AASWomen Newsletter for September 4, 2026

Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, item 3. Credit: NASA

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of September 4, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. Meet the Women Behind the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope
2. Crosspost: Stemming the leaky pipeline-completing a PhD with a hidden disability
3. Many articles about Nancy Grace Roman
4. History: The ERA controversy at the American Astronomical Society
5. NASA's Roman Space Telescope is just one of a few missions named after real-life women
6. NSF Forward Community Input Form
7. Only 19% Make It: The Hidden Barriers Women Face in Science Today
8. Job Opportunities
9. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
10. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
11. 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 Women Behind the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope

This week the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launched perfectly and is now on its journey to Lagrange Point 2 (L2). A million miles from Earth, the telescope will begin its mission to map the universe in a wide-angle, infrared view. Named for Nancy Grace Roman, NASA's first chief of astronomy and first woman executive, the telescope celebrates one of the most famous female astronomers to date. As part of that legacy, many of those involved in building and operating Roman are women. 

The Nancy Grace Roman Telescope launches on a SpaceX Falcon rocket on August 30, 2026. 
Photo: NASA/Joel Kowsky

Jackie Townsend, Roman Space Telescope Project Manager

Jackie Townsend didn't follow a straight path to NASA and the Roman project. She went to college twice, dropping out the first time to work in various jobs before rediscovering her love for space and going back to study physics. Townsend brought this penchant for problem-solving to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, where she worked on Hubble missions as a materials engineer and contributed to James Webb as well. As a manager for Roman, she said, "I find it wonderful and empowering to think that everyone from a kindergarten kid to a Nobel laureate will have the same access to data to do whatever great science they have in mind." (Jackie Townsend - Roman Team - NASA)

Rebekah Hounsell, Assistant Research Scientist

Rebekah Hounsell knew she wanted to be an astrophysicist from the age of ten. She worked on data from Hubble at the Space Telescope Science Institute and found her way to Roman early in its development when it was known as WFIRST. Hounsell helped design the High Latitude Time Domain Survey, which will discover and categorize Type Ia supernovae during Roman's mission. Hounsell is excited to see Roman discover transient events as she continues her role as Co-Principal Investigator of of the Roman Supernova Project Infrastructure Team. (Rebekah Hounsell - Roman Team - NASA)

Ami Choi, Research Astrophysicist and Roman’s Deputy Wide Field Instrument Scientist

Ami Choi leads a tour stop at NASA Goddard. 
Credit: NASA/Travis Wohlrab

Ami Choi didn't find physics or math easy, but she pursued a career in astrophysics relentlessly, first through dark matter and energy and now as the deputy Wide Field Instrument scientist for Roman. Choi's curiosity drives her work, and she is looking forward to the moment Roman begins transmitting data back. (Ami Choi - Roman Team - NASA)

Sangeeta Malhotra - Research Astrophysicist

Sangeeta grew up in India, and her town's planned power outages at night gave her the opportunity to view dark skies and fall in love with the stars. She built her first telescope while in high school and never looked back. She studied dark matter while doing her PhD at Princeton and then the Hubble Constant and dark energy. She worked on the Hubble instrument NICMOS and advised using spectroscopy measurements on Hubble Ultra Deep Field planning. All of this experience led her to wonder what more could be observed from a wide-field telescope. Malhotra joined the team for WFIRST early on doing calibration and is currently working on her next mission, Habitable Worlds Observatory. (Sangeeta Malhotra - Roman Team - NASA)

Bente Eegholm - Optical Engineer

Bente Eegholm with Roman's primary mirror.
Credit: NASA/Chris Gunn

Eegholm came to the United States from her native Denmark and worked as a contractor supporting the James Webb Space Telescope. Her work focused on a speckle interferometer used for stability in one of Webb's mirrors. Then she was a developmental lead for the ICESat-2 mission and participated in building both the ATLAS flight telescope and a spare one. She joined the Roman team in 2019 as optics lead on the prism assembly. Eegholm appreciates the Roman project's relatively fast timeline from development to launch, as well as the shorter development cycles for Earth-observing missions, as she sees value in going through a development and launch cycle. (Bente Eegholm - Roman Team - NASA)

Building and developing the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope was truly a team effort, with thousands of people contributing to the telescope's creation, launch, and ongoing mission. Keep up with the latest mission updates through the Roman Space Telescope blog from NASA. 

Read more about the Roman Team at Nasa.gov.

