AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of April 7, 2006
eds. Patricia Knezek, Jim Ulvestad, & Joan Schmelz
This week's issues:
1. Another Response to Teaching HS Physics and Math
2. More Reading: The Baby Gamble and Do Babies Matter?
3. Getting Women Scientists Back on the Career Track in Japan
4. National Virtual Observatory Summer School
5. "Pregnancy in the Academy" -- AAUP
6. Sloan Foundation Grants to Encourage Career Flexibility
7. Job openings, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
8. How to submit, subscribe, or unsubscribe to AASWOMEN
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1. Another Response to Teaching HS Physics and Math
[Eds. note: The item below is an additional response to an inquiry in the
AASWOMEN Newsletter of March 24, 2006 about the possible pros and cons of
switching from a research career in astronomy to a career teaching physics
and math at the high school level.]
*********
From: Andria Schwortz (aschwortz
qcc.mass.edu)
As a community college professor of physics and general science for the
past two years, I would like to point out this "third option" of career.
Community colleges (CC's), also known as junior colleges, are two-year
schools focused on teaching, usually to the exclusion of research.
Professors at such schools will typically teach four or five courses or
sections per semester, will have various committee and advising duties,
and can usually earn tenure in around six years. Students at community
colleges usually fall into one of three tracks: career, transfer, or
uncertain. Student quality covers the full range of slackers to star
students, as some students will be high school drop outs, while others
will be headed towards Ivy Leagues but are saving money for the first
two years.
The promise of tenure and the higher level of courses and of some
students is what drew me to community college teaching rather than high
school teaching. There are less classroom management issues than with
younger students. I get to teach calc-based physics which I wouldn't at
most high schools. But I still feel I'm making a big impact upon my
students' lives, especially when I teach courses such as physical
science for students who've been science-phobic their whole lives.
As someone who wants to share her love of physics and astronomy, CC's
are really the best place for me.
One way to both get a feel for whether you'd like community college
teaching, and to get a foot in the door is to teach as an adjunct
professor at a community college. Inquire at your local CC for the
chair of the science, engineering, or math department (as physics could
be in any of those), and then ask that chair if they are looking for
adjuncts for any courses you could teach. They're always looking for
more developmental (high school level or remedial) math adjuncts.
Right now is the perfect time of year to look for such positions for
Fall and Summer - my school has assigned Fall courses to all full-time
faculty, and is working on the adjunct positions while students
pre-register.
Andria C. Schwortz
Instructor of Physics and Science
Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA
aschwortzqcc.mass.edu
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2. More Reading: The Baby Gamble and Do Babies Matter?
From: Amy Simon-Miller (simonlepasm.gsfc.nasa.gov)
[Note: The following submission was abstracted from the American Women
in Science Chapter mailer at the National Institute of Health,
distributed by Dr. Andrea Stith. --eds.]
The Yale Alumni Magazine article "The Baby Gamble" dealing with this
issue is finally up on their web site.
See: http://www.yalealumnimagazine.com/issues/current/tenure.html
Also, here are some other articles (cited in this month's
Yale Alum Magazine in an article entitled "The Baby Gamble,")
that are based on work by Mary Ann Mason from UC Berkley. They
are interesting reading:
Do Babies Matter? The Effect of Family Formation on the Lifelong
Careers of Academic Men and Women By Mary Ann Mason and Marc Goulden
and
Do Babies Matter (Part II)? Closing the Baby Gap; Research suggests
that having a family may slow the career progress of women faculty.
But does achieving academic success first leave time for children
later? By Mary Ann Mason and Marc Goulden
Links to both articles can be found at:
http://www.grad.berkeley.edu/deans/mason/
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3. Getting Women Scientists Back on the Career Track in Japan
From: WIPHYS of April 4, 2006
"Getting Women Scientists Back on the Career Track in Japan", Science
Magazine, 3/10/06. In April, Japan's government will launch a new category
of grants open only to parents returning to the scientific workforce after
extended childrearing breaks. It is part of a package of initiatives that
also includes grants for institutions to develop schemes to help women
balance research careers and family life. The underlying objective--set
out in a draft 5-year policy plan--is to have women claim 25% of all new
science and engineering positions at governmental institutions. Visit
http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/ .
