Date: Wed, 08 Dec 1999 11:07:35 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 12/8/99
To: AASMAIL: ;
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 12/08/99, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send email and addresses to aaswomen
wellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. Maria Mitchell Woman in Science Award
2. Calendar highlighting prominent women
3. Tampon article was hoax
4. More on Children's Toys
5. Jobs
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1. Maria Mitchell Woman in Science Award
From: Charles Liu cliuastro.columbia.edu
This was forwarded to me by the astronomy librarian at the
American Museum of Natural History..
A note as seen in the recent issue of WORKING WOMEN
Magazine:
"Astronomer and educator Maria Mitchell (1818-1889) shot for
the stars all her life: in 1847, at the age of 29, she
discovered what came to be known as Comet Mitchell 1847VI;
she was the first woman elected to the American Academy of
Arts and Science; and in 1865, she became the first woman
appointed to the faculty of Vassar College. Her
achievements live on through the Maria Mitchell Woman in
Science Award granted each October. The $5,000 prize
recognizes individuals or organizations that encourage girls
and women to pursue careers in science. If you know a Maria
Mitchell-in-the-making, contact the Maria Mitchell
Association at 2 Vestal Street, Nantucket, MA 02554
(508) 228-9198; www.mmo.org"
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3. Calendar highlighting prominent women
From: Margaret Hanson hansonphysics.uc.edu
The Cincinnati Branch of the American Association of
University Women is selling a year 2000 Calendar
highlighting prominent women through out history. Each
month shows several sketches of these women with
inspirational quotes. Most of the days on the calendar
list either birth days, year and hometown of these
remarkable women (from Joan of Arc, to Fannie Lou Hamer and
Maya Lin), or to highlight dates of significant events in
the women's 'movement'. It's very well done and fairly good
in presenting a culturally diverse sample of women.
The calendar is $10 and all proceeds are given to the AAUW
Educational Foundation. You can order calendars by calling
(513) 248-4385
BEFORE January 1, 2000 (and before we run out!)
Margaret Murray Hanson, Assistant Professor of Physics
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0011
(513)556-0524 http://www.physics.uc.edu/~hanson/
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3. Tampon article was hoax
I apologize to you all for including the letter about
tampons last week. Unfortunately, I do not have time to
"check out" all the submissions (and was not familiar with
the web sites about hoaxes). I will try to be more careful
in the future, and hope that subscribers who submit items
will verify them before submission. I appreciate all the
letters I received setting me straight. Since most of them
repeat the same facts, I drastically cut the letters in the
interest of not having this email too long; I have listed
the names of those who took time to tell us the truth.
(Note that I have taken the responses in the order
received.)
-----
From: Mordecai-Mark Mac Low mordecaiamnh.org
In the latest issue of the CSWA a long email about tampons
was included. This turns out to be a hoax. Following is a
disclaimer taken from Prof. Katzenellenbogen's site in
Urbana. Note the URL given at the bottom of the disclaimer
for a further debunking of the hoax by the FDA.
Mordecai-Mark Mac Low
(http://www.life.uiuc.edu/csb/faculty/katz_disavowal.html)
There is an inaccurate e-mail that has been circulating on
the internet regarding tampons that appears to have the name
of my assistant, Stephanie Baker, associated with it.
Stephanie and I welcome the opportunity to disavow ourselves
completely from the content of this e-mail and from its
dissemination. We are distressed that this information has
been circulating in a form that makes it appear that it is
associated with this laboratory.
(Dr. Katzenellenbogen tells how the connection was made and
apologizes for time or effort spent on this specious issue.
If interested, see the website above)
For your information, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) maintains an excellent website in which it debunks the
false allegations in the tampon e-mail being spread through
the internet. The FDA site is:
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocd/tamponsabs.html
---------------------------
From: Jennifer Hoffman jhoffmansal.wisc.edu
The FDA has a website discussing tampon safety which
states that "the available scientific evidence does not
support [the] rumors" about asbestos and dioxin
contamination in tampons that have been circulating on the
Internet. The information on this page is quite detailed.
Everyone who read the warning in the latest AASWomen
newsletter should read this as well.
