Lecturing Position Opportunity

A lecturing position is available in the University of Melbourne  (The Jacob Haimson and Beverly Mecklenburg Lectureship) and it is female only applicant.  From more info see link here

The hunt for the Superstars of STEM to engage more women in science

The new Superstar in STEM ambassador Lisa Harvey-Smith at the Australian Astronomical Observatory’s 3.9m Anglo-Australia Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory. Author provided

Lisa Harvey-Smith, CSIRO
Superstars of STEM is a new program by Science and Technology Australia that aims to smash the stereotypical portrait of people in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The plan is to identify 30 superstar women currently in STEM, and work with them to create role models for young women and girls, and thus move towards equal representation in the media of men and women in STEM.
As the new ambassador and a mentor for Superstars of STEM, my role is to encourage broad participation, which we hope will elevate the visibility of women STEM professionals in public life.

Encouraging more women in STEM

There are already some programs that support female scientists and technologists in a bid to break down systemic obstacles. These include the Science in Australia Gender Equity program. Others aim to inspire women to study STEM subjects, such as Code like a Girl or to help young women build their techno-confidence, such as SheFlies and Robogals.
Adding to this picture, Superstars of STEM aims to address public perception and is founded on the principle that visibility matters in achieving equality.
Rather than simply attempting to shoehorn women into the public eye, this new program will work with 30 women in STEM to equip them with the skills, confidence and opportunities to become role models. This approach will build on the work being done to address systemic issues facing female scientists and technologists.
A recent European study by Microsoft found that most girls became interested in STEM at around the age of 11, but their interest began to wane at 15. This is an important age, as girls are starting to make decisions that will set the trajectory of their academic life.
The lack of role models in STEM was identified as the key factor that influenced the girls in the study, as well as a lack of practical experience with STEM subjects at school. On Twitter, 92% of the most followed scientists are male. When women scientists are mentioned in the media, they often tend to be described by their appearance rather than their achievements.
The need for more female STEM role models has also been echoed in similar reports and programs in Asia, the UK, Africa and the United States.
In Australia, more than half of all undergraduates and half of PhD students are female. Almost 60% of junior science lecturers are women. But women comprise just 16% of top-level science and technology researchers, professors and professionals.

Role models

As a young kid gazing at the stars, my role models were pioneering astronauts like Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, and eccentric types such as the late, great astronomy broadcaster Sir Patrick Moore.
I thought that was enough for me, until as a 16-year-old I met Britain’s first astronaut, Helen Sharman, at Space School UK. At that moment I suddenly realised that every one of my role models in the fields of astronomy and space science had been male.
Meeting this real-life STEM superstar had a transformational influence on me. It even spurred me on to apply for the European Astronaut Program in 2009.
As someone who is passionate about astrophysics and science education I have inadvertently become a role model myself.
But the continued lack of diverse role models in STEM makes me wonder how many missed opportunities and how much unrealised potential continues to be lost. Have our young, modern-day Marie Curies, Ruby Payne-Scotts, Ada Lovelaces and Isobel Bennetts passed up on science as a subject in favour of more conventional choices?

The new superstars

In its first year, Superstars of STEM is placing 30 women in the public eye, by equipping them with advanced communication skills. This will include media training, meetings with decision-makers, and opportunities to showcase their work.
Participants will also be supported to speak with girls directly at local high schools and public events, along with establishing a public profile online.
There are too few transformational and brilliant women in the public eye. Every success in science and technology in Australia is built on the work and contributions of people across the genders. For the sake of our girls,we need to celebrate these outstanding scientists and their work.
I imagine a time when we ask children to draw a scientist and they draw somebody who looks like mathematician Nalini Joshi, molecular biologist Suzanne Cory, or astronomer Karlie Noon.

The measure of the success of Superstars of STEM will be whether young Australian women can turn on the television, read a newspaper or engage with social media and see women experts presenting STEM as an exciting and viable career. I can’t wait to witness the opportunities this change will bring.

This article was co-authored with Kylie Walker, Chief Executive Officer of Science and Technology Australia.
Lisa Harvey-Smith, Group Leader - Australia Telescope National Facility Science, CSIRO
This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Capstone Editing Grants & Scholarships

Please see grants and scholarships  announced by Capstone Editing including:

• Early career academic research grant for women (Open now till 30th of  May 2017)
• Carer's travel grant for academic women (Open now till 30th of May 2017)
• Conference travel grant for postgraduate students (Open now till 1st of June 2017)
• Laptop grant for postgraduate course work students (Open now till 1st of June 2017)
• Research scholarship for honor students ( will be open on 1st Jan 2018)
• Textbook grants for undergraduates (Open now )
 

Please see the link below for more information.
https://www.capstoneediting.com.au/scholarships

Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund - Extension of Funding

The Queensland State Government has announced the continuation of the Advance Queensland Women's Academic Fund until 30 June 2017. Grants continue to be available for: 

 § Maternity funding - up to $25,000 (excluding GST) to employ a researcher, or research/laboratory assistant, to assist primary researchers who have approved maternity leave. 

