliest days. Also in early 2016, months before HiddenFigures came out, Maia Weinstock, a science writer at MIT and Lego enthusiast, began designing a set of minifigures or “minifigs” depicting notable women of NASA.”

5. 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#howtoincrease

- Tenure-track Assistant Professor in Astrophysics, University of North Florida

https://www.unfjobs.org/postings/22087

- Tenure-Track Astronomy Professor at Agnes Scott College

https://www.agnesscott.edu/careers/faculty-openings/full-time-faculty-in-physics-astronomy.html

- Tenure-Track Astronomy/Astrophysics Assistant Professor at Towson University

https://towson.taleo.net/careersection/fac_ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=220000X6

- Brinson Prize Fellowship in Planet Formation at Wesleyan University (deadline December 15)

https://careers.wesleyan.edu/postings/9271

- Two EMIT (Establishing Multimessenger Astronomy Inclusive Training) Postdoctoral Fellowships at Fisk University and Vanderbilt University

write to k.holley@vanderbilt.edu, with the subject line “EMIT Fellow”

- 2 postdoc positions in Supernova and in Data science in the Astronomy Department of the University of Virginia, Charlottesville - deadline Dec 15

https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/faa60782

- Assistant Professor of Astronomy at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville - deadline Dec 31

https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/7ae63067

- Downsbrough Endowed Chair in Astrophysics, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey

https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/f873796a

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. Access to Past Issues

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

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

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.

10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List through the online portal:

To unsubscribe from AAS Women by email:

11. Access to Past Issues

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

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Cross-post: An American’s five-country research tour

Posted by Nicolle Zellner

Written by Tess Jaffe for the career issue of Physics Today.

Photo Credit: NASA

A year ago former Physics Today editor-in-chief Charles Day asked me to write a narrative of what we termed my “rather bizarre career path.” That’s a reasonable summation. My first research experience in astronomy was a summer internship I did after my freshman year of college. Having no astronomy background, I applied on a whim and happened to be accepted as their wild card for the year. While modeling stellar atmospheres, I fell in love with the subject. It was a fantastic experience that made me decide to pursue a physics major. But when I returned for my sophomore year, motivated and with a plan, I effectively flunked out of the physics program. That roller-coaster experience turned out to be a microcosm of my career.

Read more about Dr. Jaffe's career path and salary history at

https://physicstoday.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/PT.3.5100

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

2022 Holiday Gift-giving Guide

Posted by Nicolle Zellner

By Emily Rice, Debbie Kovalsky, and Kelle Cruz

Hello and happy holidays from STARtorialist HQ! In case we are new to you, STARtorialist was founded by professional astronomers to curate space- and science-themed products, support independent designers, and contribute to STEM education and outreach. After several years of pop-up ”BOOTHtiques” at AAS meetings, our online shop launched in summer 2020. We are grateful for the ongoing support of the astronomy research community, especially during the holiday season.

For this year’s gift guide, we are sharing some of our favorite gift ideas, the majority of which are designed and/or produced by small businesses, many of them women- and/or minority-owned (read more here). Some of them are even designed by scientists (including fellow astronomers), handcrafted, and/or one of a kind!

We hope this gift guide gives you ideas for your loved ones, seasonal tokens of appreciation, fun swaps, or even treats for yourself to celebrate the end of another year. For some products our inventory is limited and may sell out, so shop early or send a gift card in case that perfect gift is still waiting to be discovered.

Astro Accessories

For fabulously flexible astro-fashion, think beyond t-shirts and ties (though we have those, too!) and space out from head to toe! The great thing about gifting accessories like these is that you don’t have to guess someone’s preferred size or fit.

This subtle space-y Moon Phases fleece beanie is also an ingenious teaching and learning tool! The tag inside features instructions for using the hat to find the Moon and a "cheat sheet" of phase names, timing, and other details. Check out the matching baseball cap!

Wrap your loved ones in the depths of space with a woven cotton infinity scarf made from a real space image of the star-forming region Westerlund 2 from Hubble's 25th anniversary image release!

Socks are surprisingly fun gifts, especially when they feature the galaxy’s most famous space agency logo and glow-in-the-dark stars!

