Friday, October 1, 2010

AASWOMEN for October 1, 2010

AAS Committee on the Status of Women
Issue of October 1, 2010
eds. Joan Schmelz, Caroline Simpson, and Michele Montgomery

This week's issues:

1. WARNING - Sexual harrassment via Facebook

2. Sexual harassment by students?

3. Response to last week's "Margaret Murnane Appointed to President's Committee on the National Medal of Science"

4. Women's Wage 78.2% of Men's

5. L'Oreal/AAAS Releases Survey on Women in Science

6. Seeking Female Speaker on Minority Initiatives

7. Non-Tenure Track Survey on Academic Working Conditions

8. Global Survey of Physicists

9. 2010 Nininger Award for Meteoritical Students

10. Tenure Track Assistant Professor - Université de Montréal

11. Tenure Track Assistant Professor - UCSC

12. Program Director: National Science Foundation

*** FOLLOWING JOB POSTING TAKEN FROM WIPHYS ***

13. How to Submit, Subscribe, or Unsubscribe to AASWOMEN

14. Access to Past Issues of AASWOMEN


1. Sexual harrassment via Facebook
From: Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]

Facebook is sending out an advisory to colleges and universities in order to make everyone aware of a serious issue that began a few weeks ago on college campuses. Predators are using this social media to identify potential victims. Predators create fake accounts and contact female students, and contact usually begins with the profile "friending." The perpetrator introduces himself/herself and attempts to build a friendship. Posing as friends, the student is asked if they have a webcam and the student is asked to do inappropriate things. Eventually, the perpetrator asks for nude photos or to set up a meeting.

FACEBOOK ADVICE: Do not accept new friends with whom you are not familiar. Do not set up meetings with strangers you meet on Facebook. Accepting strange friend requests puts you at risk.

In a world where anything can be copied, pasted, altered and distributed to a vast invisible audience, we must understand we hold the key to what kind of reputation we create for ourselves. Each time you fill out a profile without privacy controls, you comment on something, post a video, or text a picture of yourself to friends, you potentially reveal yourself to the world. Everything we do online creates digital footprints that wander and persist.

Keep personal information private. Social Security numbers, street addresses, phone numbers, and financial information, like bank account or credit card numbers, should stay private.

Do not reply to text, e-mail or pop-up messages asking for personal or financial information, and do not click any links in the message. Resist the urge to cut and paste a link from the message into your web browser, too. If you want to check a financial account, for example, type in the web address from your billing statement.

Activate privacy settings.

Be aware and vigilant. There has been a rise in Facebook predators.

Although Facebook can provide an excellent opportunity for members to make connections with old friends and meet new friends it can also be a means for predators to find potential victims. Facebook has privacy settings to make it easier for people to choose who can and cannot access information on their profiles. It is up to you to adjust your privacy setting so that you do not share too much personal information or post something that may put you in harm's way.

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2. Sexual harassment by students?
From: Anonymous

I was wondering how many other women faculty and graduate students experience sexual harassment from their students. This year I am mentoring some new women faculty members in my department, and all of us are early in our careers. In one of my first meetings, we discussed strategies for responding to students who ask you out. I may have seen this so many times because I am young and I teach at a school where the students are a few years older than is the case at most colleges, so they are closer in age to myself. I was shocked that this would happen at all, but I get a student asking me out on a date every two years, like clockwork. I'm due this year, but I may be "fortunate" that my all-male physics class is instead starting the "that's what SHE said" jokes. (For those of you not familiar with the line, it is generally said as a response to turn the previous statement into a sexual innuendo. As the only "she" in the room, this is more than a little awkward.) When I have been asked out by students I've generally been too shocked to do more than splutter out something incoherently mixing "I have a boyfriend" and "I wouldn't date a student". The class with the joker received a little heart-to-heart where I tried to impress upon them that they have the responsibility to help fix the gender imbalance in physics and engineering.

Have other women faculty had experiences like these, where the faculty member is receiving the sexual harassment from the student? How have you responded? Male allies, do you have similar situations, or maybe female students accusing you of sexual harassment to threaten a grade out of you? And how would you recommend women faculty respond when male students ask us out on dates or make sexist jokes or sexual innuendos?

[Please send comments and advice to aaswomen_at_aas.org. We are seeking both male and female perspectives on this issue. -- eds.]

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3. Response to "Margaret Murnane Appointed to President's Committee
on the National Medal of Science"
From: Vera Rubin [rubin_at_dtm.ciw.edu]

[Last week, we reported that the President bestows the National Medal of Science to individuals who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social sciences, biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and physics. -- eds.]

National Medal of Science goes to astronomers too - probably under Physics. So nominate women astronomers!

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4. Women's Wage 78.2% of Men'
From: Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]

U.S. Census data released Tuesday September 28, 2010 indicates that women's median pay still lags behind men's. Women with full-time positions make 78.2% of men's slaries. This percentage is up from 2008 and 2000, however, when women's wage was 77.7% and 64% of men's, respectively. Women's earnings are less than men's in all fifty states and in the District of Columbia. However, women's earnings are higher than men's in Puerto Rico.

