Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 14:49:16 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 4/12/2000
To: AASMAIL: ;
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 4/19/2000, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send email and addresses to aaswomen
wellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. Sexual harassment of Canadian space researcher
2. NSF panel members
Note: There will be no newsletter next week. Next issue
will be May 3.
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Editor's Note: I inadvertently cut the following notice in
a previous newsletter.
1. Sexual harassment of Canadian space researcher
From: mcgrathstsci.edu (Melissa McGrath)
Dear Colleagues,
As many of you will know, there has been significant press
in the past two weeks concerning the sexual harassment of
Canadian space researcher, Dr. Judith Lapierre, during an
isolation experiment in Russia. You can review the articles
in the Globe and Mail http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
The regional NSERC/Industry Chairs for Women in Science and
Engineering have responded to the President of the Canadian
Space Agency and to the Minister of Industry which oversees
the CSA.
We encourage you to also contact these individuals and the
Globe and Mail and to distribute this letter to interested
colleagues through your organizations.
Hon John Manley
Minister, Industry Canada
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
K1A 0H5
Telephone (613) 995-9001
Fax (613) 992-0302
Email manley.johnic.gc.ca
Mr. Mac W.M. Evans
President
Canadian Space Agency
6767 route de l'A=E9roport
Saint-Hubert, Quebec J3Y 8Y9
Telephone: (450) 926-4351
Fax: (450) 926-4352
Email: mac.evansspace.gc.ca
Globe and Mail
Fax 1 416 585-5085
Email: LettersGlobeAndMail.ca
GlobeAndMail.ca> (If you are
sending your letter by e-mail, the letter must be sent in
the body of the e-mail message as ASCII text only)
Please feel free to use any of the content of the Chairs'
letter copied below. Thank you.
To: Canadian Space Agency President, Mac Evans, and Hon.
John Manley,
Minister of Industry
We are writing in support of Dr. Judith Lapierre, a Canadian
scientist whose experience during a 110 day isolation
experiment in Russia has been repor= ted in recent articles
in the Globe & Mail (March 23, 24, 27, and 28) and other
news media.
The number of women in science and engineering in Canada is
growing. However, there are still many of us who understand
the stresses of working in situations where women are a
minority. A person working under stress, especially in high
performance fields such as research, must make additio= nal
effort in order to achieve the same performance standard as
her peers, and hence is continuously at a disadvantage. This
subtle discrimination is no= t recognized or not understood
by many research managers and policy makers.
The stress under which Dr. Lapierre worked in the space
capsule was severe. She suffered sexual harassment, and
then had to work for more than two months in close proximity
with a crew member who had shown her personal and
professional disrespect. In Dr. Lapierre's case, the
discrimination was not subtle.
The CSA response to Dr. Lapierre's case, according to the
representative quoted in the Globe and Mail, was that "she
was offered the opportunity to get out". This response
constitutes a gross insult to the scientist, since it
ignores the importance, to the scientist and to the various
space agencies, of the science she was doing. Furthermore,
like many ill-considered reactions to harassment, the
response punishes the victim.
If the CSA supports equal opportunity in science and
engineering for women and men, then CSA must make it clear
to all of Canada that the treatment that Dr. Lapierre
suffered was wrong. The CSA should also recognize that its
responses to date have been inadequate, and offer Dr.
Lapierre reassurance that these events will in no way
diminish her credentials as a scientist.
On the diplomatic level, Canada must make it clear to
Russia, and to any international collaborators in the space
program, that true collaboration demands mutual respect
among scientists, and that all Canadian scientists have
equal claim to this respect.
Respectfully,
F.M. Williams NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair, Atlantic Region and
NWT
C. Deschenes Chaire CRSNG/Alcan pour les femmes en
sciences et genie, Quebec
M. Frize NSERC/ Nortel Chair, Ontario
M.E. Cannon NSERC/Petro-Canada Chair, Prairie Region
M. Klawe NSERC/ IBM Chair, BC and Yukon
Editor's Note: I did not include the article from the Globe
and Mail. Those interested can read it at the above
mentioned web site. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/
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2. NSF-Panel members
From: ssimkinnsf.gov
One of the more difficult jobs here at NSF is finding people
who are willing to come serve on proposal evaluation panels.
These people must be experts - but not have conflicts of
interest with the proposals under evaluation. (i.e.. Not
have submitted any proposals to the AST program that year,
not be a PhD student or major professor for the person
who's proposal is under review, not be working on a research
program or have published a paper within the past four years
with the person under review). I am not just searching for
women but also for young people (with PhDs), people at small
colleges, people at "cow" colleges (like me) and even
"oldies" (like me). The job is a lot of work and a lot of
"fun" and will take ~4 days of your time (including time
taken writing reviews before the panel meeting). It gives
one both a very good overview of the current research as
well as a good idea of how to write a "winning" proposal. If
you are interested in serving on a panel please send me an
email listing your special interests, major "conflicts" (as
defined above) and I will "bank" you for next year.
sue simkin (ssimkinnsf.gov)
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 4/12/2000