Issue of February 16, 2024
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. Cross-post: Meet the scientist protecting women of color from the wrong side of AI
2. Equity v. Equality in the AAS Job Register
3. International organizations statements for International Daw of Women and Girls in Science
4. International Day of Women and Girls in Science: inspiring stories from Physics World
5. A Dialogue about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
6. Still just a minority of scientists in movies are women
7. IWD 2024: Global Empowerment Virtual Summit
8. 2024 SEA Change Awards Ceremony at AAAS Annual Meeting
9. Job Opportunities
10. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
11. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
12. 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.
At 34, computer scientist and poet, Dr. Joy Buolamwini, has already made her mark as a pioneer in the rapidly developing field of artificial intelligence.
She’s advised President Biden and Big Tech on the benefits and dangers of AI, was named one of Time’s "100 Most Influential people in AI," has worked on documentaries about the subject, and she recently released a book about her personal journey in the space: “Unmasking AI: My Mission to Protect What is Human in a World of Machines.”
Her research as an AI scientist came into focus during her time as a graduate student at MIT: addressing the downfalls in machine learning (the building blocks of AI systems).
At the time, Dr. Buolamwini was working on a face detection technology for an art installation she was building. She noticed the software program was having trouble detecting her skin color. It wasn’t until she decided to place a white mask on her face that it finally started to work properly.
Read more at
http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2024/02/cross-post-meet-scientist-protecting.html
The AAS Code of Ethics Committee has been contacted regarding ads on the AAS Job Register that are restricted to "women only" in countries outside of the United States. This raises the question of whether these ads abide by the AAS Code of Ethics, which states that members "should promote equality of opportunity." The Code of Ethics Committee discussed these cases at length and recommended to the AAS President and the Ethics Working Group that the code should be updated to focus on equity as a means to pursue equality when marginalized groups are considered. We concluded that the job ads in question are ethical, and here we explain our thinking on this topic.
The Code of Ethics Committee specifically considered two framing questions: Are these ads legal? Are these ads ethical? The answer to the first question is conclusively “yes” according to US Federal laws. The answer to the second question is more nuanced. From the perspective of the Code of Ethics Committee, the long-term goal is for gender (and other demographic characteristics) to not directly influence or constrain one’s career trajectory and opportunities. The data show that that is not currently the case in the US, and the imbalance is even more pronounced in many other countries. As an example, this article explains the motivation, strategies, and legality of affirmative action faculty hiring in Australia.
In reviewing the cases brought to our attention, the Code of Ethics Committee concluded that the job ads in question, while restricting the hiring pool to certain identity groups, do so with the goal of creating the conditions of equal opportunity that do not presently exist, and are therefore consistent with the AAS Code of Ethics objective of “promoting equality of opportunity.” Moreover, the underlying hiring policies in question are deemed legal in the country where the hiring is being undertaken.
Given that affirmative action in education and hiring remains an area of active discussion and continues to evolve, we welcome feedback from Society membership on this and related topics.
Read more at
https://aas.org/posts/news/2024/02/equity-v-equality-aas-job-register
February 11 was the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. International umbrella organizations marked the day with statements noting both progress and challenges.
Read the United Nations statement at
Read the European Commission statement at
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/STATEMENT_24_732
By Katherine Skipper
Sunday 11 February 2024 is the ninth International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Established in 2015 by the United Nations, the event aims to promote women’s and girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects and to highlight gender disparities in these fields.
We know that women make up a disproportionate minority of physicists, and they continue to face both outright and implicit biases in their work. That’s why this year’s International Day was marked by an assembly at the UN headquarters in New York, featuring panel discussions and an exhibition for female youth that showcased careers in science. It will also see organizations including governments and universities promoting opportunities for female scientists.
Physics World has also done a lot in recent years to cover the work of female physicists and report on efforts to achieve gender equality in physics. In case you missed it, here’s a round-up of highlights over the last year. You can also read our online collection of articles on women in physics.
Read more at
The Black Women's History Committee of the National Women's History Alliance will present "A Dialogue about Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging", a live Zoom dialogue and Q&A, on Saturday February 24, 2024, featuring Reverend Vivica Keyes and Timshel Tarbet. The event is free and open to the public, but requires registration.
Read more and register at
https://nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org/bwhcwebinar/
By Moonshot.news
More women are needed in STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Women make up almost half (49.3%) of total employment but just 29.2% of all STEM workers. TV and films can show role models stimulating girls to go for STEM studies. However, a new survey shows that on-screen, men in STEM still outnumber women in STEM: 38% are women, just up 1% from a study reported in 2017, Geena Davis Institute On Gender in Media says in a report.
“Write STEM characters and careers in ways that appeal to young girls and women by highlighting collaboration and the ways STEM is important to society” the report recommends.
“A powerful way to attract girls and young women to STEM careers is by showing that these fields align with values of girls and young women.”
Read more at
Read the report at
By Global Empowerment Virtual Summit
Please join us and wonderful experts and speakers at the International Women's Day 2024: Global Empowerment Virtual Summit -- Together We Thrive. This summit is interactive and free.
This will be the 113th anniversary of International Women’s Day and we have 10 days set apart to celebrate with you: March 1st - March 10th, with March 8th being the official International Women’s Day.
We would love to see you and spend some time together honoring women and celebrating together from March 1 - 10th, from 10AM - 12 PM PST, daily.
Read more at
https://www.internationalwomensday.org/iwd2024/
By American Association for the Advancement of Science
We are pleased to invite you to view the livestream of the SEA Change Awards Ceremony at the AAAS Annual Meeting, celebrating the strengthening of the scientific endeavor by removing barriers that are preventing the advancement and success of all in our institutions of higher education. This event is sponsored by CURE and will take place in Denver, CO, on Friday, February 16, 2024 6:30 pm – 8:30pm MT.
The SEA Change Awards Ceremony offers us the opportunity to celebrate together as we honor recipients of SEA Change Awards and their work towards institutional and disciplinary transformation. SEA Change Bronze Awards recognize institutions and the disciplinary ecosystems within them for efforts to identify, assess, and remove structural and systemic barriers to the inclusion and success of all interested individuals. The Bronze Award hinges on awareness, growth, and action towards enhancing excellence in STEMM learning and work.
Watch the livestream at
https://aaas.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DxXzrxLBTxOEAxyV_Dax0Q#/registration
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
- Interdisciplinary Postdoc for Star-Planet Chemical Interplay, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA
https://jobregister.aas.org/ad/b4d744ca
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