§ Carer funding - up to $1,000 (excluding GST) to cover any relevant out-of-pocket child care or respite care expenses in excess of usual carer arrangements while presenting at a national/international conference or sitting on a professional research committee. 

 § Lecture funding - up to $2,000 (excluding GST) to cover the costs of delivering lectures or presentations highlighting the work of leading Queensland-based female researchers. 

 Applicants interested in applying for any of the above should contact UQR&I at qldgovtschemes@research.uq.edu.au prior to lodging an application. As restrictions apply on the number of Lecture funding applications an organisation can submit, these proposals will be coordinated by the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) on UQ's behalf. For more information on this scheme, please see the Advance Queensland webpage, or refer to UQR&I's webpage for information on how to apply, or contact qldgovtschemes@research.uq.edu.au .

Lecturing position opportunity

A lecturing position is  available in RMIT university which our young  academic members may wish to apply.  From more info see link here

Extended Deadline - can you inspire the next generation of Women Physicists?

The deadline for applications to be the 2017 Women in Physics lecturer has been extended to the 14^th December.  

The AIP women in physics lecture program will be entering its 20^th year in 2017, showing the long-standing commitment of the AIP to inspiring future women physicists.  This year we’re seeking a lecturer from Australia (we seek international lecturers in alternate years), to undertake a national tour speaking to school kids and the public.  This year’s lecturer, Prof Catalina Cureanu, spoke to nearly 2000 school kids in her whirlwind three week tour!   

To apply, head to the AIP website.

Grants for Women's leadership development

See below for details of an opportunity from Women and Leadership Australia:

In 2016 Women & Leadership Australia is administering a national initiative to support the development of female leaders across the sciences.

The initiative is providing women in science with grants for leadership development. More specifically, grant applications are open for women at three levels. Please click on the preferred program link for details. The deadline for expressing your interest for this funding in your sector ends on December 15^th.

Senior management and executive level women leaders can apply for $8,000 part-scholarships to undertake the Advanced Leadership Program

Mid-level female managers and  leaders can apply for $4,000 part-scholarships to undertake the Executive Ready Program

Aspiring talent and emerging women managers can apply for $3,000 part-scholarships to undertake the Accelerated Leadership Performance Program.

Expressions of Interest
Register your interest by simply completing an Expression of Interest form.

Should you wish to discuss the initiative in more detail please contact Ian Johnson at the office of the National Industry Scholarship Program, Women and Leadership Australia on (03) 9270 9016 or via ijohnson@wla.edu.au. 

Connecting Women in STEMM - a great meeting by all accounts

Not all of us were able to make Women in STEMM Australia's inaugural meeting this month, luckily though, Samantha Hood and Sarah Lau have written a fantastic report of the symposium - do have a read!

Yassss! Physics teacher wisdom alert about science curriculum 🚨🚨🚨 #teamEQuS @WomenSciAUST #WiSA2016 pic.twitter.com/yAPhSyMhjI

— Samantha Hood (@PaleBlueSam) September 13, 2016

There are many problems the next generation faces, such as climate change, rapidly growing energy, water and food demands, and increasing demand for healthcare with ageing populations. To solve these problems we need all hands on deck - we should all do our best to work to ensure that everyone who wants to be working in STEMM* can become the problem solvers the future needs. Fundamentally, the lack of women working in STEMM fields is a failure to harness all of the available talent.

Recently in Melbourne, we attended the inaugural Connecting Women in STEMM Symposium, hosted at RMIT. The first meeting of its kind in Australia, the Symposium supported networking for women in STEMM - and sought to address the lack of women in leadership roles in these fields. The Symposium’s attendees included people from both industry and academia who are working towards gender equity.

We are currently a PhD students studying physics at the University of Queensland, working within the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQuS). EQuS sent 7 members of the Centre to attend the Symposium and we are delighted that EQuS is being refunded by the ARC - their commitment to diversity and professional development is invaluable in creating wonderful physicists that keep Australia competitive in quantum science.

One of the best things to come out of this Symposium was the emphasis on developing professional networks so that we can learn from one another to implement best-practices. Retention of women in STEMM is complicated, and often over simplified. It’s not just childcare, unconscious bias, or a lack of confidence that holds women back, but a combination of these factors and so many more. Improvements in gender equity in STEMM fields is slow going, and the slow pace can be frustrating. So when we can find working examples of successful policies and practices we should learn from them.