Shop all our spaced-out socks.


A Black Hole Tote bag is perfect for the astronomer on the go - luckily this one doesn’t have an actual event horizon! We have versions featuring each of the supermassive black holes images by the Event Horizon Telescope: Sgr A* (aka Our Black Hole (shown here) and M87, plus even more backpacks, bags, & laptop sleeves!	Every explorer needs a towel, and this sunspot beach towel provides sunshine wherever you go! The pattern is from DKIST’s first sunspot image. Check out all of our Sun designs!	We’ve come a long way toward equity in human space exploration, and this Women in Space lunch tote celebrates the women who paved the way! Perfect for the advocate who wants to learn and share their stories with others.

Space for your Space

Now you can outfit your home and office space with… space itself! These gifts are useful as well as beautiful and are sure to be appreciated for many cycles (lunar, solar, proposal, etc.) to come.


Add SPACE to any space with a gorgeous Carina Nebula Throw Pillow Case. Choose from three different sizes and several other new JWST images.	Gift the glow of the full Moon on a clear night, every night, with a realistic moon wall clock that glows for approximately two hours after being charged with light, perfect for a gentle transition to deep ~~space~~ sleep, sans screens.	Perfect indoors and out, this gorgeous nebula cotton blanket is woven in the USA and based on a real Hubble image of the star-forming region Westerlund 2 in the Carina constellation.

Cosmic image knives

https://shop.startorialist.com/products/cosmic-image-knife-set

Can you believe it will already be a year since the successful launch of JWST on Christmas?!

Commemorate a job well done (or one just getting started) with stemless wine glasses, or champagne flutes, glass mugs, pint glasses, and more from our JWST celebration collection.

A Rocket Cocktail Shaker is a uniquely fun way to provide fuel for parties for the holiday season and beyond!

Babies, Kids, & Caregivers

In addition to astro-fashion for the budding scientists in your life, we have lots of new puzzles, games, and playsets, a portable play tent, and the ever-popular plush planet pals that are perfect for loved ones of all ages!


We’ve stocked up on fun toys and playsets for the youngest space fans! Check out toys, books, and more for babies and bigger kids.	Nothing is more fun than kids’ imaginations, and this Spaceship play tent will have them exploring the Universe to infinity and beyond!	Scientists of all ages love the plush planet (and Moon, Sun, comet, North Star, and Black Hole) pals from Celestial Buddies! The hardest part is picking which one to give, and not keeping them for yourself!

Stocking stuffers & swap gifts

There is nothing like the satisfaction of bringing the most coveted swap gift to a party, or finding the perfect present for an unexpected visitor or host. These beautiful, useful, and fun ideas are sure to be appreciated all year long!


Find your favorite astronomer their new favorite mug! We have fun heat-changing designs, JWST mirrors, JPL travel designs, and more. Fill them with candy for an extra treat!	Galaxy-image notebooks are as beautiful as they are functional, and we have a huge selection of them (and other stationery) to choose from!	Puzzles are perfect for wintertime gatherings! Enjoy them with friends & family, then swap them once you’re done, or get duplicates for those far away and have a race!

Friday, November 18, 2022

AASWomen Newsletter for November 18, 2022

Posted by Nicolle Zellner

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of November 18, 2022
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Nicolle Zellner, Alessandra Aloisi, and Sethanne Howard

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

This week's issues:

1. On Gender Equality and Imposter Syndrome: A Case Study and Life Stories by Astrophysicist Jocelyn Graham Bell

2. 19th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES19)
3. Female peer mentors early in college have lasting positive impacts on female engineering students that persist beyond graduation
4. Career Development Fellowship for Trans, Non-Binary, and Intersex People in STEM
5. Systemic Racism Reflected in Grant Allocations, Researchers Argue
6. Matching female university students & professionals with high school girls
7. AAAS Awarded Nearly $20M to Establish Three Distinct Initiatives Supporting Representation in STEMM Fields
8. Job Opportunities
9. How to Submit to the AASWomen Newsletter
10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWomen Newsletter11. 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.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On Gender Equality and Imposter Syndrome: A Case Study and Life Stories by Astrophysicist Jocelyn Graham Bell

Posted by Josephine Wong

This is Josephine Wong's first blogpost with us! She's an amazingly talented PhD student in physics at Stanford University and we're so excited to share her incredible writing with all of you.