Quotes used in this blog were originally published as part of the Roman Team page at NASA.gov, through an interview series by Ashley Balzer, NASA science writer for the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope. 

AASWomen Newsletter for August 28, 2026

Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, author of one of the most influential doctoral theses in the history of astronomy. Smithsonian Institution Archives.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 28, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. Call for Applications: 2027 Shapley Visiting Lectures Program
2. Survey on creating a (senior) network to support LGBTQ+ junior astronomers
3. To improve female representation in STEM, active allyship is vital
4. August 2026: The Eratosthenes America Project
5. Hidden in the Historical Record: Women’s Contributions to Early Astronomy
6. Announcing Monash 70th Anniversary Fellows
7. Book on Gender Balance in Astronomy
8. Funding Opportunity: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
9. Funding Opportunity: Newnham College Cambridge Research Fellowship 2027 for Women in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Psychology
10. Job Opportunities
11. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
12. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
13. 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.

Crosspost: Stemming the leaky pipeline-completing a PhD with a hidden disability

Today's crosspost from Lancaster University spotlights the challenges of completing a PhD with a hidden disability in an academic culture of constant productivity. Author Ellie Moxham writes:

"Universities increasingly celebrate diversity and inclusivity, yet academic success continues to be measured against standards that assume everyone can work at the same pace, sustain the same levels of productivity, and prioritise their research above all else. For researchers with invisible disabilities, the challenge is often not the research itself but meeting the ostensibly relentless expectations that now come with being in academia."

Image by Jan Vašek from Pixabay

Moxham raises the valid concerns about the expectation of every PhD student to conform to the current academic system, but she also highlights lessons learned for other students.

Read the full account at https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/lec/about-us/blogs/stemming-the-leaky-pipeline-what-the-certificate-doesnt-show-completing-a-phd-with-a-hidden-disability-in-an-academic-culture-of-constant-productivity

AASWomen Newsletter for August 21, 2026

NASA astronaut Anil Menon (sideways, just below the dish) and ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot work to remove a failed Space-To-Ground antenna at the Z-1 truss outside of the International Space Station on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2026. (Image credit: NASA)

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 21, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: New Astronomy Bachelors: What Comes Next
2. How women physicists in India are breaking down barriers and shaping the future
3. NASA astronaut and 1st female French spacewalker remove failed ISS antenna but run out of time for replacement
4. Women in Science Leadership Award for Prof. Tandoğan!
5. Meet Annapurni Subramaniam, the Indian astrophysicist who became the first Indian woman to win the COSPAR Vikram Sarabhai Medal
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.

Crosspost: New Astronomy Bachelors: What Comes Next

Today's crosspost features a report from AIP's Bachelor's Degree Recipient Follow-Up Survey. The survey covered three academic years from 2021 to 2024 and summarizes the responses for astronomy bachelor's degree holders upon graduation.

The report revealed that the awarding of astronomy bachelor's degrees hit an all-time high at 982 in 2024 (most recent survey data). Of those degrees, 41% were awarded to women, and 56% of astronomy degrees were a double major, most commonly paired with physics.

Upon graduation, 51% of degree holders entered the workforce, and 42% were enrolled in a graduate program for the following winter, with 7% unemployed. Those who entered the private sector in STEM jobs drew notably higher salaries than non-STEM private sector jobs and college or university jobs.

For all insights from the New Astronomy Bachelors: What Comes Next report, visit https://www.aip.org/statistics/new-astronomy-bachelors-what-comes-next. 

AASWomen Newsletter for August 14, 2026

Camera Obscura Shadows of the Solar Eclipse

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 14, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. August 12, 2026 Solar Eclipse in Photos
2. AAS Policy Update (6 August 2026)
3. Call for Applications: 2027 Shapley Visiting Lectures Program
4. Living Fully in the Math World Means Threading the Needle
5. Why are Women Leaving Computer Science?
6. What Barriers Do Women in Science Face When Trying to Publish?
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.

August 12, 2026 Solar Eclipse in Photos

Yesterday much of Europe enjoyed a solar eclipse. The path of totality swept across Greenland, Iceland, and Spain, along with a tiny corner of Portugal. For those not in the path, the partial solar eclipse was still an exciting event.

I live outside of Lisbon, which experienced a deep partial eclipse with 95% coverage. In the days leading up to the eclipse, certified eclipse glasses sold out in nearly every pharmacy and vision center. I turned to online shopping and managed to have some delivered overnight, ordering a box of 50 to do so. Though I only needed four, the other 46 pairs were quickly claimed through my local running club, and I was happy to play a small role in their enjoyment of the event.

