Spring 2008 Gazecswp Tte the Newsletter of the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics of the American Physical Society
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Vol. 27, No. 1 Spring 2008 GazeCSWP tte The Newsletter of the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics of the American Physical Society INSIDE GUEST EDITORIAL: When Life Intervenes, One University Steps Up to Help Guest Editorial By Bernice Durand, University of Wisconsin–Madison 1 Balancing Career and he’s making good prog- decision) when it is more difficult to recover from a Family: Suggestions Sress toward tenure. setback. At the University of Wisconsin—Madison 1 Wham! Her young child is (UW-Madison), we are privileged to have Vilas Life diagnosed with cancer. The Cycle Professorships, as a safety net against such crises Take a Student child’s oncologist says the (1). These grants, limited to $30,000 (not to be used for to Lunch! prognosis is good with im- the salary of the recipient), are available to UW-Madi- 3 mediate and repeated che- son tenure-track and tenured faculty and permanent motherapy. Her big grant principle investigators (PI’s), regardless of discipline Special Events renewal proposal is due in or gender, who “are at critical junctures in their pro- Focusing on two months. fessional careers and whose research productivity has Women in Physics He’s enjoying mid-ca- been directly affected by personal life events (e.g., ill- 4 Bernice Durand reer national prominence. ness of a dependent, parent, spouse/partner, or oneself; Non-traditional Wham! He has a heart at- complications from childbirth; combination of major Careers tack. His cardiologist says he needs bypass surgery life events)” (1). 5 — soon! His big grant renewal proposal is due in two Where did the Life Cycle grants come from? From months. A lot of people’s livelihoods and careers de- 2002 to 2006, we had one of the first NSF five-year MGM Award pend on those grants. ADVANCE Institutional Transformation grants (2). 7 Health and family crises are often career crises, The grant was named WISELI (3), for Women in Sci- and they can be ruinous. Overnight your career can be ence and Engineering Leadership Institute. The two 25 Women Named in serious jeopardy. Although men and women experi- PI’s and Co-Directors were Molly Carnes (4) and Jo APS Fellows ence these kinds of events, for women they may tend continued on page 10 8 to occur earlier in the career (e.g., prior to the tenure Careers Corner 11 Balancing Career and Family: Suggestions Ask the By Andrea Liu, University of Pennsylvania Physics Mentor 12 t the 2007 APS March Meeting, CSWP spon- members who have young children as well as highly Asored a panel discussion on the topic, “Women in successful scientific careers. The second aim was to Katherine Weimer academic science: balancing career and family.” The collect practical strategies for balancing career and Award panel members were Susan Coppersmith (University family from the panelists. The final aim was to compile 12 of Wisconsin, Madison), Marija Drndic (University of a list of recommendations for departments, academic Pennsylvania), Ka Yee Lee (University of Chicago), institutions, funding agencies and professional societ- Thank you, ies. Several female graduate students in the audience Nina Byers! Nadya Mason (University of Illinois, Urbana-Cham- commented that they came from departments with no 13 paign), and Katharina Vollmayr-Lee (Bucknell Col- lege). The panel was chaired by Andrea Liu (University women faculty and that it was inspiring merely to see Blewett Scholarship of Pennsylvania). the panelists gathered together as a group. 14 The challenge of balancing career with family is Each panelist presented a list of recommenda- listed by many women as the primary reason for leav- tions that she felt would make a real and immediate Forms ing academic science. The panel discussion had three difference to women academic scientists. As several 15-19 aims. One aim was to provide the audience with an panelists pointed out, many of the recommendations “existence proof” by gathering several women faculty continued on page 2 2 Balancing Career and Family, continued from page 1 The Editor for this issue: Bernice Durand would benefit men as well as women. These recom- responsibility, but the resources must come from (past member of CSWP) mendations were collected and distilled into a final list, the university. University of Wisconsin presented below. Those viewed to be the most impor- • Provide high-quality, extended day care on Managing Editor tant by the panel are in boldfaced font. Many of the campus. Sue Otwell, APS Staff recommendations concern special policies for faculty 1. Priority should be given to faculty who members who are undergoing major life events, de- Members of the are single parents, and those with full-time fined as follows: childbirth, adoption, serious illness, Committee working partners. extraordinary emotional stress or primary care of sick Catherine Fiore, parent. 