Jennifer Hoffman, UW-Madison
----------------
From: Jennifer Goetz jgoetzACS.WOOSTER.EDU
Jennifer Goetz also lists the above two websites.
--------------------
From: Amber Iler ilererim-int.com
I just finished reading the "Medical Warning on Tampons"
section of the most recent CSWA newsletter. Upon reading
it, I was skeptical about a few of the claims made in the
attached e-mail. I went to my favorite hoaxes website
(www.snopes.com) and found that this tampon warning is,
indeed, a hoax. For further details, including a complete
debunking of all the claims in the e-mail and more
information that you probably ever wanted about tampons,
please check out:
http://www.snopes.com/toxins/tampon.htm
Yours,
Amber
----------------
From: Gabriela Mallen-Ornelas
Gabriela Mallen-Ornelas gives the two websites on disavowal
and FDA.
-----------------------
From: "Helen M. Hart" HARTstsci.edu
Helen also sent quotes from the FDA website. I've edited
her quotes considerably since those of you interested can go
to the website.
Asbestos is not an ingredient in any U.S. brand of tampon,
nor is it associated with the fibers used in making tampons.
Moreover, tampon manufacturing sites are subject to
inspection by FDA to assure that good manufacturing
practices are being followed. Therefore, these inspections
would likely identify any procedures that would expose
tampons products to asbestos.
Dioxin and Rayon Concerns
There are also allegations that some tampons contain toxic
amounts of the chemical dioxin. The term "dioxin" or
"dioxins" actually refers to a number of related chemical
compounds. State-of-the art testing of tampons and tampon
materials that can detect even trace amounts of dioxin has
shown that dioxin levels are at or below the detectable
limit. No risk to health would be expected from these trace
amounts.
Tampons currently sold in the U.S. are made of cotton,
rayon, or blends of rayon and cotton. Rayon is made from
cellulose fibers derived from wood pulp. In this process the
wood pulp is bleached. At one time, bleaching the wood pulp
was a potential source of trace amounts of dioxin in
tampons, but that bleaching method is no longer used. Rayon
raw material used in U.S. tampons is now produced using
elemental chlorine-free or totally chlorine free bleaching
processes. chlorine.
There is also a long quote about Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS)
-----------------
From: "F. Rick Harnden" frhhead-cfa.harvard.edu
a Web search would have been advisable. Since the message
reads like many "stories" one can find on various subjects
throughout the Internet, it immediately suggested sheer
fabrication to me. My search found the following two links
which appear to refute the "story" authoritatively:
> False rumors surface about tampon health threat:
http://www.discoveromaha.com/partners/wowt/news/health/tampo
ns_12.html
> FDA addresses Allegations about Tampons on Net:
http://www.nursingtalk.com/wwwboard/messages/64.html
---------------
From: Anneila Sargent afsastro.caltech.edu
I believe that we have all just been exposed to the fun
internet phenomenon called "urban legends". When you
receive things like this, go to one of the urban legends web
sites, like http://urbanlegends.about.com and search for
your topic.
In this case there is no basis for the claims. See:
http://urbanlegends.about.com/culture/urbanlegends/library/weekly/aa111898.htm?terms=tampons&PM=113_300_T
Anneila Sargent
Caltech
----------------
From: Laura Grego lgregohead-cfa.harvard.edu
Laura also lists the Dr. Katzenellenbogen site and the FDA
site.
There's all sorts of misinformation circulating on the net,
and it's not always easy to separate the wheat from the
chaff. I'd suggest, though, a bit of skepticism towards
email which has no reference to published research and which
also includes a suggestion that women should purchase a
particular brand of product, in this case Organic
Essentials and Terra Femme. Perhaps we've just received what
is essentially an advertisement?
Scientifically dubious statements like
"Therefore, when fibers from the tampons are left behind in
the vagina (as usually occurs), it creates a breeding ground
for the dioxin."
also suggests caution is in order, as dioxin, while a
dangerous chemical, does not "breed".