My family headed to a local park during the afternoon to let the kids run off some energy, then we walked to the nearby coastline, where we had a clear view of the sun. We carefully used our eclipse glasses and spent time using our kitchen colander to project shadows onto the concrete and a park bench. My daughters were particularly fascinated with this trick. We were awed by how the sun "set" during the eclipse and then set again on our drive home. Even though we weren't in the path of totality, this was the most coverage I've seen, and it was an experience to remember. 

I've added a few of my event pictures here, although I'm not a photographer, so I don't have any true eclipse photos. I also added links to photos from other sites for those of you not able to see this one. And mark your calendars, since next year's eclipse on August 2, 2027, will include a partial eclipse in the U.S. (Maine) and Canada, and the path of totality will once again cross part of Spain and into North Africa and the Middle East. Time to start planning now!

Find professional photos of the eclipse at Smithsonian Magazine, National Geographic, NPR, and NASA. 

Eclipse viewers walking back after the peak and sailboats on the Atlantic viewing the eclipse in Cascais, Portugal.
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Getting ready for the eclipse.
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Colander moons
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

CSWA blogger Kimberly Mitchell
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

Solar eclipse shadows
Photo: Kimberly Mitchell

AASWomen Newsletter for August 7, 2026

Keitumetse Molamu, item 6.
Credit Keitumetse Molamu.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of August 7, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: Physics Bachelor’s Degree Recipients : Recent Trends, Educational Characteristics, and Influences
2. American Association of University Women announces 2026-2027 fellowship and grant recipients
3. American Doctoral Fellowship Applications Open Soon
4. How women in physics in India are breaking down barriers and shaping the future
5. Australian Museum 100 people exhibition: Ruby Payne-Scott
6. Interview with Keitumetse Molamu, head of Engineering and Technology Development for the South African Radio Observatory
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.

Crosspost: Physics Bachelor’s Degree Recipients : Recent Trends, Educational Characteristics, and Influences

AIP released its report over physics bachelor's degree recipients. There is good news for women in STEM. 

• Women earned 27% of the physics bachelor’s degrees awarded in the 2024–25 academic year, the highest proportion on record.

Since 1983, the percent of women receiving physics bachelor's degrees has risen from around twelve percent of all degrees awarded. Though that's good news, it still places well below the total percentage of women receiving bachelor's degrees each year at 58% of all awarded degrees.

Read more from the AIP Physics Bachelor's Degree Recipients Report on recent trends, characteristics, and influences at https://www.aip.org/statistics/physics-bachelors-degree-recipients-recent-trends-educational-characteristics-and-influences.

AASWomen Newsletter for July 31, 2026

Dr. Gay Jane Perez, item 2. Credit: Rappler.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of July 31, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. Women In STEM Podcasts for Summer (or anytime!)
2. Gay Jane Perez brings outer space closer to home
3. When women take up space
4. Australia’s National Science Week 2026 Puts Women In Science And Overlooked Research Centre Stage
5. Scientists bring Comic-Con's first immersive STEAM experience to life
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.

Women In STEM Podcasts for Summer (or anytime!)

Find a new podcast this summer, or revisit some old favorites. Many of the following feature women in STEM and astronomy (with some hosted by women in STEM). Find your new favorite pod below! 

Image by Yol Gezer from Pixabay

In Her Orbit

Hosted by aerospace CEO Shawn Linam, this podcast spotlights women working across the space industry. Linam features interviews with planetary scientists, space strategists, and NASA researchers (such as planetary scientist Jasmine Singh working on NASA’s Europa Clipper mission). Spotify

STARS Launch Pod

STARS Launch Pod is a podcast that explores the intersection of space technology and life sciences. Each episode uncovers how scientists, researchers, and innovators are building space tech to transform lives both in space and on Earth - overcoming challenges, pushing boundaries, and collaborating to make the cosmos more accessible and sustainable for humanity. Whether you’re a scientist, engineer, researcher, or future innovator, STARS Launch Pod brings you the stories that are propelling us forward - one Launch at a time. Hosted by Susan Wise. Spotify