2. Subsidize this for graduate students and Chair 2008 postdocs, with priority for those who are MIT Recommendations to Departments: single parents, and for those with partners Nora Berrah who are full-time students or hold full-time Western Michigan • Do not schedule activities after 5 PM or on University jobs. weekends, unless children may attend. Nancy M Haegel 3. This should have enough capacity that Naval Postgraduate • Make meetings, etc., as efficient as possible. trying to get a slot is not stressful. School • Make it clear that faculty members are welcome Apriel Hodari to bring babies/children to work. Recommendations to Funding Agencies: CNA Corporation • Allow dual-academic couples to have non- • Make it clear that diversity is an important goal Eliane Lessner overlapping teaching schedules, even if (the NSF has worked hard on this). Argonne National this requires some coordination with other • Allow no-cost extensions for grants to allow part- Laboratory departments. time postdoc and graduate researcher positions. Andrea Liu • Support climate changes (more role models, University of • Be flexible enough to quickly establish more mentoring; see APS Best Practices Pennsylvania fellowship programs for part-time postdocs. http://www.aps.org/ programs/women/reports/ Mary Hall Reno • Establish programs similar to the NSF RUI Univ of Iowa bestpractices/female-faculty.cfm). (Research in Undergraduate Institutions), to • Provide up to one year of relief from recognize the toll on research productivity of Lidija Sekaric departmental service for major life events (see IBM TJ Watson parents with young children. examples at top of page). • Provide one-year funded grant extensions for Yevgeniya V Zastavker • Provide up to one year teaching relief for Franklin W Olin College major life events. of Engineering major life events. This is best carried out in the broader context of all the science and • Make dependent child care to enable traveling an APS Liaisons engineering departments; see below. The policy allowable expense. should be clear and should be consistent from Theodore Hodapp Recommendations to Professional Societies: Director, Education & chairperson to chairperson and across science Diversity and engineering departments. • Provide dependent child care awards to enable people to attend conferences. The Division of Sue Otwell Recommendations to Academic Institutions: Education Programs Chemical Physics of the American Physical Administrator • Make it clear that diversity is an important goal. Society now provides such grants for its members to attend the March meeting. Note: Leanne Poteet • Do not schedule meetings after 5 PM. Graphic Designer In 2008, APS will provide small grants of up to • Provide faculty grants for child care while $200 to assist attendees who are bringing small Publication Information attending a meeting or participating in off-site children to the annual March (New Orleans) The CSWP GAZETTE, a research. and April (St. Louis) meetings of the society. newsletter of the American Physical Society • Adopt an automatic one-year delay in tenure A bulletin board has been set up for those who Committee on the Status clock for major life events, with the option of wish to share child care. Preference will be given of Women in Physics turning this down. to applicants in the early stages of their careers. (CSWP), is mailed free Details at http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/ of charge to all those • Provide one year of relief from university service listed on the “Roster of for major life events. general.cfm. Women in Physics,” all • Advocate part-time postdoctoral positions for U.S. physics department • Adopt a flexible approach to the two-body chairs, and others problem. This includes showing willingness people who wish to have children. upon request. Because to release new FTE’s for spousal hiring if the • Provide active support for all of the above editorial responsibility department involved is in favor, and allowing recommendations to departments, academic rotates among CSWP members, please address split appointments (e.g. 2/3 appointment institutions and funding agencies. all correspondence to: for each), especially at primarily teaching CSWP Gazette, American institutions. Most of the recommendations are self-explanatory, but Physical Society, One Physics Ellipse, College • Provide up to one year of paid teaching relief the recommendation of up to one year of paid teaching Park, MD 20740-3844, or for major life events (see examples preceding relief deserves some discussion. Why teaching relief, email to: [email protected]. list). This is often considered a departmental continued on page 6 3 Take a Student to Lunch! By Catherine Fiore, MIT, CSWP chair 2008 ncreasing the number of women who have success- Over the past few years some of the members of our Iful physics careers will rely not only on expanding lunch group have experienced divorce, single mother- We welcome all the available pipeline, but also on closing the leaks hood, pregnancy, cancer. We celebrate graduations and women students to in the pipeline we have. There are two recent trends babies as they come.