tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post5645974198522730384..comments2024-03-25T10:22:36.277-04:00Comments on Women In Astronomy: WiA 2009: criticismsAmanpreet Kaurhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08734178178113146899noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-47300291709907699672009-10-28T13:37:33.332-04:002009-10-28T13:37:33.332-04:00The criticism that I heard, and agree with, was th...The criticism that I heard, and agree with, was that there was not really an outcome from the meeting. The theme seemed to be that the next step is societal and institutional change, but not much talk of what that would entail. For example, encouraging policies that make parenthood easier, like no evening seminars, specific techniques to bring a child to work, etc. We also talked about how the culture of academia doesn't make sense anymore, but we didn't offer any ways of changing it for the better. If there had been more time for questions and discussions we might have come up with some ideas.<br /><br />I also agree with the first complaint, only I would say that faculty at non-research institutions were basically ignored. Again it is seen that you failed if you don't get a research faculty job, but some of us actually like teaching and want a small college experience. Why are we counted as leaving the pipeline?amydovehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10010923781082462348noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6374266320411149509.post-37718324792581280932009-10-28T12:43:37.472-04:002009-10-28T12:43:37.472-04:00I whole-heartedly agree with your point #2. I thin...I whole-heartedly agree with your point #2. I think we should focus our efforts on creating a <i>scientific literate</i> society, not a society of scientists. Not everyone is meant to be in science, or wants to be, but we do need the general public to have a better understanding of the basics. This would greatly reduce overreactions to stories and rumors perpetuated by the media (the measles vaccine causing autism, for example).<br /><br />I want to go on record that I loved the conference - this might not be evident from my post on my personal blog, but I had a more positive outlook on the NN post. It was a wonderful experience!<br /><br />One more suggestion I have for "next time" is to have more time for discussions - especially during the panel sessions. Unfortunately, many people weren't able to ask their questions.Alyssahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01695509619557410413noreply@blogger.com