Her Impact 

Her Impact is a narrative podcast hosted by geologist Konstantia Achilleos. Through intimate conversations with women leading in environmental science, the show explores how landscapes, culture, and community shape their work. Rooted in the Mediterranean yet globally relevant, Her Impact blends scientific insight with human stories to highlight the women transforming our relationship with nature. Season 2 expands this vision by exploring geostories from around the world and the women shaping environmental culture and the future of sustainable tourism and geotourism. Apple

Lost Women of Science

For every Marie Curie or Rosalind Franklin whose story has been told, hundreds of female scientists remain unknown to the public at large. In this series, we illuminate the lives and work of a diverse array of groundbreaking scientists who, because of time, place and gender, have gone largely unrecognized. Each season we focus on a different scientist, putting her narrative into context, explaining not just the science but also the social and historical conditions in which she lived and worked. We also bring these stories to the present, painting a full picture of how her work endures. Spotify

Gardeners of the Galaxy

Emma the Space Garder (Doughty) features botany and life sciences in space exploration. She frequently interviews NASA scientists, plant biologists, and astronauts growing crops in microgravity and simulated Mars environments. Apple

Ordinarily Extraordinary – Conversations with Women in STEM

Kathy Kale Nelson and Linda LaTourell cohost this podcast focused on ordinary women doing extraordinary work in STEM. From early career professionals to experienced leaders, their guests share how they got started, how they've grown, and what they've learned along the way. This is a space where women in STEM can be seen, heard, and supported—because representation isn't just powerful, it's essential. Spotify

Initial Conditions

AIP ran Initial Conditions through 2022 to provide the context in which physics happens. Likewise, in Initial Conditions: A Physics History Podcast, we provide the context in which physical discoveries happened. We dive into the collections of the Niels Bohr Library & Archives at the American Institute of Physics to uncover the unexpected stories behind the physics we know. Through these stories, we hope to challenge the conventional history of what it means to be a physicist. Spotify

My Nuclear Life

Sherry Lesher explores the intersection of nuclear science and society using interviews with historians, policymakers, experts in their fields, and first-hand accounts to weave a picture of your nuclear life. Spotify

Clear+Vivid

Alan Alda (yes, the actor turned science communicator) frequently hosts scientists on his podcast about communication. Learn to connect better with others in every area of your life. Immerse yourself in spirited conversations with people who know how hard it is, and yet how good it feels, to really connect with other people—whether it’s one person, an audience or a whole country. You'll know many of the people in these conversations—they are luminaries in our culture. Some you may not know. But what links them all is their powerful ability to relate and communicate. It's something we need now more than ever. Spotify

Many of these podcasts can be found on more than one platform (Spotify, Apple, YouTube). Enjoy hearing from some of the voices of women in STEM this summer. 

AASWomen Newsletter for Juy 24, 2026

Maria Mitchell, America’s first professional female astronomer, is celebrating her birthday on August 1.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of July 24, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. American Physical Society and American Astronomical Society Civic Science Fellow
2. Crosspost: Upward trend in percentage of women physics and astronomy faculty in US
3. "Death by a thousand cuts": Professor Rachel Oliver on why women in STEM suffer
4. What explains gender pay gaps in academia?
5. The Meteoriticists, a trio of women scientists hunting fallen celestial bodies in Brazil
6. Celebrating the next generation of female space tech pioneers
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.

Crosspost: Upward trend in percentage of women physics and astronomy faculty in US

Today's crosspost highlights the upward trend in percentage of women physics and astronomy faculty in the US, according to a survey conducted by the American Institute of Physics. The academic workforce report examined statistics from 2006 to 2024 and was originally published by Physics Today on December 18, 2025.

Women made up 21% of faculty members in US physics departments in 2024, up from 16% a decade earlier (see the figure). The percentage of women faculty members in the nation’s astronomy departments rose from 19% in 2014 to 25% in 2024. Those are among the findings in a recent report on the academic workforce by the statistical research team at the American Institute of Physics (publisher of Physics Today). See the Physics Today article at https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/upward-trend-in-percentage-of-women-physics-and-astronomy-faculty-in-us.

Overall, the State of the Academic Workforce in Physics and Astronomy, 2000-2024 report held good news for female astronomers. Women made up 25% of faculty members in astronomy departments in 2024, up from roughly 19% a decade earlier. 

Astronomy leads physics. The proportion of women in astronomy departments remained higher than in physics departments, where women were 21% of faculty in 2024.

From 2022 to 2024, the percentage of women in astronomy departments increased among associate professor ranks and "other" ranks (research and visiting professors).

