BBC News: Rosetta comet landing: Professor’s excitement

The European Space Agency’s successful landing on the Rosetta comet is an amazing achievement.

As a side effect, it has also led to a lot of discussion around the representation of women in science. Here’s a great clip to keep in mind of Professor Monica Grady, who “was in on the Philae lander project from its earliest days and jumped for joy when she found out the news.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30022765

Guardian: Is the Sexist Scientific Workplace Really Dead?

Source: www.theguardian.com/science/occams-corner/2014/nov/04/is-the-sexist-scientific-workplace-really-dead

One excerpt:

“The authors [Williams, Ceci, Ginther, Khan] claim,

out of the 124 hires made in physics … only 13% of the applicants were females (… much less than the percentage of females among PhDs …), but 19% of those invited to interview were women, as were 20% of those actually hired.

This tells me that more women than men are dropping out before applying for a faculty position at all. That may indeed be due to women’s choices, but the choice may be determined or at least affected by a hostile workplace – not discussed here – rather than by innate ability. Those who stick around may therefore not be typical: not only tough but particularly bright. This can only be speculation but it might explain why women are hired at rates higher than their presence in the application pool might suggest. Reading the study by Williams et al. it looks as if they wish to convey that all is so hunky dory that the higher percentage of female hires is down to a particularly beneficent environment.”

NYTimes: Academic Science Isn’t Sexist

Source: www.nytimes.com/2014/11/02/opinion/sunday/academic-science-isnt-sexist.html

Quote:

“Our analysis reveals that the experiences of young and midcareer women in math-intensive fields are, for the most part, similar to those of their male counterparts: They are more likely to receive hiring offers, are paid roughly the same (in 14 of 16 comparisons across the eight fields), are generally tenured and promoted at the same rate (except in economics), remain in their fields at roughly the same rate, have their grants funded and articles accepted as often and are about as satisfied with their jobs. Articles published by women are cited as often as those by men. In sum, with a few exceptions, the world of academic science in math-based fields today reflects gender fairness, rather than gender bias.”

NPR: Is ‘Leaning In’ The Only Formula For Women’s Success In Science?

Quote: “I’m sure that there are people who are skeptical that a woman can do this job as well as a man,” Arnold says, adding, “I am blissfully unaware of such people — and have been gifted with the ability to ignore them completely.” She advises other women in fields dominated by men to do the same. ~ US National Public Radio “Shots” Health Blog, article “Is ‘Leaning In’ The Only Formula For Women’s Success In Science?” by Kelly McEvers.

WashingtonPost: Warren talks sexism in the Senate

AP Photo by Charles Dharapak accompanying the
Washington Post article, “Warren talks sexism in the Senate“

“Others have said it before me: if you don’t have a seat at the table you’re probably on the menu.” ~ Elizabeth Warren, US Democratic Senator.

Warren stresses the importance of electing women to Congress in a Washington Post article titled “Warren talks sexism in the Senate: It’s hard to change these big, male dominated institutions.”

WISE@QMUL presents Lost In Translation? The challenges of crossing borders

Old Library (Whitechapel Campus) on Monday 20 October 2014 at 12.45-14.30 (formal talks and discussion 13.00-14.00).

Description: Geographical movement to another country in the name of academic pursuits inevitably presents with hurdles. This forum is intended to highlight some of the challenges faced by women in coming to the UK, such as language, cultural, domestic, social and financial issues. The speakers will present some of these challenges drawn from their personal experiences and give an insight into how they coped. Speakers include Professor Adina Michael-Titus (Barts and the London, SMD), Professor Federica Marelli-Berg (Barts and the London, SMD), Dr Nathalie Lebrasseur (SBCS) and Dr. Noha Seoudi (Barts and the London, SMD). The event will be followed by a panel discussion and lunch will be provided.

Book here using course code RW212 to guarantee your place & gain skills points: www.esdcourses.org.uk
More information: wiseqml.wordpress.com

Guardian: Why women are under-represented in science and engineering

Picture from “Why women are under-represented in science and engineering“

Julia King describes five factors relating to confidence, stereotyped language (“scientists are ‘he’, hairdressers are ‘she'”), and a lack of role models that hold women back from careers in science and engineering in Guardian article, “Why women are under-represented in science and engineering“