Women in Biology Internet Launch Pages, p.1

		Women in Biology Internet Launch pages Page 1: History, Education, and Organizations This section of the Women in Biology Launch Page provides links related to history of women in science, information on education at all levels, including PhD and postdoc, and professional organizations for women biologists. If you just arrived, please start at the first page for an introduction to the site and an index (you can use the buttons at left to navigate all pages). The starting page also provides a special section for all recent additions to this site; these will eventually be moved to their appropriate category as new resources are added. Links I consider to be of particular interest or use. Your mileage may vary. Direct quotations are in color. .

Page contents: Famous women Education Title IX General issues Leaky pipeline PhDs & postdocs Pre-college Organiz'ns US groups non-US groups		Women scientists past and present Distinguished Women of Past and Present includes a page focused on prominent women biologists. 4000 years of women in science Prominent women in science AWIS has assembled an on-line timeline of women in history Another Timeline Women Scientists in history Women in the spotlight Women at MBL (Woods Hole) Biographies of Women in Developmental Biology Index of African American Women Scientists Women Nobel Laureates Women in Math and Science Links from the National Women's History Project Women in Biomedicine 16 women in science Great women in Science Page Profiles from Euroscience Women in Science Comprehensive list of Women's History links and an index of famous women from Women's Educational Equity site Archives of Women in Science and Engineering from Iowa State The Women's Museum, an "institute for the future", opens October 2000 in Dallas. Great Women Hall of Fame Women Inventors Museum An essay about the history (or lack thereof) of women in science Check out these profiles celebrating Women in Science and Technology Month, in June of each year. Biographies of Women in Neuroscience Individuals Florence Nightingale broke a number of barriers, including the application of statistics to scientific and social problems--and all this as a woman in Victorian England! Rosalind Franklin is one of the most famous of women biologists. There are a number of sites devoted to her, including this timeline and this essay. Also, this site discusses what really happened in The Double Helix? Genentech provides this Franklin biography. Nettie Stevens found that inheritance of the X and Y chromosomes determined sex in insects. Hypatia, probably the earliest of women in science Elizabeth Hazen and Rachel Brown developed the antifungal drug Nystatin. Thanks to AWIS-San Diego for introducing me to these women! Elizabeth Blackwell was the first medical graduate in the US. See this on line exhibition. Maria Sibylla Merian, 17th c. artist, botanist, naturalist Four heroines of science: Lise Meitner, Maria Goeppert Mayer, Rosalind Franklin, and Rachel Carson

Section contents: Title IX General issues Leaky pipeline PhDs & postdocs Pre-college		Education of women scientists Title IX Title IX was landmark US legislation that guarantees equal access for women in many aspects of education at federally funded educational institutions. Too strong for a woman: the story behind Title IX Title IX at 30: a report card on gender equity looks at the promise and the progress in 30 years since Title IX was passed. Recently, some have proposed using Title IX to ensure equal access for women faculty in science. Women in the Sciences: Left Out, Left Behind," a nation wide campaign for women in science. This responds to the recent GAO report (PDF) about women in science as part of Title IX. This as requested by Senators Barbara Boxer (CA) and Ron Wyden (OR). More information about this campaign:visit this site. Also the women's perogative site. Female faculty and the sciences: should Title IX apply to science faculty? General education issues This section addresses education from the perspective of students and issues related to teaching. Other pages on this website address issues from further up the academic career ladder: What's happened to academic science? See the Reports page for studies and government reports about academic science and its problems. See the faculty page for links related to faculty careers We have a whole page on the chilly climate in academe; check out the reports page for specific statistics and government reports on this subject too. Gender issues in higher education Womens Equity online resource center for issues in education equity, including the newsroup EdEquity Tapping the Talent: Encouraging more women into science, engineering and technology. Study projects on women in science from Brown University Women in science: one woman's thoughts and advice A college guide for women interested in the sciences: an essay project The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU) has a Program on the status and education of women which includes discussion of Women's leadership: changing concepts of power and an initiative on Women and Scientific Literacy. Findings from the Condition of Education 1997: Women in Mathematics and Science. Interesting report from the National Center for Education Statistics. Where are our priorities?, an essay about science funding, education, and careers. Interviews with 13 women in science, and other resources on women in science from the Field Museum in Chicago Achieving gender equity in the classroom From the Eisenhower National Clearinghouse for Mathematics and Science Education (ENC): an enormous web site with lots of information, including The Equity Guide, with links to on line reports including Gender Bias in Mathematics, Science and Technology: a report card. This site is very worth