AASWomen Newsletter for August 30, 2024

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 30, 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. Meet the Editors of the AASWomen Newsletter
2. ‘If you can see it, you can be it’: Women in aerospace
3. In Early Science Journalism, These Women Were Writing for Their Lives
4. How I keep media interviews focused on my science, not my gender
5. Young Astronomer Wins Stellafane Youth Outreach Award
6. Conferences for Undergraduate Women and Gender Minorities in Physics (CU*iP) 2025 applications now online
7. Lack of women winners for million-euro science prize draws protests
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.

Meet the Editors of the AASWomen Newsletter

Since at least 1991, the weekly AASWomen newsletter has included tidbits of information of relevance to women in science and women in astronomy in particular, as well as job postings. 

• To submit an item to the AASWomen newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org. When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting. 
  
  
• To subscribe, go to https://aas.simplelists.com/aaswlist/subscribe/ and enter your name and email address, and click Subscribe. You will be sent an email with a link to click to confirm subscription.

Contact the Editors at aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org (replacing _at_ with @).

Thank you to our past editors (more than two dozen!) for your volunteer work! Current editors are

Name: Jeremy Bailin
Institution: University of Alabama
Specialty Research Area: Galaxy Formation, Globular Clusters
Something Interesting: Former radio DJ 

Name: Sethanne Howard

Institution: US Naval Observatory/retired Chief of the Nautical Almanac Office

Specialty Research Area: galaxy dynamics

Something Interesting: painting; history of women in science with book The Hidden Giants

Name: Ferah Munshi

Institution: George Mason University

Specialty Research Area: Galaxy Formation/Evolution; Dwarf Galaxies; Cosmological Simulations

Something Interesting: I once had to carry a note through TSA stating I had a good reason for being radioactive. If we ever meet, ask me why! I also have two adorable pugs named Ivan and Charlie. 

Name: Nicolle Zellner

Institution: Albion College

Specialty Research Area: Planetary Science, Impacts, Lunar Samples

Something Interesting: I have been a dancer since I was 3 years old. I am the Advisor for the Albion College Dance Team and even performed with them during a basketball half-time!

Thanks also to Hannah Jang-Condell, who is serving a second term as an editor for AASWomen.

AASWomen Newsletter for August 23, 2024

AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy     
Issue of August 23, 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:

August 26, 2026 (Image: oprahdaily.com)

1. Meet Central American-Caribbean Astronomy Bridge Program Fellows - Part 9    
2. Register for the Equity in Graduate Admissions Workshops
3. Women's Equality Day, August 26 2024  
4. Gender bias might be working at level of whole disciplines  
5. How do we bring more diversity to STEM?    
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 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.

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Meet Central American-Caribbean Astronomy Bridge Program Fellows - Part 9

The Central American - Caribbean Bridge in Astrophysics (Cenca Bridge) is a nonprofit organization established in the state of Tennessee in the United States with the mission to create and develop astronomy research opportunities in Central America and the Caribbean. Opportunities to pursue astrophysics in the region are few with only a handful of programs offering master’s in physics with a concentration in astronomy.  Cenca Bridge connects undergraduates from Central America and the Caribbean to mentors and advisors overseas in hope that they have the choice to pursue astrophysics as a profession. Every year, Cenca Bridge holds the remote internship program, where undergraduate students from the region apply to be selected for a 3-month long paid research internship. As the only organization to provide a paid research remote internship, it is important to highlight the contributions that many women in astrophysics from Central America and the Caribbean have already contributed to our field.

In this series, we will highlight selected fellows. If you'd like to learn more about the program and ways you can get involved please visit https://cencabridgeastro.weebly.com/.

In France, during one of many travels.

My name is Thara Caba. I am 24 years old and I was born in the Dominican Republic. I earned my Bachelor’s Degree in Physics at the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo. 

How did you first become interested in astronomy or planetary science?
I first became interested in astronomy by watching TV shows like Doctor Who and Cosmos. In my undergrad I had the opportunity to do my thesis at the University of PadovaUniversity of Padova in Italy and reaffirmed my love for astronomy and astrophysics and that this is the path I want to follow.

