Cross-Post: Task Force Recommendations Outline Changes Needed to Increase African American Physics and Astronomy Students

Gathering of African American women physicists; Credit: Jami Valentine Miller

There have been fewer than 100 PhDs in physics granted to African-American women as tracked by the AAWIP. Such depressing statistics require that physics and astronomy communities work to understand and change systemic barriers to African Americans succeeding in these fields. The National Task Force to Elevate African American representation in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy (TEAM-UP) is working towards this goal and below we cross-post their January 5th press release made at the American Astronomical Society meeting.

Press Release:

WASHINGTON, January 5, 2020 -- Due to long-term and systemic issues leading to the consistent exclusion of African Americans in physics and astronomy, a task force is recommending sweeping changes and calling for awareness into the number and experiences of African American students studying the fields.

The National Task Force to Elevate African American representation in Undergraduate Physics & Astronomy, known as TEAM-UP, was chartered and funded by the American Institute of Physics to examine the persistent underrepresentation of African Americans in physics and astronomy in the U.S.

Report Summary Download https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/aipcorp/files/teamup-preview.pdf
Full Summary Download https://www.aip.org/sites/default/files/aipcorp/files/teamup-full-report.pdf

In its report, “The Time Is Now: Systemic Changes to Increase African Americans with Bachelor’s Degrees in Physics and Astronomy,” the task force discusses the five factors it discovered as responsible for the success or failure of African American students in physics and astronomy: belonging, physics identity, academic support, personal support, and leadership and structures. The report was released on Jan. 5 at the 235th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Read more at:

https://www.aip.org/news/2020/team-up-report.

Happy Birthday, CSWA!

2019 marked the 40th year of the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy, and we invite you to celebrate with us! Join us at our Meet and Greet at the AAS meeting on Tuesday, January 7 from 6 to 7 pm in Room 306 AB. Light refreshments will be served.

Highlights and accomplishments of the past 40 years will be shared and you'll get a chance to meet current members. Additionally, we'll have opportunities for you to sign-up to write a guest blog; subscribe to AASWomen, our weekly electronic newsletter; tell us what CSWA should be doing in the next 40 years; and share your CSWA memories.

We look forward to seeing you at the celebration! A list of other CSWA activities at the AAS meeting can be found here.

Image Credit: Karen's Cake Toppers

CSWA Activities at the AAS Meeting (2020)

By Nicolle Zellner, Pat Knezek, and JoEllen McBride

Aloha! We are all very excited to see our colleagues at the 235th AAS meeting in beautiful Hawaii! Many of the CSWA members will be in attendance and the Committee will be hosting several activities during the week as well as supporting others. These include

Photo Credit Nicolle Zellner

• the Student Orientation & Grad School Fair at the Hilton Hawaiian Village, Tapas Ballroom (January 4, 5:30 – 7 pm). We will be staffing a table and providing information about our committee to all who stop by.
• a meet and greet with committee members in Room 306 AB (Tuesday, January 7, 6- 7 pm) followed by
• a joint session with the organizers of the Conference for Undergraduate Women in Physics in Room 306AB (Tuesday, January 7, 6 pm - 8 pm).

Light refreshments will be served at the Tuesday event.

Christina Richey is running a workshop teaching key points to communicate science through successful proposal writing using Research Opportunities in Space and Earth Sciences (ROSES) as a template (Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm, Room 307B). JoEllen McBride, our blogger-in-chief and lead editor of AASWomen, will be participating in a special session on the AAS Astronomy Ambassadors program (Sunday, 10:00 am - 11:30 am, Room 320). Pat Knezek, our co-chair, is a presenter for special session 292 "Survival Skills for Astronomers: Posters, Presentations, and Proposals,” (Monday, 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm, Room 308B). Additionally, our summer intern, Rachel Wexler, will be presenting an iPoster in the 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm session on Tuesday, January 7th.

A full list of AAS workshops can be found on the website. Other activities that may be of interest are:

• Hawai’i Voices Swirl abstracts - includes workshops and stargazing events which explore Hawaiian culture.
• LightSound: Learn to Build a Sonification Tool to Make Your Classes and Outreach Events More Inclusive (Friday & Saturday, 9:00 am – 6:00 pm, Room 307A)
• Collective Blueprints for the Ideal Astronomy Mentor (Saturday, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Room 304AB)
• Teaching for Equity, Workshop (Sunday, 9:00 am–1:00 pm, Room 301 B)
• Self Care as an Act of Resistance for People of Color (Sunday, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Room 303A)
• SGMA Meet & Greet for LGBTQIA Members and Students (Sunday, 6:30 - 7:30, Room 323A)
• Rest and Workflow for Marginalized Scientists: How to Maintain Sustainable Success, Workshop (Monday, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Room 303 A)
• Accessible Astronomy, Town Hall (Monday, 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm, Room 313 A)
• Implementing Astro 2020: Status Report, Town Hall (Tuesday, 12:45 pm – 1:45 pm, Ballroom AB)
• Diversity and Inclusion Swirl - includes workshops and talks we may have missed!

The Committee for the Status of Minorities in Astronomy also has a list of AAS astronomers who self-identify as people of color. You can add your name to the listing by going to http://bit.ly/csma-poc-roster-gform.

Are there other activities you'd like to advertise? Add them in the Comments!

For a full list of CSWA committee members, please visit our website: https://aas.org/comms/cswa.