Screenshot of Jocelyn Bell's presentation on the current state of female participation in astronomy. Credit: Josephine Wong.

On a warm June morning, a crowd of astronomers filed into Exhibit Hall C at the Pasadena Convention Center to listen to the first Plenary Speaker of the AAS 240 conference, astrophysicist Jocelyn Bell Burnell. Burnell, known for her discovery of pulsars in the 1960s, was the year’s recipient of the Royal Astronomical Society Gold Medal, which recognizes not only outstanding work in astronomy, but also contributions to the field through leadership, education, and administration (1). Indeed, Burnell lives up to the mark. She has advocated tirelessly for increasing opportunities and representation of women and other minority groups in physics research. She has done research in almost all wavelengths of astronomy, from radio to gamma rays, and made important discoveries in the field, demonstrating the contribution that women have in astronomy. And her omission from the Nobel Prize, which her advisor, Antony Hewish, received for the discovery of pulsars, sparked controversy over and illustrated how that contribution too often goes unrecognized. For many reasons, Burnell holds rock star status in the astrophysics community. That she was going to appear live (albeit virtually) at the AAS was very exciting.

During the plenary, Burnell spoke on the current state of female participation in astronomy. She used as her main example the percentage of female membership in the International Astronomical Union (IAU) from 2005 to 2020. Some of the numbers are included in the chart below.

IAU Percentage of Female Membership
	Brazil	China (Nanjing)	India	Netherlands	Spain	USA	UK	World Average
2005	20	12	6	9	18	11	10	13
2010	23	15	8	12	18	12	12	15
2018	22	13	9	11	20	14	13	17
2020	23	13	14	19	22	17	13	19

On a global average, female membership does increase, from 12.8% to 18.3%. However, the breakdown by country appears “stuck,” to use Burnell’s words. Notably, South and Central American countries consistently score above average while Asian and Euro-centric countries repeatedly rank below average. One noticeable exception is Netherlands, which sees its female membership move up from 9% in 2005 to the world average in 2020. Burnell asked some Dutch astronomers about this and they hypothesized that the cause was that, for a few years, universities in the Netherlands were allowed to appoint only women. India’s membership numbers also changes quite a bit, from 6% in 2005 (when the global average was 13%) to 14% in 2020 (global average then was 19%). When asked about this during Q & A, Burnell responded by saying that leadership by one female physicist, by the name of Rohini Godbuli, may be at least partly responsible for the increase in female participation. Coincidentally, the Q & A speaker happened to be a former classmate of Godbuli, and he attested (to the resounding amusement of the audience) that Godbuli was indeed a "force to be reckoned with." It seems that strong female leadership and efforts to recruit female scientists can go a long way in increasing the number of women scientists in astronomy.

Burnell proposes three causes for the larger female representation in astronomy in certain countries: men perceive other subjects as more prestigious, leaving more opportunities open to women; people tend to live close to home so females are able to pass household tasks and child-rearing to their parents; and/or there exists a large population of individuals in lower economic brackets who can take on the roles of housekeeper and babysitter.

This set of societal factors sparks some discussion when applied to the United States. Astronomy does not seem less prestigious here than other careers, given the billions of tax-payer dollars being used to fund NASA and other research labs and the enthusiastic public response to such breakthroughs as the Event Horizon Telescope’s first picture of a black hole and the initial release of James Webb Space Telescope images. Also, the problematic wealth disparity in the US is keeping, if not increasing, the number of people living below the poverty line. However, Americans do move around a lot. According to a 2008 Pew Research study, only about 37% of Americans have never moved outside their hometown (2). This, in addition to the sticky problem of inertia, could help explain the US's dismal percentages.