[then click on "2006" followed by "10 March 2006" to get to the article]
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4. National Virtual Observatory Summer School
From: Bob Hanisch (hanischstsci.edu)
2006 NATIONAL VIRTUAL OBSERVATORY
SUMMER SCHOOL
6-14 September 2006
Aspen Meadows Resort, Aspen, Colorado
IMPORTANT DATES
April 15 Application website open for submissions
June 5 Deadline for applications
July 1 Applicants informed of acceptance
August 1 Registration Fee Due
OVERVIEW
In this week-long, hands-on summer school, astronomers and software
developers will work with experienced NVO users and software specialists
to become familiar with the data discovery, data access, and high
performance computing capabilities of the Virtual Observatory.
Participants will be introduced to VO analysis tools and utilities and
have the opportunity to become proficient users with the guidance of the
faculty. In the latter part of the summer school, small teams will
pursue their own VO-enabled research projects by applying VO tools
and/or developing their own applications.
Participation is open to anyone interested in learning how to use the VO
for astronomical research, to develop VO-aware tools, or make
astronomical data collections available to VO users. We especially
encourage advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and post-doctoral
fellows to apply. Programming experience will be helpful but is not
required. The summer school begins with a two-day introduction to the
basic technologies used in the Virtual Observatory.
Space and budgetary constraints limit participation to 40 people.
Applications will be reviewed by the organizing committee and
participants will be informed by July 1 of their acceptance to the
Summer School. Application instructions are posted at
http://www.us-vo.org/summer-school/2006.
FEES & FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
There will be a $500 registration fee for participants. If this
presents a financial hardship such that it would preclude attendance,
applicants may request a waiver of the fee. The organizing committee
will review such requests on a case by case basis. Upon acceptance to
the Summer School, the fee will be due by 1 August. Accommodations,
breakfast, and lunch are provided for all participants.
Additionally, a travel stipend of up to $400 and per diem stipend of
$225 are available for successful applicants from US institutions who
can commit to attending the whole course and who do not have funds
available to cover these expenses.
FACULTY & ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Thomas McGlynn, NASA GSFC
Tamas Budavari, Johns Hopkins University
Dave De Young, NOAO
Michael Fitzpatrick, NOAO
Matthew Graham, Caltech
Gretchen Greene, STScI
Robert Hanisch, STScI
Brian Kent, Cornell University
Shui Kwok, Keck Observatory
Ray Plante, University of Illinois
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5. "Pregnancy in the Academy" -- AAUP
From: WIPHYS of April 7, 2006 (from Chronicle of Higher Education, April 8)
Professors who are pregnant can get answers to questions about university
policies in a new guide called "Pregnancy in the Academy," published by the
American Association of University Professors. The guide, written in
question-and-answer format, tells professors about their legal rights and
responsibilities. Written by Saranna R. Thornton, associate professor of
economics at Hampden-Sydney College. The booklet is available on the AAUP's
Web site (http://www.aaup.org/catalogue/pubs.htm).
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6. Sloan Foundation Grants to Encourage Career Flexibility
From: WIPHYS of April 7, 2006 (from Chronicle of Higher Education, April 8)
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation will give $250,000 grants to five research
universities in July to encourage them to make faculty careers more flexible.
Two hundred and sixty research universities have applied for the money. The
five winners must already have some flexible work policies in place -
including allowing professors to work part time and extending the tenure clock
for professors with kids. The grants are also designed to encourage
universities to adopt other such policies that the foundation says will make
them more attractive places for faculty members - particularly female ones -
to work. More information at
http://www.sloan.org/programs/stndrd_dualcareer.shtml
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7. Job openings, Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
From: Pat Knezek (pknezeknoao.edu)
1) Associate in Research, Job #789, LSSTC
The LSST Corporation in Tucson, Arizona has an immediate opening for an
Associate in Research to work within the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope
(LSST) project. The LSST Project includes an 8-meter class 3.5 degree wide
field telescope, 3.2 gigapixel camera with 65 cm focal plane and a data
management system to process, archive and distribute the 15 terabytes of
image data produced every night. The project is being carried out in close
collaboration with National Science Foundation and Department of Energy
laboratories and facilities, many US Universities, and private corporations.