exploring -- check out their site map for an overview, and don't forget to click on the links in their top menu bar. The Gender Imbalance in Physics Education, while not specifically about biology, discusses issues that are common to study of all the sciences. And after all, biologists also study chemistry and physics. Strategies to get women into physical sciences Project Kaleidoscope New "professional" Master's degrees in science, an option for the non-academic track, because "doctoral training isn't what many students really want and doesn't prepare them for the jobs they eventually take." The leaky pipeline (also see Chilly climate) Where are the women going? here's a graphical representation of how our numbers drop at every stage (from MIT). Educational pipeline issues for women Must the leak be plugged? A discussion of the reasons that men and women leave engineering, and whether "leaky pipeline" is an appropriate metaphor. What do you think? Housing women science students together, an article from The Scientist on ways of stopping the leaking pipeline. If it is a pipeline....! An essay from AWSEM about the leaking pipeline, entitled "Gender Equity and Mentorship in Science, Engineering and Mathematics: 1997" Why women leave Science, from the Women in Cell biology committee of the ASCB. Why women undergrads leave science Clashes of future selves, a study of college women leaving science. Statistics: why do PhD's leave their doctoral field? Abstracts from the Online ethics center: Attrition Rates Among Female Sci & Eng Undergraduate Majors Women Science Majors: What Makes a Difference in Persistence after Graduation? Gender disparities in science education describes a 1996 report that found the following (among many conclusions):" Men are more likely than women to report that they are "taken seriously by faculty; and that they are respected by faculty." " and " Men are more apt than women to have received help from faculty advisors in such crucial areas as learning to design research, write grant proposals, co-author publications and organize people. " You can read another article about the study with more background. Doctoral experiences differ for male and female students from The Chronicle. PhD and postdoctoral study. Also see mentoring section; career planning page; NAS/NSF reports; the chilly climate in academe; and balancing family and career Choosing an advisor (relevant to both students and postdocs): Guidelines for good practices in the graduate student/faculty advisor relationship, from the Electrical Engineering Dept at Stanford. A useful reminder that building a productive professional relationship is a two way street. The young advisor: should you be the "first child" of your PI? Choosing a PhD advisor, from The Chronicle Heavenly Labs and how to find them Hellish labs and how to avoid or escape them What to do if your advisor is a creep, from Ms. Mentor Switching labs when your postdoc situation is not working out. Lost: advisor and mentor: a student responds when her PI is denied tenure. A moving experience for scientists: what happens when the PI moves? From The Chronicle. Also relevant to students and postdocs, as well as more senior scientists in any sector: Individual Development plans to help you figure out where you are, and where you want to go. PhD students/grad school issues Advice columns and discussion forums Discussion forums from the ASCB have posts from students and postdocs about a variety of career issues Ask Prof Sarah Bellum Dear Labby How to get into grad school Grad school info and advice: getting ready to apply. Also links to other documents about graduate school. Graduate Student Research Survival Guide is a practical outline of how to make the most of your PhD, including choosing a thesis advisor, making progress on your research, and getting the most out of your reading. . How to be a good graduate student Mastering your PhD: starting off on the right foot Graduate student resources on the Web Graduate fellowship opportunities. These may be limited in discipline and typically target more junior students (1st or 2nd year) Pursuit of the PhD:"Survival of the Fittest," Or Is It Time for a New Approach? Hidden Rules, Secret Agendas: challenges facing contemporary women doctoral students. See the dissertation by the same author, Toward a Theory of Women's Doctoral Persistence, and a paper, Pursuit of the PhD: good for your health? Is the PhD risky business? and who is responsible for the risk? From the Chronicle of Higher Education. Why overproduction of PhDs is bad for science Reviving a "lesser" degree: recreating a professional Master's degree. Graduate student stipends vary considerably across different fields and universities. Here is an article from The Chronicle about the disparities, and also a fact file comparing selected universities and disciplines. All things considered, it's better to be a biologist. Survey of graduate student programs from the Nat'l Association of Graduate-Professional Students, based on the Phds.Org survey Phds.Org has excellent links for graduate students and postdocs. . Resources and advice for graduate students includes info on how to give a talk and how to get a grant. Slanted towards the Australian experience, but many truths are universal.... Survival skills for graduate women: things for female PhD candidates to think about. Useful links for graduate study range from sites about giving talks to writing a thesis. Lots of links relevant to postdocs, too. Survival skills for graduate students Advice to a young mathematical biologist, but appropriate regardless of your discipline. How to drive a PhD student crazy: thoughts from a woman neuroscience PhD about what comes next. From The Chronicle A PhD student opts out of academic science Or would you rather teach? Moving from the lab to the teaching