New hires dipped from 38% in 2022 to 34% in 2024. Even after dipping, women were 34% of new astronomy hires in 2023–24.

Despite a decade of growth, women remain only one-quarter of astronomy faculty, so the gender gap at the senior/tenured level (full professors) is still substantial even as associate and "other" ranks improve. 

Read the full State of the Academic Workforce in Physics and Astrkonomy, 2000-2024 report at https://www.aip.org/statistics/the-state-of-the-academic-workforce-in-physics-and-astronomy-2000-2024.

AASWomen Newsletter for July 17, 2026

Adelaide Ames worked at the Harvard College Observatory from 1924-1932. She was co-author of the Shapley-Ames catalogue of bright galaxies.

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of July 17, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Sethanne Howard, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

[Apologies for the late newsletter. We hope you all are taking care of yourselves and each other. --eds.]

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: Q&A: Kate Marvel on the physics and emotions of climate change
2. AAS Policy Update (9 July 2026)
3. Who writes the rules of science?
4. Setting sail on an ocean research journey inspires Innu youths for futures in sciences
5. Garnet found in Mars meteorite surprises scientists
6. Mapping the Web of our Universe
7. Wally Funk, aviation pioneer and oldest woman to go into space, dies at 87
8. Commentary: Why African women can help take the next giant leap in space exploration
9. Women Astronauts. The Chance for Space Flight
10. The female science influencers who leverage their training and have legions of followers
11. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
12. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
13. 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.

Crosspost: Q&A: Kate Marvel on the physics and emotions of climate change

Today's crosspost was originally published on Physics Today on November 19, 2025. In this interview by Jessica Duncombe, astrophysicist turned climate physicist Kate Marvel discusses her journey from astrophysics to climate science, her work at NASA, and being a writer.

(From Physics Today)

PT: How did you get interested in climate science?

MARVEL: Some contacts recommended I try climate modeling during my first postdoc, so I went and talked to climate modeler Ken Caldeira. We ended up writing this crazy paper together. It was about hypothetically putting wind turbines in the jet stream. If we did that, how much energy could be extracted before we shut down global wind?

I was intrigued because the research question was nuts. I came from astrophysics, this field that tries to explain the entire universe. And I found myself being surprised that we didn’t know how much wind we have in the jet stream. I liked climate science because it addressed questions that seemed big and interesting and expansive but also relevant.

I also came from a hypercompetitive theoretical-physics department during my PhD where every seminar felt like a blood sport. Going to a seminar in climate science, I noticed that people were asking questions about things they were curious about as opposed to feeling the pressure to know everything. I liked the culture a lot better.

Read Marvel's full interview at https://physicstoday.aip.org/news/q-a-kate-marvel-on-the-physics-and-emotions-of-climate-change

In March 2026, Marvel left NASA to work for Project Drawdown, a non-profit organization leading science-based climate solutions. Find out more about Project Drawdown at https://www.facebook.com/projectdrawdown and about Kate at marvelclimate.com. 

AASWomen Newsletter for July 10, 2026

Isobel Romero-Shaw, item 4.
Credit: Cardiff University

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of July 10, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Ferah Munshi, Stella Kafka, and Ben Keller

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

This week's issues:

1. Crosspost: Building a culture of inclusion and allyship for queer astronomers
2. From the Archives: Career Profile: Astronomer to Analytics Company Founder and Chief Scientist
3. Benjamin Franklin NextGen Award
4. Dr. Isobel Romero-Shaw awarded Caroline Herschel Prize Lectureship 2026
5. Having a child during grad school is especially hard on women
6. Hong Kong’s first astronaut inspires students to reach for the stars
7. L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Week 2026: Celebrating excellence and inspiring future generations
8. Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin: She Discovered What Stars Are Made Of
9. The Elements of Marie Curie
10. University of Valencia action to promote balanced participation of women and men in Astronomy and Astrophysics
11. Women Nobel Laureates in STEM (2000–2023): Life Stories, Challenges, and How They Achieved Impact for Success
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.

From the Archives: Career Profile: Astronomer to Analytics Company Founder and Chief Scientist

Today's From the Archives features Dr. Genevieve Graves' 2016 career interview profile. Ten years on, Dr. Graves continues to work successfully outside of astronomy. Enjoy today's trip into the archives. 

The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy and the AAS Employment Committee have compiled dozens of interviews highlighting the diversity of career trajectories available to astronomers. The interviews share advice and lessons learned from individuals on those paths.

