Issue of June 5, 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. AAS 248: Add your story in astronomy to our collective history with an Oral History Interview
2. AAS Action Alert Submit Comments Urging Against Harmful Changes to Federal Grantmaking
3. Nominations for 2027 AAS Prizes and Media Fellowship
4. Mentorship Program Opportunity for Postdoctoral Applicants
5. Student Applicants Invited to Respond to Graduate Survey
6. Women make up 53% of science & technology ranks in EU, but underrepresented among scientists and engineers
7. First and last authors more likely to be men in leading science journals
8. How the pandemic shifted the trajectory of women in STEM
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.
AAS 248 begins June 14, 2026 in Pasadena, California. The 248th meeting of the American Astronomical Society runs through June 18 and promises a jampacked schedule of speakers, splinter sessions, and more.
This year, the AAS Oral History Project invites everyone to tell their story within astronomy by scheduling an oral interview at the conference. There are no requirements to fulfill to be interviewed. Everyone in the astronomy community is welcome, from undergraduates to emeritus, researchers, technicians, and family members. Add your story to the astronomy community.
Schedule your oral history interview at AAS 248
https://tinyurl.com/oralhistaas248
Read more at
https://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/2026/06/aas-248-add-your-story-in-astronomy-to.html
On 29 May 2026, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a proposed rule titled Regulation for Federal Financial Assistance that alters how the government handles the management of grants and other forms of financial assistance. Among the many changes in this proposed rule, OMB proposes giving political appointees greater control over the grant selection process, expanding the authority of the government to terminate active grants if they do not align with Administration priorities, and placing significant restrictions on the use of federal funds to cover conference attendance and publishing costs.
If passed in its current form, this rule would create policies that would cause significant harm to the scientific community, research institutions, and professional societies — including the American Astronomical Society (AAS) and its approximately 9,000 members. It is up to all of us, as a scientific community and as individuals dedicated to the advancement of our field, to speak out against this proposed rule. Any interested party can submit a comment.
Read more at
Nominations for AAS prizes to be awarded in 2027 are now being accepted! We encourage members to nominate their colleagues — or themselves — for prizes that best fit their career stage and accomplishments. The prizes that the Society awards to its members are among the most visible and effective ways to recognize our members’ contributions and achievements, as well as contribute to their future success. Nominations are due 30 June.
Read more at
https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/05/nominations-are-now-open-2027-aas-prizes
Are you an astronomy graduate student who’s interested in science communication? Do you wish you had the opportunity to explore that interest and gain professional development without having to take time off from your graduate studies? Do you want to write for AAS Nova, report on astronomy meetings, help organize and run press conferences, and learn the ins and outs of academic publishing?
Then the AAS Media Fellowship might be for you! This position was developed in 2017 by the American Astronomical Society to provide training and experience for graduate students in the astronomical sciences who are interested in science communication. The fellowship is a remote, quarter-time, one-year (with the possibility of extension to two years) position intended to be filled by current graduate students at US institutions. This year, for the first time, we intend to hire two Media Fellows. The new AAS Media Fellowship term will begin in Fall 2026.
Read more at
https://aasnova.org/2026/04/08/aas-media-fellowship-now-open-for-applications-5/
The Astronomy Mentorship Program for Upcoming Postdocs (AMP-UP) is designed to engage current and former postdoctoral fellows from all fellowship programs in providing professional and academic support to senior graduate students and junior postdocs involved in astronomy-related research. This program particularly emphasizes individuals who may lack access to the resources and networks available to independent prize fellowship recipients. Our goal is to improve the diversity of independent postdoc prize fellows, which have traditionally served as a key stepping stone to leadership positions in astronomy.
Read more at
https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/06/mentorship-program-opportunity-postdoctoral-applicants
Are you a student who applied to astronomy graduate programs during the 2025–2026 cycle? The AAS Working Group on Graduate Admissions wants to hear from you! Please consider filling out our survey.
Read more at
https://aas.org/posts/news/2026/06/student-applicants-invited-respond-graduate-survey
By eurostat
In 2025, more than 81.6 million people in the EU aged 15 to 74 were employed in science and technology, a 1.8% increase from 2024 (corresponding to 1.5 million of people) and a rise of 25.3% over the last decade.
Of the 81.6 million people, 52.5% were women (42.8 million), working mainly in service activities. Their share increased by 2.3% compared with 2024 and by an impressive 27.9% compared with 2015, corresponding to an absolute increase of more than 9.3 million women in science and technology occupations in the past 10 years.
Although women made up more than half of the people employed in science and technology, they remained underrepresented among scientists and engineers, accounting for 40.8% of their total in 2025. This share grew only 0.5 percentage points over the last 10 years, while the absolute number of women working as scientists and engineers increased by 54.4% in that period, from 5.3 million in 2015 to 8.2 million in 2025.
Read more at
https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/web/products-eurostat-news/w/ddn-20260529-2
By Rachel Nuwer & Vera Nienaber
In some ways, women have made incredible gains in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). In 2022, they represented 41% of all active researchers, globally — up from 28% in 2001 — and 44% of new US science and engineering doctorates in 2023.
However, an analysis of first and last authorship in journals tracked by Nature Index reveals a persistent gender imbalance in these markers of scientific contribution and authority, indicating that recognition in top-tier academic publishing has not kept pace with women’s growing presence in research.
Among the natural-sciences journals tracked by the index, women represented 29% of first-author positions and 17% of last-author positions in 2025. These figures have improved only slightly over the past decade, up from 28% of first-author positions and 15% of last-author positions in 2015, and are nowhere near gender parity — having women make up 40–60% of these authorships.
Read more at
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-026-01495-8
By Taylor Bushey
When the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global workforce in early 2020, its effects were immediate, but not evenly distributed. For women in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) across the United States, the crisis became a defining moment.
The pandemic exposed and intensified existing inequities for women in STEM, especially around caregiving burdens, research productivity, and job security, per UNESCO. What emerged was not a simple story of loss or progress, as it was a complex shift in trajectory — one marked by both setbacks and structural transformation.
Read more at
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
- EPO Public Information Officer, Green Bank Observatory, Green Bank, WV
https://jobs.dayforcehcm.com/en-US/aui/CANDIDATEPORTAL/jobs/1543
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