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Women Advance but Not Enough

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Women Advance but Not Enough The newspaper of the physics community April 2006 CONTENTS 2 News Women advance but not enough ● Maxwell Year Astronomical Schools Lecture ● 10-year Heather Pinnell reports on recent efforts to improve the position of women in science. study tracks graduates The progress of women in physics was 4 Reflections the focus of several events to mark The challenges of becoming a International Women’s Day on physics teacher ● Physics 8 March. The UK Resource Centre for outreach – how can we help? Women in SET (UKRC) held its second annual conference, where it launched 5 People a photographic exhibition celebrating Jules Hoult on the physics of six inspiring women scientists (right). skydiving The Institute’s own Women in Physics Group held a welcome event for women physics students, which was addressed by speakers represent- ing careers in industry, academia, journalism and government. The group recently extended free mem- bership to all 2200 female undergrad- 6 Letters uate members. AWE ● Keeping physicists in Since March 2002, when the first the teaching profession International Union of Pure and Applied Physics conference on 7 Event horizon women in physics was held in Paris, What’s on at the Institute there have been many positive devel- opments – both at the Institute and 8 Antimatters nationally. The best of science podcasts In 2003, Council set up the Women in Physics Policy Committee and app- ointed a full-time staff member for women’s issues. The government also commissioned Sir Gareth Roberts to write a report, SET for success, which identified a future shortage of science, Robert Taylor/UKRC engineering and technology (SET) Clockwise: Wendy Hall, Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Maggie Aderin, Julia Goodfellow, Kathy Sykes, Rebecca George. graduates and noted that this could be “Am I a traitor to my addressed if more women were These include the difficulties of return- years and, while women make up 24% recruited. In response, the govern- ing to science after a career break; com- of those employed in SET, they hold physics roots?” ment set up the UKRC in 2004. The long-hours bining childcare with the demands of a only 12% of managerial positions. Kate Bellingham on teaching Work has continued apace at the career in science; women following Gillian Butcher is an active member maths, p4 Institute. Between 2003 and 2005, culture in physics their partners when they relocate; lack of the Women in Physics Group and 40% of UK university physics depart- departments is of networking opportunities; lack of a research associate in space instru- ments were visited by a panel that transparency in hiring, promotion and mentation at Leicester University. She “Skydiving is a lot assessed how welcoming they are to often a problem for pay; few visible role models for women says that, while there are more female women. The panel noted a lack of and the continuing problem of gender physics undergraduates than when closer to flying than transparency in promotions and women with stereotyping. she was at university 20 years ago, appointments and said that the long- Many of these factors were identi- there are very few women working at to falling.” hours culture is often a problem for children. fied in the Institute’s report The 3Rs: her level in her field. “When I was an Jules Hoult, p5 women with children. A similar Recruitment, Retention and Returning, undergraduate there were six women scheme of industry site visits is published in March 2004. Following out of 40, which was quite good at that planned. on from this, the Institute conducted time. You thought, it’s all going to “One of the joys of The Institute will shortly publish a a survey of women taking career happen and it’s all going to change. podcasting is listen- review of research into girls and breaks and published a guide to plan- But I now wonder where they all are.” physics as well as a guide for teachers ning a successful career break. Katharine Hollinshead, the Institute’s ing to programmes on how to keep girls interested in the The gender balance has certainly diversity programme leader, says there subject. improved in the last 50 years, says is a strong business case for making from the other side of The Royal Society is also making Gillian Gehring, who started as an women more welcome. Technology- efforts to improve the situation for undergraduate in 1959 and was only based industry faces similar imbal- the world.” Samuel Rae, p8 women in science. Last June it the second female professor of ances to those in academia, with launched the Athena SWAN Charter – physics when appointed in 1989. By women making up just 4% of directors an award scheme to encourage uni- March 2005, the