From the conversations during the Q & A, it seems that Burnell's drive to increase female participation in physics/astronomy at least partially stems from personal experience. In 1969, after she graduated from the University of Cambridge with her PhD in astronomy, her career became somewhat unstable. She said, "I was moving because my husband was moving his job to different parts of the country. And a job would come up somewhere and he’d say if I went for a job in this place, is there any astronomy place anywhere nearby. And [if] I’d say no [then] he wouldn’t apply or if I said yes, he would apply. If he got that job, I then had to write a begging letter to that astronomy place to see if they would give me a part-time job because I was looking after after a child as well." It's clear that she had sacrificed her own career for her family. Though she was still very successful, holding fellowships and teaching positions at various universities and doing research in almost every waveband, this succession of temporary jobs was not ideal and, when asked for advice for young women in astronomy who might be going through similar experiences, she told them to "hang in there," that though her CV did not look great with this set of part-time jobs, she really did enjoy the work and that being a part of a field in which one is passionate about in any capacity is rewarding.

In addition to family obligations, when asked to tell a story of her major discovery—how it happened and what happened afterwards—she took the opportunity to talk about her battle with imposter syndrome. "Until I went to Cambridge, I had been in the north and west of the United Kingdom," she said, "which is the mountainous part of the [country] and considered by the typical southern English to be even and uncultured. [When I got to Cambridge], I [decided] they’ve made a mistake admitting me. That they would discover their mistake and they will throw me out. We now have a name for this. It’s called imposter syndrome. […] And I suffered that badly when I came to Cambridge." But she adopted the policy that until they threw her out, she would work her very hardest so that, when they did throw her out, she wouldn’t have a guilty conscience. "I’d known I’d done my best," she said, "and I just wasn’t bright enough for Cambridge. So I was being really really thorough, and that was how I came to spot the pulsars." Her story was incredibly inspiring and invited a resounding applause from the audience.

At the conclusion of the talk, Burnell spoke on how those in roles of authority – for example, senior scientists or program administrators - can play a role in making astronomy a more equitable field. She encouraged them to collect statistics: on the gender balance of applicants, of who gets invited to interview at the university, and so forth. "Data," she said, "speaks to scientists." One can use these statistics to evaluate for bias in recruitment or retention, and from there, take steps to ameliorate the situation.

References
(1) https://ras.ac.uk/awards-and-grants/awards/gold-medal-a
(2) https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2008/12/17/who-moves-who-stays-put-wheres-home/

Friday, November 11, 2022

AASWomen Newsletter for November 11, 2022

Posted by Jeremy Bailin

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of November 11, 2022
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Nicolle Zellner, Alessandra Aloisi, and Sethanne Howard

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

This week's issues:

1. Tips to Manage Your Research Projects in Tumultuous Moments of Life
2. Astro Voices features videos of hundreds of female astronomers
3. CERN Invites Female Scientists to Sign Up To Visit Schools for Women and Girls in Science and Techology Week
4. Cecilia Payne’s Astronomical Findings Displayed in Famous Letter
5. When women refuse requests to do unrewarded tasks, another female colleague often gets asked instead
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.

1. Tips to Manage Your Research Projects in Tumultuous Moments of Life

From: Nicolle Zellner via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

By Maria Stone

Maria Stone is a doctoral student at the University of Turku (Finland) in the astronomy program. She is curious about galaxy evolution, loves spending time with her family, and hopes to see the northern lights someday. She is passionate about science and believes anyone can do it.

I like what I do - being an astronomer is a dream come true! However, I sometimes face situations where I find myself struggling to focus, struggling to concentrate. The deadlines and many demands on my time seem overwhelming. Already in my career, I realize that I am not alone in my struggles. It's a normal part of life - that sometimes there is too much on your plate. But I hope, after taking a good deep breath, you encourage yourself that you can do it. That’s what I do. Below, I share a few practical tips to gently but firmly continue making progress in my research despite chaotic circumstances. These ideas are not all my own, and I gained some of this wisdom during my internship at NASA, and some from reading about other inspiring women pioneers in STEM. I especially rely on these tips after becoming a mom, but they can apply to any situation. If you have other suggestions, please share them.