track with a PhD. Figuring out your skills for the outside world How to succeed in Graduate School Doctoral survey funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, on the perception of PhD training by graduate students in the US. Summarized by The Chronicle. Are graduate programs still attracting the best students? Ten ways to keep graduate students from quitting from The Chronicle Improving Graduate Education: lots of discussion how the US may be losing competitiveness in graduate education. Here's my solution: provide stipends that are independent of investigator R01s. Do you dare to aspire to a personal life? What about spouse and children? Check out resources on our balancing family and career page which includes keeping your career and a baby Creating a dissertation support group Having children in grad school: see section on babies on the personal life page. Laughter is always the best medicine. Some sites with graduate school humor: grad student jokes Academic structure The postdoc experience For info on balancing career, partner and children, check out our personal life page . Includes info on having your career and a baby For info on how to move on to the next step, see our Careers page for job hunting tips and strategies in academic and non-academic areas. National Postdoctoral Association A Guide to Finding Postdoc Positions from Science magazine's Nextwave site (free registration required). PUrsuing a postdoc: tales and travails of finding a position Looking for a postdoc, from the Chronicle: 1. The overview 2. The applications 3. THe interviews How to find a postdoc. Should you postdoc in a Nobel lab? Learning to write: a postdoc's perspective on publication. Getting a job without doing a postdoc. It sometimes happens, but don't count on it. How to get teaching experience before you become a professor, from The Chronicle of Higher Education Moving towards autonomy as a postdoc The postdoc's plight at Hopkins, but applicable elsewhere. The NIH Postdoc Experience Perpetual postdocs comments on the ever-increasing postdoc duration. Postdocs organize for better treatment, from The Chronicle. Also see Postdocs make progress. Creating a postdoc association Web resources for postdocs Telling postdocs about tenure Slaves to science: an article on the postdoc life from Salon magazine, and letters to the editor in response. The postdoc trail: long and filled with pitfalls from the NY Times (may require subscription). Guide to Enhancing the Postdoctoral Experience in Science and Engineering from the National Academy. Among this report's recommendations for reform: increased salaries and benefits, more formal status and evaluations, a cap to the number of years as a postdoc, and better system for transition to permanent employment. For a summary, read this an article about the report in The Chronicle, which includes some useful graphs, and an article from Nextwave about it (requires free password) Looking (without much success) for ways to help postdocs, an article from The Chronicle of Higher Education about a meeting held in Washington DC during March 2001 by research and funding organizations in response to the report. NIH addresses the postdoc issue: Here's a listing of NIH reports and data about training awards and outcomes. NIH has also written a response to the NAS report . intramural postdocs, aiming for $45,000/ year (close to assistant professor starting salary at many universities). The question that no one is addressing, however, is whether the NIH will increase external grants (R01s) to cover the suggested salary increase. Grants to PIs, and not fellowships, are what fund most postdocs. And, if they don't provide a mechanism to increase the grant dollars, just where do they think the money is going to come from? It's a zero-sum game that could result in fewer postdoctoral positions. In 2005, NIH was again urged to improve postdoc support Uniform health benefits for postdocs: It can be done. Contemplating the leap from the ivory tower. A talented postdoc writes: Now, no one would choose to be a scientist to make money. We all know in advance that it's a labor of love. But the financial strain has refocused my daily thoughts from what the next experiment will be to how I'm going to pay my bills. This starvation mentality is pervading academic science.... Too many postdocs? A policy discussion on Science's Nextwave site (password may be required. Postdoctorate.net, for postdoctoral resources Postdoc Network from Science Magazine's Nextwave Results of a survey by The Scientist about postdocs--many comments about how to choose a position. Of course, they often disagree with each other, so take with the usual grain of salt. Professional development for postdocs: another unfunded federal mandate? Ethics and other essential survival skills. Several programs now explicitly link the two, for new postdocs: Pitt (Survival Skills and ethics program) Miami (useful sorts of courses) On line resources Encouraging girls and young women in science The Young Scientists Program and the Mad Scientist's Network, including an ask-a-scientist page Why girls shy away from science and math: results of a study at U Michigan Exploring your future in math and science Choosing a college: here are a few sites that can help. College-bound girls should also talk to their high school career counsellors. Preparing your child for college Choosing a college Expect the best from a girl and science questions to ask your daughter Women in Science student page with diverse biology links. Also includes a registry of women in science--add your name and inspire a young woman! Scientists reaching out to children Science and Math are for girls. From the same site: Closing the gender gap in science No Girls Allowed! Making technology accessible to girls. A school project, adaptable to