The Associate in Research will take responsibility for the development of
portions of the LSST Image Processing Pipeline (IPP). In particular, the
Associate in Research will assist in the development of image processing
algorithms and the interpretation of the results of applying those
algorithms to test data. The IPP will be hosted on a high performance,
parallel computing environment.
The Associate in Research will report to the Project Manager and Project
Scientist, LSST Data Management.
This position is full-time, for the period of August 1, 2006 - October 31,
2006.
Minimum requirements: A bachelors or advanced degree in Physics, Astronomy,
or Computer Science is required. Requires proficiency with: a high level
language such as C++ or Java; relational or object-oriented database
technologies; software development methodologies, including Unified Modeling
Language (UML) and the Iconix Process, and high performance computing.
Experience with astronomical data reduction and astronomical data standards
is highly desirable. The ability to communicate effectively and to
establish and maintain effective professional working relationships is
essential.
All personnel services are administered by the National Optical Astronomy
Observatory (NOAO), under a business service agreement.
Please submit resume by April 15, 2006.
Make reference to the Job Title & Job Number when submitting any materials.
Send resume to:
Human Resources Manager
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
P.O. Box 26732
Tucson, Arizona 85726-6732
Email: hrnoaonoao.edu
FAX: 520-318-8456
NOAO and NSO are affirmative action and equal employment opportunity
employers. Preference granted to qualified Native Americans living on or
near the Tohono O'Odham reservation.
NOAO and NSO foster a diverse research environment. Women and candidates
from under represented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
2) Senior Software Engineer, Job #790, LSSTC
The LSST Corporation in Tucson, Arizona has an immediate opening for a senior
software engineer to work within the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST)
project. The LSST Project includes an 8-meter class 3.5 degree wide field
telescope, 3.2 gigapixel camera with 65 cm focal plane and a data management
system to process, archive and distribute the 15 terabytes of image data
produced every night. The project is being carried out in close
collaboration with National Science Foundation and Department of Energy
laboratories and facilities, many US Universities, and private corporations.
The senior software engineer will take responsibility for the development of
the LSST Moving Object Pipeline (MOP). In particular, the senior software
engineer will assist in the development of pre-cursor survey moving object
pipelines, and incorporate designs and programs from those pipelines into
the LSST MOP. The MOP will be hosted on a high performance, parallel
computing environment. The senior software engineer will also be involved
in LSST activities supporting the specification, design and delivery of
other LSST pipelines and data products.
An initial temporary assignment of 3 - 6 months in Honolulu at the University
of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy will be required, after which the position
is in Tucson. Periodic travel in the United States up to 10% may be required.
The senior software engineer will report to the Project Manager and Project
Scientist, LSST Data Management.
Minimum requirements: A bachelors or advanced degree in Physics, Astronomy, or
Computer Science, and relevant experience is required. Requires proficiency
and at least 8 years experience with: a high level language such as C++ or
Java; relational or object-oriented database technologies; software
development methodologies, including Unified Modeling Language (UML) and the
Iconix Process; and high performance computing. Requires experience with
astronomical data reduction and astronomical data standards. Experience
with moving object detection and orbit matching is highly desirable. The
ability to communicate effectively and to establish and maintain effective
professional working relationships is essential.
Excellent compensation package including annual vacation, comprehensive
insurance benefits and competitive salary. All personnel services are
administered by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), under a
business service agreement.
Please submit resume by April 15, 2006.
Make reference to the Job Title & Job Number when submitting any materials.
Send resume to:
Human Resources Manager
National Optical Astronomy Observatory
P.O. Box 26732
Tucson, Arizona 85726-6732
Email: hrnoaonoao.edu
FAX: 520-318-8456
NOAO and NSO are affirmative action and equal employment opportunity
employers. Preference granted to qualified Native Americans living on or
near the Tohono O'Odham reservation.
NOAO and NSO foster a diverse research environment. Women and candidates
from under represented minorities are particularly encouraged to apply.
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