More information about this census data can be found at

http://www.census.gov/prod/2010pubs/acsbr09-3.pdf

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5. L'Oreal/AAAS Releases Survey on Women in Science
From: Rick Fienberg [rick.fienberg_at_aas.org]

The results of a survey of 1,300 female and male scientists on career development found that 98 percent of female respondents knew a colleague who left the field because of barriers to professional success. The survey was conducted by AAAS at the request of L'Oréal USA. The findings were presented by AAAS Education and Human Resources director Shirley Malcom at a September 23 congressional briefing.

Press release with more information: http://www.members-aaas.org/l.jsp?d=6072.669990.654.2aapOHibt9A..A

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6. Seeking Female Speaker on Minority Initiatives
From: Caroline Simpson [simpsonc_at_fiu.edu]

Yesim Darci, FIU Physics, is on the ASP's Committee on Minorities. She is looking for an outstanding female speaker for their session at the April 2011 APS meeting, titled Initiatives for Broadening Participation of Minorities in Graduate Level Physics. If you, or anyone you know, might be interested, you can contact her at dariciy_at_fiu.edu.

More information about the April 2011 APS meeting can be found at

http://www.aps.org/meetings/april/index.cfm

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7. Non-Tenure Track Survey on Academic Working Conditions
From: Michele M. Montgomery [montgomery_at_physics.ucf.edu]

Calling all non-tenure track faculty including (full- or part-time) lecturers, graduate teaching assistants, researchers, and post-doctoral fellows. This is your chance to communicate about and potentially help change your professional compensation and your working conditions. The American Association of University Professors (AAUP) and other organizations in the Coalition on the Academic Workforce (CAW) are conducting a survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/VNNNRVS

as more faculty memebers are being hired off the tenure track and good data does not exist on these numerous appointments. Most data on working conditions of the contingent academic workforce (particularly data about salaries, benefits, and course assignments) exist in large data sets that have been aggregated and averaged at the national level. Consequently, similarities and differences that contingent academic workers experience across different institutions and institutional sectors, geographic regions, and disciplines become obscured. This survey aims to examine salaries, benefits, course assignments, and general working conditions as contingent academic workers experience them at the institutional level. The survey collects institution- and course-specific information to create a more textured and realistic picture of contingent academic workers'’ working lives and working conditions.

The goal of the survey is to develop a rich dataset that will help CAW and its member organizations advocate on behalf of professional compensation and working conditions for the contingent academic workforce. Individuals who wish to be entered in a drawing for one of several $50 book gift cards may include contact information at the end of the questionnaire, but this information will not be used to connect survey data with specific persons.

Please fill out this survey by November 30, 2010 and send it to your non-tenure track colleagues. Winners of the gift cards will be notified the week following November 30, 2010.

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8. Global Survey of Physicists
From: Rachel Ivie [rivie_at_aip.org]

The American Institute of Physics is still collecting responses to the global survey of physicists, and we want to make sure that astronomers participate. The survey is co-sponsored by the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics Working Group on Women and has a special focus on women.

The survey has been open since 2009, but if you have not already participated, please do so at

http://www.aipsurveys.org/global

Make sure your response is included in this unprecedented effort to collect data from astronomers and physicists across the globe. The survey will be open a few more weeks only.

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9. 2010 Nininger Award for Meteoritical Students
From: Michele M. Montgomery [physics.ucf.edu]

The Center for Meteorite Studies at Arizona State University is pleased to announce the 2010 application opportunity for the Nininger Meteorite Award for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing research in meteoritical sciences. The 2010 Nininger Award application deadline is November 15, 2010. For more information, go to

http://meteorites.asu.edu/nininger

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10. Tenure Track Assistant Professor - Université de Montréal
From: Thomas Rauch [rauch_at_astro.uni-tuebingen.de]

The Department of Physics at the Université de Montréal invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in astronomy and astrophysics, to begin in June 2011.

The candidate will be expected to join the astronomy and astrophysics group and contribute to its activities. Candidates with interests in all fields of astronomy are encouraged to apply, although higher priority will be given to candidates with expertise in astronomy group focus areas: stellar astrophysics, solar physics, extragalactic astronomy, and astronomical instrumentation (www.astro.umontreal.ca/groupe). Further information about the Department, including research and teaching activities and more detailed information about the position, can be found on the Web site (www.phys.umontreal.ca) and

http://www.phys.umontreal.ca/poste-astro-en.php

Candidates should submit a curriculum vitae, a list of publications, a summary of current and planned research (hardcopy only; e-mail submissions will not be accepted), and have three letters of recommendation sent directly, by November 30, 2010, to:

Prof. Yves Lépine, Chair Département de physique Université de Montréal C.P. 6128, Succursale Centre-ville Montréal (Québec) H3C 3J7 Canada Email address for inquiries: yves.lepine_at_umontreal.ca

Employment Equity Program: The Université de Montréal upholds the principles of employment equity and welcomes applications from women, ethnic and visible minorities, aboriginals and the people with disabilities. Applicants who belong to one of these groups are asked to complete the employment equity identification questionnaire posted at

http://fas.umontreal.ca/affaires-professorales/documents/quest-acces-emploi.pdf

and attach it to their application.