--------------------------
From: Joel Parker joelboulder.swri.edu
The message "A Medical Warning on Tampons" in the recent AAS
Women newsletter was alarming and I almost sent it on to a
number of friends, but there were just enough enough odd
aspects about it that set off my "urban legend alarm". So,
I checked out a few online sources (I get a lot of hoaxes
sent to me that I keep a list of addresses handy for such
occasions), and it does look like this one is also a
hoax/legend. Judge for yourself, but check out these web
pages before you forward that message.
jp
http://korova.com/virus/hoax981108.htm
http://www.fda.gov/cdrh/ocd/tamponsabs.html
http://www.snopes.com/toxins/tampon.htm
http://urbanlegends.miningco.com/culture/urbanlegends/library/weekly/aa111898.htm
------------------------------------------------------------
2. More Children's Toys
From: Jo Pitesky jo.piteskyjpl.nasa.gov
Like many others, I'm no fan of Mattel's "boy" and "girl"
computer packages. However, I think there's also a feeling
that anything that comes in hot pink is somehow an inferior
product, which isn't always true. Barbie Fashion Designer,
for instance, has gotten a lot of very positive reviews for
being a computer product that encourages creativity, computer
skills, construction ability (you have to assemble the
things after they are printed out), and so forth. We might
not care for Barbie (to put it mildly :-), but that doesn't
mean that her image can't be used in some surprisingly
constructive ways.
What's more striking is to note the software that has
seemingly no gender bias--Oregon Trail is the one title that
I remember, though there were others--which is put *only* on
the boy's computer. I find it much more disturbing to give
a message that only boys will like adventure than to
cater to the color and style (racing stripes vs. flowers)
biases of the majority of children. After all, I was a hot
wheels fan club member as a child, but my room was covered
with bright pink flowers.
Rather than a list of recommended toys, how about a list of
recommended children's software? There are some
outstanding sites for this already (e.g.
http://www.kidsdomain.com), but a list of software which
encourages problem solving/creative play/what have you,
coming from a list of female astronomers, would be unique.
Most adults can fall back on knowledge of favorite toys from
their childhood, but for software, we only can drag up
"pong." This would also be a useful resource for schools
that are considering buying new software for computer labs.
Jo Pitesky
-------------
From: Caroline Cox cvcoxradix.net
I got the same Mattell ad, and yes, I thought it was
disgusting. The point that Grace makes is a good one -- a
lot of people sincerely believe that boys and girls have
very different interests. I recently planned a teddy bear
picnic birthday party for my four year old daughter, and a
friend of mine (who has a three year old son and a PhD in
archeaology) commented that it sounded very "girl-oriented."
I have talked to a lot of well-educated mothers of
preschoolers, and although they want their daughters to go
to law school and medical school, they are mostly convinced
that girls are quiet and love Barbies and dress-up while
boys are rowdy and like trucks and guns. I've heard them
say "until I had a boy I never realized how different boys
and girls are."
I don't really think we can blame the advertisers.
Caroline Cox
-----------------------
From: Lauretta Nagel nagelstsci.edu
I have received some very supportive email directly,
regarding a possible list of recommended/not-recommended
toys. Given that there is definitely some interest, I'm
going to do some double- checking on liabilities (I don't
think anyone here or at the AAS wants to get into a lawsuit
over this) and whether another group has already started a
list of this nature.
I agree we should still conduct a poll because this would be
a use of the CSWA resources that is not generally under the
astronomer-only genre of issues. So, based on email seen
here on this list, and personally elsewhere,
Should we (the CSWA) place a link on our webpage to a list
of toys that promote the toppling of gender stereotypes
and/or a list of toys to avoid because they advocate gender
stereotyping? Our disclaimer would be that we are parents
and godparents, as well as scientists, and we strongly feel
that gender stereotyping should be counteracted as early as
possible.
Do you agree or not and why/why not? (feel free to send this
to me and I'll compile the full summary for the CSWA. Let me
know if you want to remain anonymous and I'll strip your
name off your comments.)
Thanks
Lauretta Nagel
----
Editor's Note: I vote against a list of recommended/not-
recommended toys. I think we are all intelligent enough to
know what we like and what we don't like. The letters I
have received also show there are differences of opinion in
which toys are "bad" and which are "good". I believe the
real thing we are all opposed to is gender stereotyping. I
would not like to list a telescope as a "bad" toy because it
is advertised with only boy's using it!