Below is our interview with Dr. Genevieve Graves, an astronomer who left astronomy to co-found a "people analytics" company, hiQ Labs, and become its chief data scientist. Dr. Graves received her Ph.D. at UC Santa Cruz working with Professor Sandra Faber. Following her Ph.D., she went to the UC Berkeley Department of Astronomy as a Miller Fellow and then to the Department of Astrophysical Sciences at Princeton University as a postdoctoral fellow. Her astronomical research focussed on star formation histories and galaxy evolution.  

Recently, she was featured in the Harvard Business Review in an article on "Why people quit their jobs" (see the "This is an Early Warning Signal" feature box).

For access to all our Career Profile Project interviews, please visit http://aas.org/jobs/career-profiles. New Career Profiles are posted approximately every month.

Crosspost: Building a culture of inclusion and allyship for queer astronomers

SGMA, the Committee for Sexual-Orientation and Gender Minorities in Astronomy, was recently featured in Nature.com. SGMA wrote an article discussing the history of the committee, which began through informal dinners at AAS conferences. These dinners provided queer astronomers and allies with community and the space to share their experiences within the profession. SGMA also highlights how it brings queer astronomers together now through AAS conferences, online meet-ups, and community-sourced resources on inclusion and allyship. 

SGMA logo (AAS)

In the Nature.com article, SGMA states, "Thus, it is imperative that all members of the astronomy community, not just those who identify as queer, engage in advocacy efforts to protect and advance the rights of queer individuals."

Read SGMA's full article at nature.com or at aas.org.

astronomy community, not just those who

identify as queer, engage in advocacy efforts

to protect and advance the rights of queer

individuals.”

AASWomen Newsletter for June 26, 2026

Issue of June 26, 2026
eds: Jeremy Bailin, Ferah Munshi, Sethanne Howard, Ben Keller and Stella Kafka

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

This week's issues:

1. Last Chance to Nominate Textbook Authors, Amateur Astronomers, Early Career Astronomers and More for Awards!
2. How underappreciated mathematician Emmy Noether helped prove physics' most fundamental theories
3. "Celebrating a shared cosmos and advancing Black equity in space science"
4. Embedding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the WST Collaboration
5. Job Opportunities
6. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
7. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
8. 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.

Last Chance to Nominate Textbook Authors, Amateur Astronomers, Early Career Astronomers and More for Awards!

Summer vacation may be all you're thinking about this week, but an important deadline is just four days away! The nomination period for numerous AAS and other awards closes June 30. Take a moment from summer to nominate some worthy astronomers (perhaps even you) for these awards. All awards posts were originally posted on AAS.org.

The AAS prizes include three that are designed to honor astronomers in the early phases of their careers: the Annie Jump Cannon Award, the Helen B. Warner Prize, and the Newton Lacy Pierce Prize. These are distinct prizes with different selection criteria and rules. All are awarded annually. Read about each prize and nominate at https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/04/early-career-prizes-not-all-same.

Annie Jump Cannon, 1922.
Image: Library of Congress

The Joseph Weber Award for Astronomical Instrumentation is awarded to an individual for the design, invention, or significant improvement of instrumentation (not software) leading to advances in astronomy. There are no restrictions on a candidate's country of residence or citizenship. Nominate at https://aas.org/grants-and-prizes/joseph-weber-award-astronomical-instrumentation.

The Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize recognizes an outstanding research contribution to astronomy or astrophysics of an exceptionally innovative or highly creative character. The prize is normally awarded every two years. There are no restrictions on a candidate’s citizenship or country of residence. Nor is there a limitation on a candidate’s career stage or field of research within the astronomical sciences. Nominate at https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/04/nominate-someone-perhaps-yourself-tinsley-prize.

Longtime AAS member Carlson R. Chambliss, now retired from a lengthy career at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania, endowed several new AAS prizes in 2006. Among them are the Chambliss Astronomical Writing Award and the Chambliss Amateur Achievement Award. Dr. Chambliss is also a longtime member of the American Numismatic Association with a keen interest in coins and medals, so these prizes come with gleaming medals that he designed himself: a gold one for the writing award and a silver one for the amateur award. Nominate an amateur astronomer or a textbook writer at https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/04/aas-prizes-textbook-authors-amateur-astronomers.

AAS.org

Take a moment this weekend to nominate someone for one or two or all of these awards. Remember, the deadline to nominate is Tuesday, June 30!