Immigration Requirements: In compliance with Canadian immigration requirements, priority shall be given to Canadian citizens and landed immigrants.

Included Benefits: The Université de Montréal offers a competitive salary and a complete range of fringe benefits.

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11. Tenure Track Assistant Professor - UCSC
From: Patti Schell [pmschell_at_ucsc.edu]

The Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics at the University of California, Santa Cruz invites applications for a faculty position at the Assistant Professor (tenure-track) level starting Fall 2011. While we are particularly interested in qualified applicants with expertise in theoretical cosmology and galaxy formation, outstanding candidates working in any active areas of theoretical astrophysics will be considered and encouraged to apply. We seek candidates whose research will integrate with our current research programs and at the same time broaden the scope of our faculty in theoretical astrophysics and contribute to our strong interdisciplinary collaborations.

The successful candidate is expected to maintain a first-class research program, teach in the department's undergraduate and graduate programs, and supervise graduate and undergraduate student research. For additional information on the department, please see the departmental website

http://www.astro.ucsc.edu

We are especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the academic community through their research, teaching, and service, and who have demonstrated a commitment to improving access to higher education by minority groups. Minimum qualifications include a Ph.D. or equivalent in Astronomy, Physics, or related field; postdoctoral or comparable experience; demonstrated record of research excellence and potential to obtain external funding, and a commitment to and talent for teaching at undergraduate and graduate levels.

Electronic submissions are strongly encouraged. A curriculum vitae and a statement of research and teaching interests should be mailed to astrorecruit_at_ucsc.edu. The candidate should arrange for at least three letters of reference to be sent directly by e-mail to astrorecruit_at_ucsc.edu. Letters should evaluate the candidate?s scholarly contributions, teaching, leadership potential, and other professional accomplishments. (All letters will be treated as confidential documents. Please direct your referees to UCSC's confidentiality statement at

http://apo.ucsc.edu/academic_policies_and_procedures/cappm/confstm.htm

Applicants are also invited to submit a statement addressing their contributions to diversity through their research, teaching, and/or service.

Alternate mailing address: Please refer to position #081-11 in all correspondence. Department of Astronomy amp; Astrophysics 211 Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB) University of California 1156 High Street Santa Cruz, CA 95064 astrorecruit_at_ucsc.edu

Screening will begin with applications received by November 15, 2010 and continue during academic year 2010-11 or until position is filled. To ensure full consideration, both the applications and letters of reference must arrive by November 15, 2010.

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12. Program Director: National Science Foundation
From: Jim Ulvestad [julvesta_at_nsf.gov]

The National Science Foundation is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Program Director within the Division of Astronomical Sciences, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

The candidates selected for this position will have responsibility for coordination and management of elements of the AST individual investigator grants programs, including the themes within Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Grants, the instrumentation programs, and/or the Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships Program.

The successful candidates will be involved in activities that include planning, budget development, the merit review and proposal recommendation process, the preparation of written material about the research supported by the Division, and interactions with other NSF programs, Federal agencies and organizations. Program directors are expected to bring their scientific expertise to the activities of the Division, and to serve as a liaison between the astronomical community and NSF, disseminating information about NSF and Division activities and opportunities. Candidates are expected to work with the astronomical research and education community to broaden the diversity of participants in NSF programs. Expertise in all areas and techniques of astronomy and astrophysics will be considered.

The positions will be filled on a temporary basis beginning immediately; two positions are available. Applicants must have a Ph.D. or equivalent experience in astronomy, astrophysics, physics, or a closely related field, plus six or more years of successful research, research administration, and/or managerial experience beyond the Ph.D.

Announcement E20100093-Rotator (Program Director) with position requirements and application procedures is located on the NSF Home Page at

http://www.nsf.gov/about/career_opps

and the USAJOBS Link:

http://jobview.usajobs.gov/GetJob.aspx?OPMControl=2003462 .

Telephone inquiries may be referred to Lindsey Boswell at 703-292-4350 or rotator_at_nsf.gov. For technical information, contact Dr. James S. Ulvestad, AST Division Director, 703-292-8820, julvesta_at_nsf.gov. (Hearing impaired individuals may call TDD 703-292-8044.)

Applicants are asked to respond to the following Quality Ranking Factors -

- Knowledge and understanding of scientific principles and theories applicable to astronomy, astrophysics, and physics which have resulted in recognized status in the community of astronomical scientists.

- Ability to communicate effectively and work productively with the scientific community, peers, and co-workers at all levels to advocate program policies and plans and to fulfill NSF's mission.

- Ability to organize, implement and manage a proposal-driven grant program, allocating resources to meet a spectrum of goals, including insuring integrity and consistency in the grant award/declination management process.

NSF IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Application Deadline: October 15, 2010

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13. 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

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14. 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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