any age. Uses the internet to have students investigate contributions of women in science Role models for girls Girls do science! Rural girls in science Equity for girls in science education The Educational Development Center is a non-profit with many projects related to science access at all levels. Teachersource: Women in Science from PBS Scienceline. McLean Media produces a CD on women in science for use in schools. Obligatory disclaimer: not an endorsement of any product Beyond Yuck for girls in science What special problems do girls face in science? What can schools and teachers do? Women Scientists, a study project on women scientists that provides a worksheet and encourages students to find out more. It also specifically mentions minority women scientists. Scientific elites and scientific illiterates. How can the US have some of the best scientists, and the worst scientific education? The War Against Boys: who has it better in the classroom? You may be surprised.... a cautionary lesson about social science "research". But remember that everyone , including the author of this work, has an agenda. Biology pages from the EducatingJane site. Making it happen: Pizza parties, chemistry goddesses, and other strategies that work for girls is a .pdf document with teacher tips on encouraging everyone in science. Need teaching resources for girls in science? Check out the National Women's History Project catalog of women in science and math, which includes books, posters, etc. Insert obligatory disclaimer here.... Children's perceptions of scientists finds that "children think of scientists as boring white men with glasses, beards, and strange hair". Is this the best way to tempt children into this profession? From The Beagle (free password required). On the same topic: an article from the (US) National Science Teachers Association on children and Scientists: geeks and nerds? discusses how much teacher's perceptions influence their students. A report from women's e-news about a California study on single-sex schools concludes that Gender stereotyping, harassment and other problems common in co-educational schools do not necessarily disappear in single-sex school An article about girls in the classroom says: Although boys and girls are equally verbal when they enter elementary school, by the time they graduate 13 years later, boys will have spoken far more often in class than girls; the ratio, the Sadkers determined, was an astounding 8-to-1. Conventional wisdom assumes that girls are just naturally more hesitant to answer questions and volunteer ideas. But reams of social science research�including a report by the American Association of University Women that examined more than 1,300 studies on girls and education�show that the difference is due instead to subtle, but firm, lessons about who gets to offer opinions and how. Imaginary Lines aims to increase the number of girls who are technically literate and who have the foundation they need to go on in science, math, or engineering. Sponsor of the Sally Ride Science Camps.

Section contents: US groups non-US groups		Organizations Association of Women in Science (AWIS) http://www.globalalliancesmet.org/Global Alliance for Diversifying science and engineering Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), which has a listserv-based discussion group The Bionet Newsgroup Women-in-Bio Women in Neuroscience American Association of University Women (AAUW) Women in Cell Biology committee of the ASCB (American Society for Cell Biology) (Disclosure: I'm a member) Cte on the advancement of women chemists Women in Science and Engineering at the NRC Committee on women in science and engineering, National Research Council, including links to organizations supporting women in science Women in Technology International List of groups related to women in science and engineering. Women in Endocrinology Women Chemist's Committee of the American Chemical Society List of scholarly societies concerned with women's issues The Feminist Majority Foundation AWSEM: Advocates for women in science, engineering and mathematics. American Association of Immunologists Committee on the Status of Women has a database of potential speakers and chairs. AXXS: Achieving XXellence in Science is a website from a 1999 workshop sponsored by NIH, ASCB, and others "to explore the roles of scientific societies in advancing science by building the careers of all women in science, form the predoctoral stage to the senior scientist level." Association of Women in Mathematics Groups outside the US Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology Women in science groups in Europe Database of Expert Women in Molecular Life Sciences. The objective is to provide a resource that will promote gender equality in Europe...The database will help scientists, universities, research institutions, political institutions, conference organisers and journal editors to identify appropriately qualified women scientists Central Europe women has developed a database of more than 750 highly qualified women scientists from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovenia, and Slovakia. Japanese Women in Science Biofrauen: German women in biology page (in German) TWOWS: Third world organization of women in science South African Women in Science New Zealand Women in Science AWiSE: Association for Women in Science and Technology (UK) European Commission Women in Science page Arab women in science and an article about them

		Go to page 1a (Reports and Studies) Go to page 2 (Careers) Go to page 2a (Faculty issues) Go to page 3 (Chilly Climate) Go to page 3a (Chilly climate in academe) Go to page 3b (Personal life) Go to page 4 (Books, Miscellaneous) Go to index © S. L. Forsburg Standard disclaimer: Any opinions are my own and do not represent the views of my employer.