number of women in the top 100 technology companies. versities to demonstrate their com- professors had risen to 26, but many “There are huge numbers of women mitment to advancing the careers of believe this upward trend has now who have SET qualifications who are CHARTERED female scientists. In the first round of reached a plateau. not actually working in the sector, and STATUS KEEPS awards, announced in March, silver The proportion of female physics it’s a waste of resources. Companies medals went to Imperial College, professors has increased only slightly need to move beyond seeing it as a leg- YOU AHEAD London and the chemistry depart- in recent years, to around 4%. Female islative requirement to see the positive careers.iop.org/ ment at Edinburgh University. A-level entries and undergraduate aspects. You can see it as a ticking-the- There are many reasons for the per- numbers seem to have stuck at box exercise or as a real opportunity chartered sisting shortage of women in physics. around 21–22% for the last 10–15 for your company or university.” Interactions April 2006 2 news BRANCH NEWS New strategy for UK technology Edinburgh to celebrate Maxwell Year The Institute of Physics in Scotland is joining in By Ayala Ochert investment by businesses in R&D, ing a new medical technology, for celebrations of the 175th anniversary of the “Research is about turning money from just 1.2% of GDP to the govern- example , could get access to buyers in birth of James Clerk Maxwell in 2006, which has into knowledge and innovation about ment’s target of 1.7% by 2014. Spittle the National Health Service. turning knowledge into money,” said said that a “step change” in UK inno- The UK lags behind on business been designated Maxwell Year. The James Clerk former Institute president Sir Gareth vation was vital, given developments spending on R&D, but the situation in Maxwell Foundation, with the Royal Society of Roberts as he welcomed the Insti- in countries like India and China. “The Germany would appear to be much Edinburgh, Edinburgh University, Heriot Watt tute’s business affiliates to the year’s pace of change in those countries is better, with investment at 2.6% of University, the national museums of Scotland first Key Insight Business Briefing on more fierce than you can imagine, and GDP – two-thirds of the country’s and the City of Edinburgh, have set up a series 13 March. the challenge for us is immense.” total spending on R&D. of events between April and October to mark the anniversary. The meeting drew together tech- The Technology Strategy Board has Reinhard Grunwald, secretary-gen- These will include lectures by Malcolm Longair and Basil Mahon, nology experts and business leaders a budget of £360 m to spend on sup- eral of the German Research Founda- author of an acclaimed book about Maxwell, a poster competition to discuss the UK’s new national porting the development of promis- tion, told the audience about the technology strategy, which was ing technologies; £260 m of that has German situation. Investment comes for primary schools and an exhibition at Maxwell’s family home in announced in 2004. The strategy is already been distributed, with 40% mainly from the automotive industry, Parton in Dumfries and Galloway. Maxwell’s school, the Edinburgh being formulated by a business-led going to small and medium-sized while other R&D-intensive industries Academy, will also open a new science facility in the autumn to be Technology Strategy Board and its businesses. Spittle said the board was – such as those involved in the manu- named the James Clerk Maxwell Centre. chairman, Graham Spittle, director of looking for risky investments that facture of machinery and pharmaceu- IBM’s Hursley Laboratory, was the might pay off in the next five to 10 ticals – are starting to decline. A diamond of a science facility first keynote speaker of the evening. years. “The writing is on the wall in Ger- On 1 March Simon Alcock of the Diamond Light Source told the “Science and technology are the The board is also creating “innova- many,” said Grunwald, stressing that fundamental bedrock of wealth cre- tion platforms”, which will bring all countries in Western Europe face Institute’s Midlands Branch members about this new science facility, ation but UK companies have not together stakeholders from govern- the same challenges in transitioning the largest in the UK for over 30 years. The giant machine, which is embraced them at the pace needed. ment and the business and research to a knowledge-based economy that housed in a doughnut-shaped building with a circumference of half a That’s where the technology strategy communities. These platforms aim to can compete with lower-wage coun- mile, is a particle accelerator designed to produce synchrotron light comes in,” said Spittle.
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