Issue of March 17, 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. $1,000 USD Mini-Grant for Women, Girls, and Underrepresented Genders in Astronomy
2. AAS SGMA Committee Openings
3. Sweeping report calls for anti-bias measures in US science
4. Dr Al-Shaimaa Hassanin recognised with award for top female early career astronomer in Africa
5. Celebrate women in science - today, and every day
6. 20 trailblazing women in astronomy and astrophysics
7. Half of women scientists worldwide sexually harassed: survey
8. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
9. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
10. 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.
Women, especially Black, Indigenous and Latine women, "remain under-represented in physics and astronomy", according to the American Institute of Physics' 2019 report on Women in Physics and Astronomy. Awarding projects centering women, girls, and underrepresented genders in astronomy is just one small step toward bridging this gap.
Implemented by the North American Regional Office of Astronomy for Development (NA-ROAD) and the International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Outreach (IAU-OAO), the Women and Girls in Astronomy Project (WGAP) will target aspiring astronomers and current professionals alike, establishing a network to uplift, educate, connect with, and provide opportunities to women and girls.
As a newly established project, this mini-grant initiative is our very first act toward making a significant impact in communities with limited or no access to astronomy.
Ten unique astronomy projects will be selected and awarded $1,000 USD mini-grants. The projects must take place in Canada, United States, the Caribbean, Mexico, or Greenland. Projects are encouraged to approach astronomy from a unique lens, including, but not limited to, scientific, social, technical, cultural, and artistic perspectives.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2023/03/1000-usd-mini-grant-for-women-girls-and.html
By McKinley Brumback
"The AAS Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy (SGMA) has several openings for full 3-year terms (starting June 2023). If you are willing to add your voice to promote equality for sexual-orientation and gender minorities within our profession, including those identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, questioning, or queer, please contact SGMA to express your interest and receive the application materials."
Read more at
https://aas.org/posts/news/2023/03/aas-sgma-committee-openings
By Amanda Heidt
"Universities and other employers in the US science sector must adopt practices that foster a safe and inclusive community, finds a report from the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), which outlines how such institutions can do so. The report calls for systemic change across multiple levels to account for the lengthy history of discrimination against people of colour and members of marginalized communities in the United States.
Susan Fiske, co-chair of the committee behind the report, says that bias and discrimination in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine (STEMM) is structural in the United States. This culture, she says, results in policies that reinforce each other and attitudes that perpetuate lifelong disadvantages for certain groups. "The converging data from surveys and experiments and observations tells us that you can't fix it by fixing individuals," says Fiske, who researches psychology and social policy at Princeton University in New Jersey."
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00823-6
Read the full report at
By Vanessa McBride
"The African Network for Women in Astronomy (AfNWA) is delighted to announce Dr Al-Shaimaa Hassanin as winner of the newly named "Prof. Carolina Ödman Early Career Award" for Women in Astronomy in Africa. The nomination acknowledges Dr Hassanin's excellent contribution in science, efforts to advance women's representation in science at different stages of their lives, and mentoring the next cohort of female astronomers. The aim of the award is to recognise and support the scientific achievements, and contributions to society, of women in Astronomy in Africa, and thus AfNWA and ISP are elated to present this prestigious award to someone who embodies their associations' mission and values."
Read more at
https://afnwa.org/award-recognises-top-female-early-career-astronomer-in-africa/
By Nature
"International Women's Day falls on 8 March; it aims to draw attention to women's achievements and the fight for gender equality. The day has its critics: too performative, say some; an opportunity for institutions to put on a facade of change by doing a photo shoot, say others, or to load over-burdened women in their organizations with yet more duties. But they are wrong. There is a need to raise awareness. Women in science still, on average, publish less and win fewer grants and promotions than do men. Harassment, assault and marginalization drive promising researchers out of science, especially those whose race, ethnicity, disability or sexual orientation makes them targets for discrimination."
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-00670-5
By Elizabeth Howell
"From discovering planets to following comets, women all over the world play a crucial role in astronomy. While it's hard to pick the definitive list of women who have contributed to our understanding of the cosmos, these 20 women (mostly from modern times) will give you a sense of some of the scientific knowledge they contribute."
Read more at
https://www.space.com/trailblazing-women-in-astronomy-astrophysics
By AFP
"Half of all women scientists worldwide have been the victim of workplace sexual harassment at some point during their career, according to a survey published on Thursday. In the survey, which included more than 5,000 researchers across 117 countries, 49 percent of women scientists reported that they had "personally experienced at least one situation" of harassment. Nearly half of the cases took place after the MeToo movement emerged in 2017, according to the survey, which was conducted by the Ipsos polling firm on behalf of the L'Oreal Foundation."
Read more at
https://phys.org/news/2023-03-women-scientists-worldwide-sexually-survey.html
Read the full report (in French) at
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