Priscilla
----------------------
From: Elizabeth Blanton eblantonandrew.cmu.edu
Here's one more example of the gender-stereotyping of toys:
I was looking around the Toys R Us web site (since I have a
young son). They have a category called "Toy Story" (toys
from the movie), and subcategories such as "Dolls", "Action
Figures", etc. The third category down is called "Girl's
Activities," and it includes a Toy Story sleeping bag and
puppet theater. There is no category called "Boy's
Activities." I guess only girls like having sleep-overs and
playing with puppets -- it's so ridiculous... On the
positive side, it seems that it's ok for boys to play with
dolls.
Liz Blanton
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4. Jobs
From: Patricia Reiff reiffalfven.rice.edu
Note: Our department will be merged with Physics as of July
1, 2000, creating a "Department of Physics and Astronomy".
RICE UNIVERSITY
TWO FACULTY POSITIONS IN HIGH ENERGY ASTROPHYSICS
AND THEORETICAL ASTROPHYSICS
The Department of Space Physics and Astronomy at Rice
University invites applications for two faculty positions
starting Fall 2000, in the general areas of high energy and
theoretical astrophysics, with joint appointments in the
Physics Department. One of these will be a tenure-track
assistant professor position while the other appointment may
be at a more senior level. In addition to outstanding
research records, we are seeking dynamic individuals who can
provide leadership in new research areas, but have broad
intellectual horizons so as to interact effectively with
existing research groups. We are looking for candidates who
are excellent teachers at both the graduate and
undergraduate levels. The current research of the department
focuses on high energy astrophysics (pulsars, gamma-ray
bursts, black holes, X-ray binaries, AGNs and SNRs), star
and solar system formation, ISM and nebula astrophysics, and
galactic chemical evolution. Active observing programs
involve CGRO, HST, Chandra, RXTE, ASCA, XMM, and ground-
based telescopes, as well as laboratory experiments using
ultra intense lasers to simulate astrophysical phenomena.
In addition, the department has active programs in planetary
science, magnetospheric and ionospheric physics, space
weather, global electricity and aeronomy. Both theorists and
experimentalists/observers are encouraged to apply. Each
applicant should send a resume with statement of research
interest, publication list and names (with postal and email
addresses) of four references to: Prof. Edison Liang, Chair
of the Search Committee (email: liangspacsun.rice.edu),
Department of Space Physics and Astronomy, MS108, Rice
University, Houston, TX 77005-1892. The search committee
will begin screening applications on January 17, 2000.
However, applications will be considered until the positions
are filled. (More information about the department can be
found at http://spacsun.rice.edu). Rice University is an
Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Outstanding
minority and women candidates are especially encouraged to
apply.
-----------------------------
From: mligaremligare.bucknell.edu (Martin Ligare)
Bucknell University
Tenure-Track Position in Physics/Astronomy
As part of an expansion in the area of
astronomy/astrophysics, the Physics Department
(http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/physics) has a tenure-track
opening at the level of assistant professor beginning August
2000. (A maximum of three years credit toward tenure may be
awarded for previous experience.) The successful candidate
will be expected to share significant responsibility for
teaching astronomy and astrophysics and running a small
observatory with a 10'' Clark refractor and many smaller
modern telescopes, as well as teaching other courses in the
physics curriculum. Candidates must have a strong
background in both physics and astronomy (Ph.D. or
equivalent preferred, ABDs considered); potential for
excellence in teaching both physics and astronomy; and a
research program appropriate for undergraduate participation
(some start-up funds will be available). Bucknell is a
highly selective, predominantly undergraduate, private
university with 3500 students and a Physics Department with
nine full-time faculty. Support includes an electronics
shop and a machine shop, and extensively networked
computers. Send a resume, a description of teaching and
research interests, and three letters of reference to Martin
Ligare, Chair, Department of Physics, Bucknell University,
Lewisburg, PA 17837 (mligarebucknell.edu). For full
consideration, applications and all supporting materials
should be received by December 31. The department is willing
to consider applications by couples for a shared
appointment. Bucknell University encourages applications
from women and members of minority groups (EEO/AA).
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 12/8/99