Vol. 23, No. 1 Spring 2004 CSWP The NewsletterG of the Committeeaze on the Status of Women in Physicstt of the Americane Physical Society INSIDE Letter from the Editor: Articles A Peculiar But Pretty Good Career in Physics Letter from the Editor Miriam Forman, State University of New York at Stony Brook 1 Women in physics today, as and there are many ways to do it. You might like to read Workshop on Survival ever, manage their work in how it worked out for me. Skills for Women physics alongside the rest of Physicists Returns to the their lives as individuals, Other girls may long for diamonds and fur coats, but I just March Meeting often as part of a couple and wanted to do physics, figuring out new stuff about cosmic 1 as parents. Our men, now rays and space plasmas. I enjoyed it and had an internal taking more responsibility need to do so. I wanted to explain certain phenomena, or at CSWP and FIAP Miriam Forman for quality family life, face the least, to be one of the first to know and understand Co-Sponsor Networking these issues, too. The CSWP their explanations. My first “career interruption” occurred Breakfast at March Gazette tries to help us cope by sharing information and shortly after I passed the Ph.D. prelims at the University Meeting ideas. As I read the contributions to this issue, it struck me of Chicago and was starting research in cosmic rays with 3 that although we can identify and try to ameliorate persis- one of the most eminent physicists in that field. John tent common challenges (such as simple prejudice, Simpson was making some of the first instruments for mentoring deficiencies, employment location for a dual- spacecraft, to make measurements outside the Earth’s Getting Back Into career couple, and re-entry into physics if a lapse occurs) atmosphere and magnetic field. He set me to work on Research: Some every woman has different experiences. Each of us has to ground-based neutron data of the type that had been made Thoughts and Advice on be creative in forging a life of our own while doing physics, Career Breaks in Physics continued on page 2 4 Workshop on Survival Skills for Women Physicists Returns to the Suggested Resources on Re-entry March Meeting 5 Dongqi Li, Argonne National Laboratory Letters to the Editor Many people recognize that a successful career in led by an experienced training professional. It will cover 6 physics, as in most other fields, requires more than hard both new subjects such as negotiation skills, and familiar work and good technical skills. How to best negotiate for topics, such as establishing a scientific identity, and E-Mentoring resources and teaching load? How to strategically plan balancing career and family. To ensure sufficient interac- Students in Physics– one’s career? How to balance work and family? In March tion, seats are limited. Both men and women are invited A Strategy for APS? 2002, the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics to participate. Following the workshop, CSWP, the 8 hosted a very successful workshop on “Survival Skills for Committee on Minorities (COM), and the Committee Successful Women Physicists” prior to the APS meeting on Careers and Professional Development (CCPD) will in Indianapolis. By popular demand, a similar workshop host a joint reception. Suzanne Therese Staggs will be offered on Sunday afternoon, March 21 at the is Winner of 2004 MGM Award 2004 March Meeting in Montreal. This workshop will be You do not need to register for the March Meeting itself aimed at early- to mid-career women physicists who seek to attend this workshop, however pre-registration for 8 advice and training to improve their skills in navigating the workshop is strongly recommended. Details on the through the waters of today’s research world to advance program, cost, and how to register are available on the APS Names to the top. These include faculty members in universities, APS Meetings website at http://www.aps.org/meet MA Women Fellow for 2003 researchers in industry and government labs, and aspiring R04/special. html or on the CSWP’s website at http:// 9 postdocs and graduate students. www.aps.org/educ/cswp/skills/. For more information, Forms contact Dongqi Li at Argonne National Laboratory 15-19 The half-day workshop will feature a panel of highly ([email protected]). successful women physicists and an interactive session 2 A Peculiar But Pretty Good Career in Physics, continued The Editor for this issue is Miriam Forman SUNY Stony Brook already for 20 years. I didn’t even think of asking to work on nated and elected me a Fellow of the APS. My mother, the space stuff. Meanwhile, I fell in love with a nice young understanding my love of physics and how I would benefit, Managing Editor chemist post-doc who had given me crucial moral support came with us to care for the kids for the year we worked in Sue Otwell, APS Staff through the Ph.D. prelims. We married, and moved to his Germany. She says it was a very good experience for her home in South Africa for three years. I was also happy that too. I was fortunate to have healthy, good children who are Members of the Committee his mother was a working scientist. In South Africa, I was natural achievers. I think all the family knew I would go nuts Kimberly Budil employed on several enjoyable applied physics projects in if I weren’t busy doing the physics I loved. LLNL an engineering research lab, which gave me access to computing facilities, and the best scientific library in the The lack of local recognition and appreciation did get to me country. I also connected to a (then) small struggling though. In 1985 I started a daily commute 2 hours each way Miriam Forman SUNY Stony Brook cosmic-ray research group at a university about 150 miles to New York City to work in an executive position at the away from where we worked. My happy connection with APS. I missed doing as much research as before, but I really them lasts to this day, when they are very important players enjoyed helping physicists in all areas around the country Lene Hau in cosmic ray science. My first publication appeared in print and around the world communicate and do their work. At Harvard University while I was in Africa, and two more papers I wrote there APS I met for the first time many wonderful women were published. Although I had thought at first that Africa physicists in fields outside my own. Then, when both my Frances Hellman was not a good career move, the experience of doing my own boys were in college, I accepted a call from another colleague University of California thing away from constant intense competition was good for and went to NASA headquarters in Washington, DC for six San Diego me. I discovered that I really could do physics myself. I also years to manage the grants programs that had supported me had a wonderful time. at Stony Brook. In Washington, I also worked with Beverly Patricia Mooney Hartline one year in the Office of Science and Technology IBM T J Watson Research Ctr We wanted to live in the US, and returned three years later Policy, then located next door to the West Wing in the when my husband got a temporary job at Harvard. We Executive Office of the President. Margaret Murnane, figured that Cambridge would also be good for me. The first Chair 2004 thing I did was to spend our own money to go to and give a Now I am again supported on my own grants at Stony JILA/ Univ. of Colorado paper at the International Cosmic Ray Conference, which Brook. I have had a very good life in physics. Both my was in Calgary, Canada that summer. All the great people in children are married and doing well on their own. I am Marc Sher the field were there. Because I was there too, my Chicago working on a new project with smart colleagues in England, College of William & Mary professor steered me to a sort of post doc position at MIT, Germany, Hungary and New Zealand who are half my age. in the very congenial group which had built the first Ameri- Science and society have evolved, but it is still true that Aihua Xie can plasma detector flown in space and was just starting to every career, especially that of a woman in physics, is Oklahoma State University get the first steady stream of data on the (rather unsteady!) defined by a series of chance events and outside forces, and solar wind. Although I didn’t register for a Ph.D. at MIT the choices and compromises we must make. With the Sherry Yennello because we would be in Cambridge only a year, I was in the crucial help of colleagues and loved ones we may turn what Texas A&M University right place at the right time with the right background to looks like obstacles, into satisfying opportunity. develop certain very useful insights and techniques that are APS Liaisons still used. The professors, post-docs and students in the I hope you find this story entertaining and useful. The Fredrick Stein space plasma group at MIT that year taught me by their important points are: Director, Education & example how to be a decent working physicist. 1. Get a good fundamental education. Outreach 2.