Issue of December 19, 2025
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller
[We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. Rest easy, and happy holidays! --eds.]
This week's issues:
1. Eileen Collins and Spacewoman, a documentary about breaking glass ceilings
2. AAS Members Among Inaugural Recipients of IAU STEM Ambassador Recognition Award Medal
3. Beth Brown Memorial Award Winners for 2025
4. Policy Update (17 December 2025)
5. Port of Call is Retiring!
6. Scientific discovery was slower when women were ignored, research shows
7. On-site childcare available for 247th AAS meeting
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.
Eileen Collins knew she wanted to be an astronaut at nine years old. It didn't matter that no astronauts were women at the time. She determined she would be a "lady astronaut." Collins went on to become an accomplished military pilot and the first woman to pilot the space shuttle in 1995, and the first woman space shuttle commander in 1999. Collins storied career included commanding Discovery on NASA's "Return to Flight" mission in 2005, where she performed a historic rendezvous pitch maneuver.
Read more at: https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2025/12/eileen-collins-and-spacewoman.html
Dr. Duília de Mello, a Brazilian astronomer and a full professor of physics at the Catholic University of America, has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the International Astronomical Union (IAU) STEM Ambassador Recognition Award Medal (2024–2025).
This new award was established to recognize outstanding individuals who have demonstrated exceptional commitment and impact in advancing gender equity and inclusion in astronomy — especially under resource-constrained or under-resourced conditions.
Read more at: https://aas.org/posts/news/2025/12/aas-members-among-inaugural-recipients-iau-stem-ambassador-recognition-award
The AAS-sponsored Beth Brown Memorial Awards honor the memory of a vigorous and engaged young astronomer who passed away at age 39 from a pulmonary embolism. Beth Brown earned her bachelor's degree from Howard University and, in 1998, became the first African American woman to earn a PhD from the University of Michigan's astronomy department. Although her time working in the professional astronomical community was short, she had a significant impact on our discipline, not least by serving as a role model for many students from underrepresented groups.
Read more at: https://aas.org/posts/news/2025/12/beth-brown-memorial-award-winners-2025
As Congress enters its final week of the 2025 session, it appears increasingly unlikely that any FY2026 appropriations bills or minibuses will pass before the holiday break. Jared Isaacman has been confirmed by the Senate as NASA Administrator.
Read more at: https://aas.org/posts/news/2025/12/policy-update-17-december-2025
The AAAS Center for STEMM Education and Workforce (CSEW) is excited to share that the courses and learning series previously offered through the SEA Change Institute in Port of Call are being transformed and rehomed in the new AAAS Learning Hub! New offerings will launch in the Learning Hub going forward.
Read more at: https://mailchi.mp/fc040fa78033/port-of-call-is-retiring
As far as nicknames go, the moniker "Mad Madge" would not suggest that Margaret Cavendish enjoyed the full respect of her peers.
A poet, philosopher, scientist, playwright and fiction writer, the 17th-century duchess had a multitude of disciplines and was published under her own name in a period when women writers were either anonymous or ignored.
Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2025-12-scientific-discovery-slower-women.html
On-site childcare will be available during the 247th AAS meeting, provided by KiddieCorp, a trusted leader with over 40 years of experience and a longstanding partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Space is limited and offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is strongly encouraged, as on-site registration will be available only if space permits.
Read more at: https://aas.org/meetings/aas247/kiddiecorp
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