2. Astro Voices features videos of hundreds of female astronomers

From: Alessandra Aloisi [aloisi_at_stsci.edu]

By Francesca Primas and David Meissner

"We are very happy and proud to announce the release of the Astro Voices videos, a project that was launched in March 2019 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the International Astronomical Union. Your response was overwhelmingly large and required an immense amount of work to check/adjust/combine more than 600 video clips of different styles and quality. Then came the pandemic, which further delayed its completion.

Today, on UNESCO World Science Day for Peace and Development, we are releasing five internationally-mixed videos.

Each video is about 12 minutes long and can be found on a dedicated YouTube Astro Voices channel. Their release will also be advertised via IAU channels and on the Nature Astronomy Community blog. Feel free to further spread the news!""

See the videos at

https://www.youtube.com/@astrovoices

Read more about the UNESCO World Science Day for Peace and Development at

https://www.unesco.org/en/days/science-peace-development

3. CERN Invites Female Scientists to Sign Up To Visit Schools for Women and Girls in Science and Techology Week

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By CERN

"For the seventh year running, CERN, the University of Geneva’s Scienscope, EPFL and the Annecy Particle Physics Laboratory (LAPP) will be joining forces to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. From 30 January to 3 February 2023, female science ambassadors will visit local schools to talk to the pupils about their profession.

The Women and Girls in Science and Technology week is a huge sucess every year, with 121 presentations made in 2022. This is why we are always looking for more volunteer female scientists willing to give up a bit of their time to visit schools. So come and join the adventure by signing up: the deadline is 11 December 2022 (11.59 p.m.)."

4. Cecilia Payne’s Astronomical Findings Displayed in Famous Letter

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By Claire James

"Of Lost Time, a literary non-profit that publishes collections of historical and famous letters, has shared a missive that reveals the illuminating truth behind the answer to one of astronomy’s biggest questions: What is the universe made of?

Today, it’s an accepted fundamental concept in science that hydrogen, the simplest atom, is the basic building block of the universe. The credit for this discovery is generally given to an American astronomer named Henry Norris Russell, but a famous letter by Russell shows that the idea was first grasped by a young PhD student called Cecilia Payne.

Payne, who found her scientific brilliance stifled in England, discovered hydrogen in the stars in 1925 after moving to the U.S. to pursue her higher education. Of Lost Time shows how Russell, at the time Payne’s external dissertation advisor, wrote to convince her of the impossibility of her findings but later published a paper concluding the same result.

Payne’s story demonstrates the sexism that for so long held women back from pursuing successful careers in the field of science and how, almost 100 years after Russell’s discouragement, letters from the past can shed light on the women who helped shape our understanding of the universe."

5. When women refuse requests to do unrewarded tasks, another female colleague often gets asked instead

From: Jeremy Bailin [jbailin_at_ua.edu]

By Linda Babcock, Brenda Peyser, Lise Vesterlund & Laurie R. Weingart

"In August 2022, a group of female scholars wrote ‘Why four scientists spent a year saying no’: an article about what they had gained by saying no to 100 work-related requests over the course of year. We knew we had found kindred spirits in the authors. We, too, have lost time by saying yes to work that didn’t move our careers forward. That led us, four female professors, to form the No Club.

Over the past decade, we have researched work that doesn’t help to advance careers — an attempt to understand why we, along with many others, were doing so much of it. We gave this work a name: non-promotable tasks (NPTs). Although this work matters to an organization, it brings no external reward or recognition to the individual who does it."

6. 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#howtoincrease

- Assistant Professor, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ
https://nau.jobs vacancy 606756

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.

8. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List through the online portal:

To unsubscribe from AAS Women by email:

9. Access to Past Issues

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

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.

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Friday, December 2, 2022

AASWomen Newsletter for Dec 2, 2022

Thursday, December 1, 2022

Cross-post: An American’s five-country research tour

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

2022 Holiday Gift-giving Guide

Friday, November 18, 2022

AASWomen Newsletter for November 18, 2022

Thursday, November 17, 2022

On Gender Equality and Imposter Syndrome: A Case Study and Life Stories by Astrophysicist Jocelyn Graham Bell

Friday, November 11, 2022

AASWomen Newsletter for November 11, 2022