Date: Wed, 08 Nov 2000 10:51:47 -0500 (EST)
Subject: CSWA Newsletter of 11/8/2000
To: AASMAIL: ;
AAS Committee on the Status of Women
weekly issues of 11/08/2000, ed. by Priscilla Benson
*** send submissions and subscription info to
aaswomen
wellesley.edu ***
This week's issues:
1. Nominations for Fellows of the American Physical Society
2. Concerned Grad Students
3. Texas Symposium for Relativistic Astrophysics
4. Books for Children
5. Jobs
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1. Nominations for Fellows of the American Physical Society
From: cmustsci.edu
Each year the American Physical Society (APS) nominates
members to be "Fellows". This is an honor that carries
considerable cachet in physics circles, and perhaps not
surprisingly, women are usually under-represented in the
nomination lists (i.e., they appear in smaller percentages
than their membership). Nominations are made by division, so
for astronomers, the Division of Astrophysics (DAP) is the
relevant one.
To be nominated, potential Fellows must be members of the
APS, though not necessarily of the DAP. The nomination
process is similar to that for AAS prizes; details can be
found on the APS web site (www.aps.org). The Committee on
the Status of Women in Physics (CSWP) is currently working
to get an accurate list of current women Fellows --- often
some surprisingly obvious names are missing --- and you can
check for APS membership using their web site as well.
The annual nomination deadline is May 1. Please start
thinking about deserving female colleagues who are eligible
--- it is never too early to start the nomination process.
Meg Urry
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2. Concerned Grad Students at UC Berkeley
Subject: Unofficial Job Search Notice
Dear AASwomen subscribers,
The Dept of Astronomy at UC Berkeley is performing a job
search for a theorist, preferably a cosmology theorist. To
date, the graduate students have been unable to suggest a
woman that the faculty think might be worthy of hiring here.
We have polled our friends, and friends of friends, and
brought these names to the faculty. We have been told,
politely, (paraphrasing) "Thanks, but no thanks. These
people don't have what we are looking for."
We understand the desire to hire only the best, but we are
wondering: Are there no women doing good solid work in
theory? Is this a problem with _numbers_ not being of
sufficient size or with _reputations_ not being of
sufficient size? When faculty call other faculty for
recommendations for good people - no women's names are on
the list. What does that mean? Are senior people possibly
not considering applying?
Do you readers know what the statistics are for women in
theory in astronomy? At the junior level? Have other
institutions that have done hiring for theorist in the past
found a similar problem with getting qualified female
applicants to apply? Are the only faculty jobs going
to women in astronomy observational in nature? Do you know
any women who may be interested in this position? If so,
please ask them to apply!
Some concerned graduate students
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3. Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics
From: cmustsci.edu
This looks like a very interesting meeting, with a number of
excellent speakers. Worth reminding people about ---
Meg
====================
MULTI-DIMENSIONAL BRANE WORLDS, THE ACCELERATING UNIVERSE,
GAMMA-RAY BURSTS, HIGH ENERGY COSMIC RAYS, BLACK HOLES,
RELATIVISTIC JETS, SUPERNOVAE, AND MORE, ARE ON THE AGENDA,
AS RESEARCHERS PREPARE TO CONVENE AT THE 20TH TEXAS
SYMPOSIUM ON RELATIVISTIC ASTROPHYSICS IN AUSTIN, TEXAS,
DECEMBER 11-15, 2000
The Texas Symposium on Relativistic Astrophysics, a world
conference of top cosmologists and astrophysicists, returns
to the state of its origin on December 11-15, 2000 at the
Austin Convention Center, 500 East Cesar Chavez, Austin, TX
78701.
Online registration and abstract submission at:
www.texas-symposium.org
Deadline for early registration is November 15.
A block of rooms at the centrally located Hyatt Regency
Hotel has been reserved for Conference participants at $115
per night for a single or double room, and $140 per night
for a triple or quad room. HOTEL RESERVATIONS MUST BE MADE
BY NOVEMBER 13 to qualify for group rates. For reservation
and further information about the Hyatt, please call: 1-800-
233-1234, or check their website.
In the tradition of the Texas Symposia, the Austin meeting
program features major invited talks, as well as topical
sessions and poster papers on the latest theories and
findings. Key topics this year are:
* string theory & quantum gravity
* the brane world & multi-verses
* observations of massive neutrinos
* new experiments to detect WIMPS
* cosmic background radiation
* gravitational waves
* dark energy and quintessence
* the accelerationg universe
* dark matter, WIMPS included
* cosmological reionization
* X-ray background & quasar census
* gamma-ray bursts
* relativistic jets
* ultra high energy cosmic rays
* supermassive black holes
* supernovae
* pulsar/magnetar physics
* colliding neutron stars
* numerical relativity
New results are expected from the Chandra and Newton X-ray
observatories and the recently-launched High Energy
Transient Explorer - HETE2.
PUBLIC POLICY. Prof. Michael Turner of the University of
Chicago, Chair of the NRC Committee on the Physics of the
Universe, will address the Symposium on "From Quarks to the
Cosmos," the first public presentation of the Committee's
report that identifies timely scientific opportunities and
thus will provide an opportunity for community input before
the second phase report determines priorities.
J. Craig Wheeler
Chair, Local Organizing Committee
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4. Books for Children
From: duncandei.uchicago.edu
For about 7-11 years old (plus adult!) I recommend a
wonderful book, "Bright Star," by Anne Spudvilas. It is
Australian, but republished in the US by Kane/Miller
(Brooklyn). The story is about a bright Australian girl at
the turn of last century, who does farmwork every day but
yearns for something more....She meets an amateur astronomer
who has discovered a comet, John Tebbutt. Tebbutt (1834-
1916) was a real person; sort of a David Levy of his day, it
seems to me. He is on the Australian $100 bill.
The drawings in this book are particularly beautiful, and
the story inspiring. Take a look.
-Doug Duncan
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5. Jobs
From: rstenceldu.edu
I want to bring to the attention of your readers an opening
in our department advertised in the Nov. 2000 Physics Today,
nominally for a Condensed Matter Physicist, Tenure Track.
Of possible interest is the fact that the search committee
has included photonics and biophysics (including
astrobiology) among the specialities to be considered.
All applications will be considered on their merits, but my
colleague Laura Danly and I would be willing to discuss the
opportunity with interested parties.
--Robert Stencel, Dept. Physics & Astronomy, University of
Denver
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End of CSWA Newsletter of 11/8/2000