Date: Wed, 09 Feb 2000 09:25:05 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 2/9/2000
To: AASMAIL: ;
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 2/9/2000, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send email and addresses to aaswomen
wellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. Advising student who doesn't do well
2. The female-lunar connection??
3. Jobs
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1. Advising student who doesn't do well
How to suggest a career change properly?
I am the academic advisor to a sophomore physics major --
call her Jill. Jill came to our college for a visit two
years ago, and I chatted with her at that time. She showed
great interest in astronomy and our observatory. She had
worked as an aide at her local planetarium, and hoped to
major in physics, with lots of astronomy. I encouraged her
to come to our school and do that.
During her first year, Jill took the usual introductory
courses in science and math. Her grades were not very good
-- she received a "D" in one of the introductory physics
classes. I talked to her about it, and it seems to me that
the problem is not with math; instead, I think that she was
spreading herself too thin. She worked on the student
newspaper quite a bit. I advised her to leave that job, and
spend more time on her classwork. I helped her to transfer
to a different, quieter dorm, since she was having trouble
studying in her room at night.
In her second year, Jill became a resident advisor in one
of the dorms, partially for financial reasons (free room and
board, which is important given her family's finances), and
partly because she enjoys working with people. She's good
at it, from what I hear. She has also continued to work at
the student newspaper. Her grades continue to be mediocre:
when she took the "Astro 101" course here, she could do no
better than a "C" (which surprised the heck out of her and
me and everyone else who knew her).
I have talked to Jill about her schoolwork and her
choices. It appears to me that Jill will probably not
succeed in the typical physics major track here -- in my
opinion, because she is just doing too many other things
outside the classroom. I have suggested to her that, while
she might not do very well in the typical curriculum (which
at our school is intended for students who plan to go to
grad school in physics), that doesn't mean that she's a
failure. Instead, I have tried to stress options which make
use of her skills dealing with people, and her interest in
science: science teacher, science journalist, work in a
planetarium.
My question to this group is: how can I make suggestions
like this to a young female student, without destroying her
interest in science? Am I doing great harm by pointing out
that, if she continues in her present course, she probably
won't earn her degree in physics? What kind of advice can I
give her? It strikes me that "drop all that other stuff and
spend more time studying" sounds harsh -- heck, it is harsh
-- but I don't see any other way that she can raise her
grades in physics. On the other hand, how different is that
from "if you want tenure, don't have kids?"
Please, can you suggest ways to deal with this situation
in a constructive manner?
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2. The female-lunar connection??
From: Lynda Williams lwilliamstars.sfsu.edu
I know this is going to sound terribly unscientific, BUT, I
have always wondered why it is that women menstruate with
approximately the same period as the period of Moon's orbit
about the Earth? Is it a coincidence? Or is there some
evolutionary basis for it - such as, that during the watery
stage of our evolution the tides had some effect on the
development of our bodies? Is there some compelling reason
why we menstruate approx. every 28 days? Has anyone heard
ANY theory, scientific or pseudoscientific on this? I have a
hard time believing that it is mere coincidence and yet I'm
hesitant, being the good skeptic I am, to jump to any
conclusions.
-lynda
lwilliamstars.sfsu.edu
Editor's Note: I asked one of our biologists about this and
she replied:
"There are definitely lunar rhythms and tidal rhythms in
some animals. If everyone was tied in to the moon then
there would be a run on Tampons at the same time of the
month. This doesn't happen. No one has really fixed on the
28 day cycle and related it to the lunar calendar. However,
there is anecdotal evidence that more babies are born at the
full moon (ask any obstetrician) and more people with mental
problems seem to react at the full moon, hence the word
'lunatic'. My friend who works in the courts will attest to
this. She hates the Monday after a full moon."
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3. Job Notices
From: Patricia Reiff reiffalfven.rice.edu
Tenure-track positions in Astrophysics and Computational
Space Plasma Physics
Rice University has three tenure track faculty positions
open - two in astrophysics (with a preference to high energy
and/or theoretical work), and one in computational space
plasma physics. One of the astrophysics positions may be at
the Associate level. For more information please see the
web sitehttp://spacsun.rice.edu/facsearch.html
....Patricia Reiff, Chair, Space Physics & Astronomy
reiffrice.edu
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From: Women in Physics [SMTP:wiphysaps.org]
Expected Tenure track position in Astronomy or Astrophysics
(Probable), Department of Physics and Astronomy, University
of South Carolina Rank: Assistant Professor Salary: Level
will depend upon the applicant's experience and
qualifications Applications and nominations should be
received before April 15. The position will remain open
until it is filled or until April 15. Applicants should have
an established research record and post-doctoral experience
or its equivalent and are expected to be active in research.
The research interests of faculty currently on the staff can
be found on the WEB at http://www.cosm.sc.edu/~physmgr/
Applicant is initially responsible for instruction in a two
semester astronomy course for non-science majors in the
South Carolina Honors College. In addition, the applicant,
in the future, would be responsible for supervising the
instructors in our large enrollment self-paced introductory
astronomy courses for non-science majors. Details of both
of these courses and the other astronomy offerings are on
the WEB at http://astro.physics.sc.edu . The University of
South Carolina is an equal opportunity/ Affirmative
Action/equal access employer and especially encourages
applications from minorities, women, and persons with
disabilities. Applications should be sent to:
Prof. John L. Safko,
Chair of Search Committee
Dept. of Physics and Astronomy
University of South Carolina
Columbia SC 29208
Phone: 803/777-6466
FAX: 803/777-3065
email: safkosc.edu
Astronomy Center http://astro.physics.sc.edu
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 2/9/2000