What are your aspirations?
I want to complete a PhD and establish the first astrophysics research group in my country and give Dominican students the opportunity to do research in this field without having to leave the country. 

What are you currently working on?
I recently started my Master’s Degree in Astrophysics and Space Science at the University of Rome Tor Vergata. It is an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters program, so every semester I am in a different country. I am studying with a very diverse group of people from all over the world. In my Bachelor’s program, I did research in astroparticle physics and would love to continue on that field.

What else is important to you and how do you make time for it?
My family is very important to me and with a 6-hour time difference, the only way to make time is by having a very strict to-do list (haha!).

I also love traveling and I’ve been very privileged that science has allowed me to do so. :)

What community issues are important to you and why?
Student engagement and the participation of young people in policy making is very important to me. Time and time again, we have seen what happens when young people fall to apathy and don’t engage in the world around them. I recently started working with the Office of Astronomy for Development to see how physics and astronomy students can be incorporated and engaged in their projects. I also worked on the Executive Committee of the International Association of Physics Students and got to meet lots of physics students from around the world and help different student associations. 

During my Bachelor’s degree, I was one of the few women in it and now in my Master’s program, I am the only Black student, so I am also very passionate about the engagement of underrepresented groups in science, With the help of the Office of Astronomy for Development, I had the opportunity to organize an event in the Dominican Republic to encourage women and girls to study astronomy and physics. 

Finally, access to resources and education is very important to me. Astronomy or astrophysics research programs like the Central-American Caribbean Bridge are very important and I am happy that this year I am mentoring one of the students participating in the program. 

Presenting a poster at the
Giambiagi Winter School on Cosmology
at the University of Buenos Aires.

What are your near-future plans?

After surviving my Master’s studeis and the craziness of changing what country I live in every 6 months, I would love to spend some quiet time with my family. After that, I hope to start applying for PhD programs.

AASWomen Newsletter for August 16, 2024

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 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. Researcher Parents Pay EXTRA When Attending Conferences
2. Cross-post: Kiana McFadden is the 2023 DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee
3. Women in astronomy gathered in Cape Town
4. The Taliban said women could study - three years on they still can't
5. Book Review: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Astronomy: A Modern History by Dr. Jörg Matthias Determann
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.

Cross-post: Kiana McFadden is the 2023 DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee

ByTheodore Kareta, DPS Press Officer

Kiana McFadden

Within the partnership between The Division for Planetary Sciences (DPS) of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP), Earth and Planetary Systems Sciences (EPSS) section, we recognize Kiana McFadden as the newest DPS-NSBP Speaker Awardee. Kiana is a PhD student in planetary science at the University of Arizona, specializing in the study of small body surfaces. She is currently working with Dr. Amy Mainzer for the study of mainbelt asteroids, using images acquired by the Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) and Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) space telescopes.

Kiana McFadden’s award-winning talk at the NSBP Fall 2023 meeting, entitled “Size and Albedo Constraints for (152830) Dinkinesh Using WISE Data,” described work that was critical for helping the NASA Lucy mission plan their November 2023 encounter with this small main-belt asteroid.

Read about Kiana's research at

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/lucy/data-from-nasas-wise-used-to-preview-lucy-missions-asteroid-dinkinesh/

DPS is thrilled to invite Kiana McFadden to speak at the 2024 DPS meeting, which will be held in

Boise, Idaho, USA and virtually. 

Learn about and register for the 2024 DPS meeting at

https://dps.aas.org/meetings/future

Read more about the DPS-NSBP award at

https://dps.aas.org/news/2024-dps-nsbp-speaker-awardee-kiana-mcfadden/

AASWomen's Newsletter August 09, 2024

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 9, 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. Culturally Inclusive Planetary Engagement
2. Create Your Own Astronomy Masterpiece to Inspire and Engage
3. Hybrid conferences should be the norm
4. Celebrating Women in Space Science and Astronomy
5. First Woman at the Vatican Observatory
6. Gendered Astronomy, Gendered Sky
7. Emily Calandrelli: Science TV host is reaching for the stars
8. Women's Equality Day Merchandise
9. AAS and IGEN offer two virtual workshops on equity in graduate admissions
10. U. Michigan Astronomy Fall 2024 Preview Event
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

An online version of this newsletter will be available at http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/ at 3:00 PM ET every Friday.

