AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of May 8, 2009
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson & Michele Montgomery
This week's issues:
1. AASWomen Eileen Friel Named New Lowell Observatory Director
2. Sticks and Stones and Words Can All be Hurtful
3. H1N1 Virus & 214th AAS Meeting Update
4. Visiting Assistant Professor in Physics, Colgate University
5. Visiting Astronomy Instructor, Modesto Junior College
6. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN
7. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN
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1. AASWomen Eileen Friel Named New Lowell Observatory Director
From: Lowell Observatory
Dr. Eileen Friel has accepted the appointment by Observatory Trustee,
William Lowell Putnam, to be the next Director of Lowell Observatory.
Dr. Friel will become the tenth Director of the Observatory. To read
more on the press release, see
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid3D28121
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2. Sticks and Stones and Words Can All be Hurtful
From: Hannah at Women in Astronomy blog, May 6, 2009
A few weeks ago, I caught an extremely interesting NPR report about
how langauge affects the way we think. It just so happens that I went
to high school with Lera Boroditsky, whose research is profiled in the
report, but that was only part of the reason I stopped to listen to it.
Dr. Boroditsky's experiment was to examine languages with gendered
nouns: for example, German and Spanish. "Bridge" in German is "die
brucke," a female noun, and in Spanish is "el puente," a male noun.
When native German speakers were asked for adjective to describe a
bridge, the responses included "fragile," "elegant", and "beautiful."
Native Spanish speakers responded with "strong," "dangerous," and
"long." I encourage you to go read or listen to the whole article, but
Boroditsky's research basically shows how the language we use strongly
affects the way we think about things. It also shows just how deeply
embedded our conceptions of gender are.
[To read on, please see http://womeninastronomy.blogspot.com/
and please respond!]
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3. H1N1 Virus & 214th AAS Meeting Update
From: AAS.org
At the present time, the AAS is closely monitoring the status of the
H1N1 virus outbreak and any implications it may have for our upcoming
June meeting in Pasadena. The government has not advised the public to
limit or restrict travel, nor have they advised organizations to cease
holding group functions.
For more information, see Scott Idem's blog at
http://aas.org/node/569
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4. Visiting Assistant Professor in Physics, Colgate University
From: Thomas Balonek [Tbalonek
mail.colgate.edu]
The Colgate University Department of Physics and Astronomy invites
applications for a one-year visiting assistant professor position in
physics to begin in fall 2009. A Ph.D. in physics or a related
discipline is required, and previous teaching experience is an
advantage. We seek a person with a strong commitment to undergraduate
education. Academic responsibilities will primarily be teaching our
introductory level physics courses for non-majors, with the option of
an upper level course or a course in Colgate's Liberal Arts Core
Curriculum. Although the candidate will have no research requirements
during this appointment, collaboration with current faculty is
possible. Colgate is a highly selective liberal arts university of
2800 students situated in a picturesque village in central New York.
The department has nine faculty members and maintains well-equipped
research laboratories in quantum and optical physics, condensed matter
physics, and observational astronomy, located in the new Ho Science
Center that is configured to facilitate interdisciplinary teaching and
research.
Candidates should send a curriculum vitae plus a letter describing
teaching experience and objectives, and a short description of
research experience. The CV should include a publication list and the
names of three individuals who have been asked by the candidate to
send letters of recommendation. At least two letters should address
the candidate's teaching qualifications, and one should address the
candidate's research experience. All materials should be sent to
Thomas Balonek, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Colgate
University, 13 Oak Drive, Hamilton, NY 13346,
tbalonekmail.colgate.edu. Formal applications may be made by email
(as pdf attachments) or regular mail. Email inquiries are welcome.
Applications received by June 1, 2009 will receive full consideration;
applications will be considered until the position is filled. Colgate
is an Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Employer. Developing
and sustaining a diverse faculty, student body, and staff further the
University's educational mission.
Contact - Thomas Balonek, Chair
Department of Physics and Astronomy
Colgate University
13 Oak Drive
Hamilton, NY 13346
Telephone AD 315 228-7767
Email AD TBalonekmail.colgate.edu
http://departments.colgate.edu/physics/
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5. Visiting Astronomy Instructor, Modesto Junior College
From: Brian K. Sanders [sandersbmjc.edu]
Modesto Junior College is seeking an Astronomy Instructor on a
one-year basis for the 2009-10 academic year. However, the position
may evolve into a full-time, tenure-track replacement starting in fall
2010.
Modesto Junior College has full astronomy classes, great community
support, an active astronomy club. In addition, Modesto Junior
College is building a brand new $70 million science building with two
key architectural and programmatic details - a planetarium and an
observatory dome! The building is slated to open in Fall 2011.
Note that the position closes on June 4.
Minimum qualifications include a master's degree in physics, astronomy,
or astrophysics or bachelors in physics or astronomy with a master's in
certain related areas - see link below for details.
The job posting can be found at
https://www.cccregistry.org/jobs/viewPosting.aspx?postingID3D34189.
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6. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN
[Please remember to replace "" in the below e-mail addresses.]
To submit to AASWOMEN: send email to aaswomenaas.org All material
sent to that address will be posted unless you tell us otherwise
(including your email address).
To subscribe or unsubscribe to AASWOMEN go to
http://lists.aas.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaswlist
and fill out the form.
If you experience any problems, please email itdeptaas.org
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7. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN
Past issues of AASWOMEN are available at
http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
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