The focus of the Symposium’s first session was the the Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) program. SAGE seeks to address gender inequality on a University wide level, by setting realistic goals and requiring institutions to critically assess their commitment to improving equity. SAGE recognises institutions improving their gender diversity with awards - the original program in the UK (Athena Swan) saw medical bodies requiring a certain level of diversity as a funding requirement. On a School/Faculty level, it’s really hard to make changes to the workplace to accommodate more flexibility due to bureaucracy and limited funds. This is one reason why this program is so promising. It was even more encouraging to hear about how the pilot is being implemented and accepted around Australia - the awards are currently unrelated to funding outcomes so that the problem of underrepresentation of women can be acknowledged and addressed for the right reasons without becoming a box-ticking exercise.

Best practices in the workplace was the focus of the Symposium’s second session. Panelists included Associate Professor MarnieBlewitt from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute (WEHI) of Medical Research and Professor John Carroll from Monash’s Biomedical School, discussing family practices and unconscious bias training respectively. WEHI has introduced parenting rooms for their employees who might need to bring in a sick child to work, and plan to improve their maternal and paternal leave, as well as have on-site childcare**. Prof. Carroll discussed increasing awareness of unconscious bias in his School by hiring a team to survey the staff, many of whom agreed that as a result of the training, they were more aware of inequality in the workplace. On a smaller scale, implementing harassment policies and codes of conduct for workplace meetings was a suggestion from the crowd that can be easily implemented, and shows that the employer cares about equity and supports their staff.

Another great thing about the Symposium was getting to see all of the amazing work happening across Australia (and internationally) to encourage high school girls in STEMM. These include mentoring, and passionate and inspiring outreach programs such as RoboGals and TechGirls. While the solution to the lack of women in STEMM is unknown, a good starting place is addressing attitudes and improving engagement at an early age, which is exactly what these programs aim to do.

Lovely to meet the 5 physics students flown down from Qld @ARC_EQuS for #WiSA2016 pic.twitter.com/0TiyRMxvse

— Women in STEMM Aust (@WomenSciAUST) September 13, 2016

At the other end of the spectrum, we found it really helpful as young scientists to have role models to look up to who have managed to navigate the system. In particular, there was one session dedicated to sharing the career journeys of various women in science. ‘Inspiring’ was the word heard all around the room at the end of the session, not only because of their perseverance in the face of many obstacles, but also how they demonstrate the possibility and value of women in leadership in STEMM.

There’s never been a better time to be a woman working in physics. Raised awareness of the challenges unique to women in STEMM fields has inspired international efforts to ensure that women are reaching their career potential more than ever before. Meetings like this Symposium are a great way to accelerate progress in equality by sharing ideas, and I am looking forward to seeing many more sessions in the future!

Samantha Hood and Sarah Lau

*Science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine

** While the support of flexible work environments was wonderful for many, it’s important to remember that not everyone wants children. Emphasising the importance of role models and support for the LGBTIQ community would be a wonderful idea for future meetings.

Opportunities and News June 2016

Volunteering Opportunity in Perth

On behalf of Evelyn Chuk, President of The Innovators' Tea Party:

We are looking for some engaging women working in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) fields to volunteer at our event The Innovators’ Tea Party on Saturday September 3^rd in Perth. This free event aims to inspire high school aged girls to consider a career in STEM by allowing them to interact with a diverse range of mentors.

The event will be run like ‘speed-dating’ where mentors will have 5 minutes to engage with each student (or pair of students) before moving on to the next. Mentors are expected to talk about specific projects they have worked on, what they studied at university, challenges and successes they have faced in their industry and their career progression so far. The day will be split into four 1.5 hour sessions, and volunteering mentors can opt to attend for the morning, the afternoon or the whole day.

This is a wonderful one-off volunteering opportunity for any woman in STEM who is interested in giving back to the community. It is also a good way to network with others working in STEM industries and meet some of the young women who we will one day be working with! Coffee, tea and sweet snacks are provided throughout the day.

If you are interested in getting involved, please find out more at our website https://innovatorsteaparty.wordpress.com/volunteer/ 

News - SAGE symposium

Readers may be interested to know that on Friday 24th June Science in Australia Gender Equity (SAGE) held a symposium at the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.  The speaker list was nothing short of stellar, and it is definitely worth catching up on proceedings via the #SAGEpilot hashtag.  

Awards season in upon us!

