History of the AAS Committee on the Status of Women

History of the CSWA

On this page, the AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy celebrates its history, as compiled by CSWA Chair Joan Schmelz* with assistance from several current and past committee members. Links to the longer documents are provided.

A short history of the genesis of the CSWA, by Joan Schmelz
Milestones in our history

Mar 2011		CSWA 'Resources' web page established
Nov 2010		CSWA 'Percentages of Women Invited Speakers' web page established
Nov 2009		CSWA Strategic Plan
Oct 2009		Women in Astronomy III conference
Dec 2008		CSWA 'Advice' web page established
Apr 2008		Women in Astronomy Blog established
Apr 2006		CSWA Longitudinal Survey established
Jan 2005		Pasadena Recommendations endorsed by the AAS
Jun 2003		Women in Astronomy II conference
Jun 2003		CSWA survey of the gender distribution of astronomers at major U.S. research institutions
Jun 2000		2nd STScI survey of the gender distribution of astronomers at major U.S. research institutions
Oct 1995		CSWA web page established
Jan 1994		Baltimore Charter endorsed by the AAS
Sep 1992		STScI survey of the gender distribution of astronomers at major U.S. research institutions
Sep 1992		Women at Work: A Meeting on the Status of Women in Astronomy
Dec 1991		AASWomen Newsletter established with 70 e-mail addresses
Jun 1986		First issue of STATUS
Dec 1980		Report of the ad hoc committee published in BAAS
Jun 1980		First CSWA session at the AAS meeting in College Park, MD
Jun 1979		CSWA established by the AAS
Jun 1978		AAS council appoints an ad hoc "Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy"
Jun 1974		Report of the Working Group published in BAAS
Aug 1972		AAS council sets up the "Working Group on the Status of Women in Astronomy"
Aug 1972		Special Committee recommends that the AAS form a group to review the status of women in astronomy
Jun 1971		AAS council convenes a "Special Committee on the Cannon Prize"
Jun 1971		Margaret Burbidge declines the Cannon Prize because "the prize, available only to women, was in itself discriminatory"

List of CSWA sessions at AAS meetings (in preparation)
Past and present members of this committee

Past and present: chairs of this committee; editors of our newsletters, STATUS and AASWOMEN; and web managers

CSWA Chair	Term of Office
Joan Schmelz	2009 - 2012
Geoff Clayton	2007 - 2009
Pat Knezek	2003 - 2007
Meg Urry	2000 - 2003
Priscilla Benson	1997 - 2000
Debra Elmegreen	1991 - 1997
Alma Zook	1990 - 1991
[no chair]	1989 - 1990
Lee Anne Willson	1987 - 1989
Deidre Hunter	1986 - 1987
Sue Simkin	1985 - 1986
Susan Wyckoff	1983 - 1985
Neta Bahcall	1982 - 1983
Caty Pilachowski	1980 - 1982
Anne Cowley	1979 - 1980

STATUS Editor	Term
Katy Garmany	2011- present
Fran Bagenal	2004 - 2010
Patricia Knezek	2004
Meg Urry & Lisa Frattare	1999 - 2003
Kathryn Mead	1995 - 1998
Faith Vilas	1994 - 1995
Deborah Domingue	1994 - 1995
Kathy DeGioia Eastwood	1989 - 1993
Geoffrey Clayton	1989 - 1993
Judy Schultz	1987
Sue Simkin	1986

AASWOMEN Editor	Term
Michele Montgomery	2009 - present
Caroline Simpson	2007 - present
Joan Schmelz	2005 - present
Hannah Jang-Condell	2006 - 2009
Pat Knezek	2000 - 2007
Geoffrey Clayton	2006 - 2007
Jim Ulvestad	2004 - 2006
Lisa Frattare	2005
Michael Rupen	2002 - 2004
Meg Urry	2000 - 2003
Priscilla Benson	1997 - 2000
Debra Elmegreen	1991 - 1997

Web Manager	Term
Nancy Morrison	2010 - present
George Jacoby	2009 - 2010
John Feldmeier	2007 - 2009
Amy Simon-Miller	2001 - 2007
Lisa Frattare	1996 - 2001

Here are some published documents relevant to our history. The first three are the same as those linked to in the list of milestones, above.

"Report to the Council of the AAS from the Working Group on the Status of Women in Astronomy - 1973" (Cowley, A. et al. 1974, BAAS, 6, 413; PDF, 2.0 MB; complete version. As found in the ADS, this paper is missing its last page. We have inserted the last page from a reprint copy in our files.)
"Report of the Committee on the Status of Women: American Astronomical Society" (Liller, M. et al. 1980, BAAS, 12, 624; PDF, 1.7 MB)
"Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy" (Simkin, S. 1999, in The American Astronomical Society's First Century, American Institute of Physics/Springer Verlag, ed. David DeVorkin)
"Celebrating 30 Years of Advancing the Status of Women in Astronomy: The AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy" (C. E. Simpson et al., in Women in Astronomy and Space Science: Meeting the Challenges of an Increasingly Diverse Workforce, Proceedings from the conference held at The Inn and Conference Center University of Maryland University College, October 21—23, 2009, edited by Anne L. Kinney, Diana Khachadourian, Pamela S. Millar and Colleen N. Hartman, p. 272)

*The CSWA History page is dedicated to the memory of Joan Schmelz's mom, Elizabeth “Betty” Schmelz, a lover of history and, for many years, the director of the Bergenfield Museum Society of Bergenfield, NJ.

CSWA home page

This page last updated: February 22, 2012