Researcher Parents Pay EXTRA When Attending Conferences

"...as academics with caring responsibilities for young families, we face inequitable hurdles to fully attend and participate in activities that require us to spend time away from home."

In an opinion piece for Nature, Laura Carter, Laura Wolz and Laura Pallett, all research scientists in the United Kingdom, share experiences and advice for caregiving research scientists. In particular, they lament that while funding agencies recognize that "costs for dependants should not be parents’ financial liability", they still need to rely on the employing research organization to dictate what exactly can be claimed as an expense. They argue that, instead, carers need organizations to update and align internal financial reimbursement policies.

Image Credit: https://earlylearningnation.com

To do this, science policy must change to deliver initiatives that genuinely support those in need and that do not further burden an already overworked community. Opportunities need to be 

• flexible
• adaptable
• comprehensive and 
• transparent.

Read more at

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-01571-x

In this country, the National Academies has published multiple documents that describe policies and best practices for supporting family caregivers working in science, engineering, and medicine. You can find them here.

As a reminder, our professional societies provide grants to support caregiving activities. For example, the AAS' Division for Planetary Science offers a Dependent Care Grant, as does the American Geophysical Union (AGU) for specific AGU meetings.

See also:

• Hybrid scientific conferences: An ongoing experiment
• Study Shows Few Male Scientists are Involved Dads
• AAS DPS Professional Development Committee
• AAS DPS Subcommittee on Professional Culture and Climate

AASWomen Newsletter for August 2, 2024

Painting of Hypatia, by Alfred Seifert. Item 6.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 2, 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. Woman Astronomers Day
2. History of Women Astronomers Day
3. 25 years ago this month: Eileen Collins Broke Barriers as America’s First Female Space Shuttle Commander
4. The woman who discovered black holes
5. Rana Dajani, a Palestinian scientist building a more inclusive future
6. Giving history’s most overlooked mathematicians their due
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.

Woman Astronomers Day

By Members of the CSWA and Editors of AASWomen

🌟 Today is Woman Astronomers Day! 🌟

🌟 We celebrate you, our readers, and your discoveries and achievements. 🌟

We also celebrate the dozens of people who have volunteered to support the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) and its weekly newsletter, AASWomen.

Since 1979, over 100 people have been members of the CSWA and have worked to to recommend to the AAS Board of Trustees practical measures that can be taken to improve the status of women in astronomy and encourage their entry into this field. The CSWA's Resources page and External page have a plethora of information to help women advance in the field. Thank you to the past members of the CSWA for the volunteer work you have done for us. 

Current members of the CSWA. First column: Eric Hooper, Regina Jorgenson.
Second column: Alessandra Aloisi, Amber Stuver, Sukanya Chakrabarti.
Third column: Karly Pitman (Chair), Stella Kafka, Jessica Mink.
Fourth column: Hannah Jang-Condell (L), Jeremy Bailin (R), James Keane, Rayna Rampalli

Thanks also to departing CSWA member, Greg Rudnick, who was elected to the AAS Board of Trustees. Congratulations!

Since at least 1991, the weekly AASWomen newsletter has included tidbits of information of relevance to women in science and women in astronomy in particular, as well as job postings. Thank you to our past editors of AASWomen (more than two dozen!) for your volunteer work. 

• To submit an item to the AASWomen newsletter, including replies to topics, send email to aaswomen_at_lists.aas.org. When submitting a job posting for inclusion in the newsletter, please include a one-line description and a link to the full job posting. 
  
  
• To subscribe, go to https://aas.simplelists.com/aaswlist/subscribe/ and enter your name and email address, and click Subscribe. You will be sent an email with a link to click to confirm subscription.

Current Editors. Top: Jeremy Bailin (L), Sethanne Howard (R)
Bottom: Hannah Jang-Condell (L), Nicolle Zellner (R)

The members of the CSWA and the editors of AASWomen are here for you. Comment below or send an email to cswa_at_lists.aas.org.

* Please remember to replace "_at_" with @ in the email addresses above.