The following AIP medals and awards are now open for nomination:

·         The Harrie Massey Medal for contributions to physics made either by an Australian physicist or by a physicist working in Australia

·         The Alan Walsh Medal for significant contributions to industry by a practising physicist in Australia

·         The Walter Boas Medal for excellence in physics research in Australia (in the past five years)

·         The Education Medal, which recognises significant contributions to university physics education

·         The Bragg Gold Medal, which recognises the student with the most outstanding PhD thesis in physics

·         The award for Outstanding Service to Physics for exceptional contribution to the furtherance of physics as a discipline

·         And the  inaugural early-career research award, the Ruby Payne-Scott Medal, which recognises outstanding contributions made by a physicist who is just beginning their career.

More information aip.org.au. Nominations close 1 June (Bragg Gold medal 1 July).

Opportunities, articles and events 03/03/15

Opportunities

Applications for the L’Oreal Women in Science Fellowships 2015 were announced this week.  The fellowships (and award of $25,000) is open to Early Career Researchers who  work in a range of fields including material sciences, physical sciences, mathematics or engineering.  For information on how to apply see http://loreal.scienceinpublic.com.au/

Articles

A couple of articles of interest this week, the first is a report from the UK’s IOP about their naming of Juno Champions in University Departments (I may be a little biased in liking this news, as my old department UCL was named)  http://www.iop.org/news/15/feb/page_65037.html  We’re certainly taking a lot of interest in the IOP’s Juno project, which aims to ‘The aim of Juno is to recognise and reward departments that can demonstrate they have taken action to address the under-representation of women in university physics and to encourage better practice for both women and men.’ http://www.iop.org/policy/diversity/initiatives/juno/index.html

Also an interesting read is a post by Athene Donald on her blog http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2015/02/27/why-cant-a-woman-be-more-like-a-man-2/ a response to the recent concern’s that the UK’s Royal Society wasn’t treating women fairly http://occamstypewriter.org/athenedonald/2014/09/25/is-the-royal-society-treating-women-fairly/  Donald’s insight, she regularly sits on other Royal Society panels, is really interesting.   There’s also an interesting comment stream on the post too.  

Events

Those of you in Sydney might be interested in the Women in Science forum, hosted by UNSW at the National Maritime museum this Friday http://www.science.unsw.edu.au/events/science-5050-women-science-symposium , including the launch of their 50:50 project.  There’s an option to watch the launch via the web if you’re further afield.

For those of you in Victoria, you may be interested in the ‘F word – science’ event at Melbourne’s wheeler centre on the 16^th April http://www.wheelercentre.com/events/science

Call for the Women in Physics lecturer 2015

We're currently on the hunt for our 2015 Women in Physics lecturer - is it you?

Professor Sheila Rowan, Director of the Institute for Gravitational Research in the School of Physics and Astronomy, was the Women in Physics lecturer in 2014. 

The Australian Institute of Physics Women in Physics Lecture Tour celebrates the contribution of women to advances in physics. Under this scheme, a woman who has made a significant contribution in a field of physics will be selected to present lectures in venues arranged by each participating state branch of the AIP.  Nominations are currently sought for the AIP WIP Lecturer for 2015. We are seeking a woman working in Australia who:

• has made a significant contribution in a field of physics research
• has demonstrated public speaking ability
• is available in 2015 to visit Canberra and each of the six Australian State capital cities and surrounding regions.

Presentations will include school lectures, public lectures and research colloquia, subject to negotiation with the various AIP state branches and their contacts. School and public lectures are expected to be of interest to non-specialist physics audiences, and to increase awareness among students and their families of the possibilities offered by continuing to study physics. University lectures will be presented at a level suitable for the individual audience (professional or graduate). Air travel and accommodation will be provided.
Nominations should be sent via mail or email to the AIP Special Projects Officer (see information below) via the nomination form (please click here to download the nomination form).  Self-nomination is welcomed, as are nominations from branches or employers/colleagues.

Nomination Requirements

1. Nominee’s details
2. Nominee’s CV, including a detailed record of presentations to the general public, schools and media
3. A 300-500 word nomination which should include:

• a brief statement of the research area of interest to the nominee,
• an outline of her significant contributions to physics,
• references to key publications in which these contributions were presented (via curriculum vitae)
• evidence of her ability to give a lecture which will excite an enthusiastic response in senior secondary and undergraduate students. (NOTE: this requirement must be adequately addressed in order for the nominee to be considered for selection)

Self-nominations should include names of two referees who can attest to the ability of the nominee to give lectures appropriate for the target audience.
Closing Date:  27 February 2015

Applications and nominations should be sent by email  to the AIP Special Projects Officer