Friday, April 23, 2021

AASWomen Newsletter for April 23, 2021

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of April 23, 2021
eds: Heather Flewelling, Nicolle Zellner, Maria Patterson, Jeremy Bailey, and Alessandra Aloisi

Crystal Tinch, Communications
and Engagement Coordinator for
the AAS, works to forge stronger
bonds between members of the 
astronomical community.
(from News Item #2)

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

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: Closing the gender gap in the Australian astronomy workforce
2. Crosspost: #BlackInAstro Unsung Heroes: Crystal Tinch 
3. National academy may eject two famous scientists for sexual harassment
4. New support network: Disabled for Accessibility In Space (DAIS)
5. Reimagining STEM Workforce Development as a Braided River
6. Q&A: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute president Shirley Ann Jackson on navigating the ivory tower as a Black woman
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

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1. Crosspost: Closing the gender gap in the Australian astronomy workforce
From: JoEllen McBride via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

Australian data show that women’s participation at the senior levels in astronomy remains at historically low levels, and that women depart astronomy at two to three times the rate of men. We present data-driven workforce models that predict the future trajectories of the gender fraction in academia, given different hiring and retention initiatives. If the status quo is maintained, the fraction of women at all levels will be below 30% for at least 60 years. If gender parity in hiring and retention targets are adopted, the fraction of 33% women at all levels can be achieved in 20 years. If affirmative action is introduced, the fraction of 33% and 50% women at all levels can be achieved in 10 and 25 years, respectively.

Read more at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2021/04/crosspost-closing-gender-gap-in.html

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2. Crosspost: #BlackInAstro Unsung Heroes: Crystal Tinch
From: Katrina Miller via womeninastronomy.blogspot.com

This post is part of our series #BlackInAstro. The “Unsung Heroes” series aims to highlight the work of folks who are not professional astronomers, but whose work is crucial to the astronomical community!

In this installment, we are publishing an interview with Crystal Tinch, a staff member at the American Astronomical Society.

Read more at

http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2021/04/crosspost-blackinastro-unsung-heroes.html

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3. National academy may eject two famous scientists for sexual harassment
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

By Meredith Wadman  

The U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is moving for the first time to expel sexual harassers from its membership. Science has learned that the institution is adjudicating complaints that could lead to the ejection of astronomer Geoffrey Marcy and evolutionary biologist Francisco Ayala.

The process is unfolding 2 years after the prestigious, 158-year-old academy changed its bylaws to allow expulsion of members. Until then, membership had been for life. Rescinding membership is the most drastic penalty under the new rules, which also allow for lesser sanctions.

“We are watching social change happening in front of our eyes,” says Nancy Hopkins, an NAS member and emeritus biologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “It has been a long time coming.”

Read more at

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/04/national-academy-may-eject-two-famous-scientists-sexual-harassment

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4. New support network: Disabled for Accessibility In Space (DAIS)
From: Jamie Molaro via womeninplanetaryscience.wordpress.com

DAIS (Disabled for Accessibility In Space) is a peer networking, support, and advocacy group welcoming all disabled and chronically ill people working in or professionally associated with space science and related fields (e.g., astronomy, geology). This is a space to be ourselves, trade advice, talk about work/life with a disability, offer and ask for support, and meet others in the community. 

Read more at

https://womeninplanetaryscience.wordpress.com/2021/04/19/new-support-network-disabled-for-accessibility-in-space-dais/

Request an invitation at

https://spacedais.mn.co/

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5. Reimagining STEM Workforce Development as a Braided River
From: Alison Coil [acoil_at_ucsd.edu]

This op-ed by scientists in geology presents an interesting ‘braided river’ model instead of a 'leaky pipeline' model for diversity and inclusion: “Reimagining STEM Workforce Development as a Braided River”:

Read more at

https://eos.org/opinions/reimagining-stem-workforce-development-as-a-braided-river

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6. Q&A: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute president Shirley Ann Jackson on navigating the ivory tower as a Black woman
From: Nicolle Zellner [nzellner_at_albion.edu]

By David Zierler

Shirley Ann Jackson’s storied career encompasses postdoctoral years at Fermilab and CERN, more than a decade at AT&T Bell Laboratories, and multiple stints in public service—including as head of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission and chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. She has a long list of honorary degrees and accolades, including the Vannevar Bush Award for contributions to science and public policy and the National Medal of Science.

But before Jackson was an accomplished researcher and policy expert, she was a young Black woman trying to navigate the halls of the ivory tower.

Read more at 

https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/PT.6.4.20210421a/full/

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7. 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 

- Division Director, Division of Astronomical Sciences, National Science Foundation
https://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/589506600 

- Observatory Manager, Sommers-Bausch Observatory, CU-Boulder
https://jobs.colorado.edu/jobs/JobDetail/?jobId=29892&emailCampaignId=136 

- Telescope Systems Scientist (Research Scientist II), Georgia State University
https://gsu.taleo.net/careersection/jobdetail.ftl?job=21000443  

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8. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter

To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_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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9. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter

Join AAS Women List by email:

Send an email to aaswomen_at_aas.org. A list moderator will add your email to the list. They will reply to your message to confirm that they have added you.

Join AAS Women List through the online portal:

Go to https://lists.aas.org/postorius/lists/aaswlist.lists.aas.org and enter the email address you wish to subscribe in the ‘Your email address’ field. You will receive an email from ‘aaswlist-confirm’ that you must reply to. There may be a delay between entering your email and receiving the confirmation message. Check your Spam or Junk mail folders for the message if you have not received it after 2 hours.


To unsubscribe from AAS Women by email:

Send an email to aaswlist-leave_at_lists.aas.org from the email address you wish to remove from the list. You will receive an email from ‘aaswlist-confirm’ that you must reply to which will complete the unsubscribe.

Leave AAS Women or change your membership settings through the online portal:

Go to https://lists.aas.org/accounts/signup to create an account with the online portal. After confirming your account you can see the lists you are subscribed to and update your settings.

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10. Access to Past Issues

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

Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered. 

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