AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of September 23, 2011
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson & Michele Montgomery
This week's issues:
1. History of the CSWA
2. How Things Have Changed (for the Better!)
3. Which countries have the highest proportion of female graduates?
-- A Response
4. A Postdoc's Guide to Pregnancy & Maternity Leave
5. Seeking Stories on Quantitative Skills Important for Physics Majors
6. Nomination for Excellence in Astronomy Education Awards
7. Aspen Center for Physics, Winter Conferences - 2012
8. International Observe the Moon Night (Oct. 8)
9. Job Opportunities
10. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
11. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
12. Access to Past Issues
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1. History of the CSWA
Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]
Joan Schmelz has compiled historical information on the origins of the
CSWA and its history, and Nancy Morrison has kindly posted it at
http://www.aas.org/cswa/history.html.
Enjoy!
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2. How Things Have Changed (for the Better!)
From: Joan Schmelz [jschmelz_at_memphis.edu]
This week's story of how things have changed for women in astronomy
comes from Meg Urry, the Israel Munson Professor of Physics and
Astronomy and chair of the Department of Physics at Yale University.
Meg is also a contributing editor to the STATUS newsletter and a
former chair of CSWA.
Meg writes: "Ah, the good old days! I remember discussions with
Carnegie Mellon University about a faculty job, in 1990, in the
Physics Department. Both my husband and I were on the market, looking
for two jobs in the same location. CMU told us they could not hire a
husband and wife because of anti-nepotism rules. The next year, in
1991, when we were again on the market, they had done away with this
rule and they offered us two jobs. I always liked that department and
would have liked being there but in the end, I chose to stay at STScI
(because my husband had a really great job at Goddard)."
Nepotism is not generally a factor we consider in solving today's
two-body problem, but anti-nepotism rules were the norm at
universities in the United States in the 1920s through the 1970s. As
Meg mentions above, some persisted into the 1990s! These rules
deprived numerous talented women of faculty positions at the
universities where their husbands were employed.
One of the many famous victims of anti-nepotism rules was Nobel
laureate Maria Goeppert-Mayer. Since she was married to a chemist,
Joseph Mayer, she was forced to become a "volunteer research
associate," a euphemism for an unemployed or underemployed scientist.
Later, she accepted a half-time research position in Chicago where she
formulated the shell model for atomic nuclei, her Nobel Prize winning
work. She was elected to the National Academy of Science in 1956, but
she was not employed full-time as a professor (and paid accordingly)
until 1960 when she moved to the University of California in San Diego.
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3. Which countries have the highest proportion of female graduates?
-- A Response
From: Johannes Andersen [ja_at_astro.ku.dk]
[The last issue of the AASWOMEN newsletter included a story from
John Leibacher on Which countries have the highest proportion of
female graduates? One reader responded with a comment -- eds.]
A comment on John Leibacher's piece on demographics in today's issue:
I was asked to comment on a title for a Nordic workshop on Women in
Physics and suggested
"2025: The Post-Male Era".
As an observing astronomer, isn't this what I see?
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4. A Postdoc's Guide to Pregnancy & Maternity Leave
From: WIPHYS, September 20, 2011
The National Postdoctoral Association (NPA) has developed a new online
resource, "A Postdoc's Guide to Pregnancy and Maternity Leave," The
guide provides general information on pregnancy and maternity leave
for postdocs, including tips on keeping your research going and
talking with your postdoctoral supervisor.
The guide covers such topics as: Research Concerns for your Pregnancy;
Maternity Leave and Federal Funding Guidelines; and Making a Maternity
Research Plan.
You can find it here:
http://www.nationalpostdoc.org/publications/563-maternity-guide
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5. Seeking Stories on Quantitative Skills Important for Physics Majors
From: WIPHYS, September 20, 2011
Which quantitative skills are important for physics majors to acquire
in today's data-driven age?? Computer programming, computer science
(artificial intelligence, machine learning), data visualization,
simulation techniques, statistics?? How do these skills complement
physics training, empower a student, or broaden career choices after
graduation?
If you would like to write an article or provide a short testimonial
on the subject for the Gazette, please email Deanna Ratnikova,
ratnikova_at_aps.org.
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6. Nomination for Excellence in Astronomy Education Awards
From: Luisa Rebull [rebull_at_ipac.caltech.edu]
The Astronomical Society of the Pacific is now accepting nominations
for the Society's 2012 awards honoring accomplishments in astronomy
education and public outreach. Recipients receive a cash award and
engraved plaque, as well as travel and lodging to accept the award at
the Society's 2012 Meeting next summer.
* The Richard Emmons Award celebrates a life-time of outstanding
achievement in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy
for non-science majors.
* The Klumpke-Roberts Award recognizes those who have made major
contributions to the public understanding and appreciation of astronomy.
* The Thomas J. Brennan Award is given for excellence in the teaching
of astronomy at the high school level in North America.
* The Las Cumbres Amateur Outreach Award honors outstanding
educational outreach by an amateur astronomer to K-12 students and the
public.
Submission guidelines, and lists of past recipients can be found at
http://www.astrosociety.org/membership/awards/awards.html.
The deadline for nominations is December 15, 2011. You do not need to
be a member of the Society to make or second a nomination.
If you have questions or need additional information, please contact
Albert Silva at: asilva_at_astrosociety.org or 415.337.1100 x 100.
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7. Aspen Center for Physics, Winter Conferences - 2012
From: Katy Garmany [garmany-at_noao.edu]
The Aspen Institute of Physics hosts Winter and Summer Programs, a
number of which are astrophysics. It may be of interest to AASWomen
readers.
[Some of the Winter Conferences:
January 15-20, 2012: ExoClimes 2012: The Diversity of Planetary Atmospheres
January 21-27, 2012: The Physics of Astronomical Transients
January 30 - February 4, 2012: Inflationary Theory and Its
Confrontation with Data in the Planck Era
see:
http://www.aspenphys.org/documents/program/winterworkshops12.html
The deadline to apply for many of these programs is October 15, 2011. -- eds.]
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8. International Observe the Moon Night (Oct. 8)
Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]
October 8 is International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN). The goal is
to encourage as many people as possible, worldwide, to spend an
evening learning about and observing the Moon. To find a registered
event near you, instructions on how to host your own event, and
information about InOMN and the Moon can be found at
http://observethemoonnight.org/.
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9. Job Opportunities
A. NASA Fellowship for Pre- and In-Service Teachers
http://www.us-satellite.net/endeavor/about.cfm
B. Junior Faculty Position in Astrophysics, MIT
http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/866
C. Assistant Professor, Physics Teacher Education, Illinois State University
http://www.phy.ilstu.edu/faculty/Faculty_ad2011.shtml
D. Tenure-Track Faculty Position in Astrophysics at Lehigh University
https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/1018
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10. How to Submit to the AASWOMEN newsletter
To submit an item to the AASWOMEN newsletter, including replies to
topics, send email to aaswomen_at_aas.org
All material will be posted unless you tell us otherwise, including
your email address.
Please remember to replace "_at_" in the e-mail address above.
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11. How to Subscribe or Unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the AASWOMEN newsletter, please fill in
the required information at:
http://lists.aas.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaswlist
If you experience any problems, please email itdept_at_aas.org
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12. Access to Past Issues
http://www.aas.org/cswa/AASWOMEN.html
Each annual summary includes an index of topics covered.
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End of AASWList Digest, Vol 55, Issue 4
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