500 Women Scientists

I know this week was overly frustrating in the US (we have some suggestions below on how to #keepfamiliestogether). While the US administration, and governments around the world, try to sow chaos and distrust in their citizens it is our responsibility as scientists to be leaders in our communities. We have the opportunity to share facts and support policies backed by the truth. We can be leaders by writing op-ed's in our local papers, doing interviews with media on policies relevant to our research and communities, and we always have the option to stand up for what we know is right. As part of 500WS you never will be alone in your activism. Happy Summer Solstice, keep up the good fight! 

Inspired by an article we wrote last year, the El Paso women recognized that their border community was uniquely positioned, and a pod could bring together people from many backgrounds with one goal in mind: to change perceptions of what a scientists looks like in their own community. While the pod is still in the early stages of growth, already they are finding creative ways to interact with their community - including a fossil hike! Thank you ladies for taking time to introduce your pod to us! 

As scientists, it is our responsibility to speak to the evidence and actively call out policies that are destructive and harmful. #takeactiontuesday

Well this week was just a bit too much. North Korea barely made a blip because many of us had our heads buried in the NAS report on sexual harassment or were worrying over immigration or ... well you get the idea. We have thoughts on the NAS report, but will take our time to put them together, stay tuned. In the meantime, refuel this weekend because the summer is looking to be full of resistance! Or at the least get your 500WS number, subscribe today! 

This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know science communicator Laurel Allen, one of the co-organizers of the 500 Queer Scientists campaign! She chats about her path to science communication, the success of 500QS, which is now in its second week and has been featured in outlets like Mother Jones, and what we can all do to maximize their impact. 

Last weekend we held our third board meeting and it was a blast. I won't go so far as to say we can save the world, but we sure are trying our best to change the face of science. You can read a summary our our meeting here, and we'd love to hear from you - what ideas have you been thinking about, which changes have you seen make a difference that you want us to include (or not include) - our email is always open. Enjoy the weekend friends! 

We've said it before, but 500WS is a truly global organization! We have 146 pods in the US, and also 145 spread across the world! Every week or so we highlight a pod that has gotten off the ground and is making progress in their own community. This week that pod is Vancouver, BC. Jen Rowland is leading the group and changing perceptions of what a scientist looks like. Keep up the great work team!

Happy Pride Month! We’re thrilled to partner with 500 Queer Scientists, which launched yesterday to increase visibility for LGBTQ+ people in the scientific community. Whether you are a member of the LGBTQ+ STEMM community or an ally, you can do your part to make this campaign a success.

Happy Pride Month! This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know Dr. Lauren Esposito, an arachnologist, educator, and co-founder of the campaign 500 Queer Scientists, which launched today! 500QS is a new visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and their allies working in STEMM and STEMM-supporting jobs. In this interview, Lauren chats about her work and the need raise awareness around issues facing LGBTQ+ members of the scientific community. You can follow 500QS and amplify their work on Twitter @500QueerSci and Instagram @500QueerScientists!

We are so excited about this weekend! We are meeting for our third board meeting in Atlanta. Are you in the area? Join us for Saturday's meet-up, RSVP here. Otherwise, keep an eye out for updates, a summary of the meeting, and new projects  for 2018. We wouldn't be able to do this without the help and support of all of you, so thank you! 

Make the Internet less sexist! Tell the stories of women’s contributions to science and society and share them as a Wikipedia page.

I thought yesterday was Wednesday, so today is a great surprise - Happy Friday! We had a full week: many in the US were giving comments to the EPA, we had an awesome interview with Melise Edwards, and we commented on the National Academies of Science steps towards addressing harassment. Have a nice long weekend (to those in the US). See you next week!

This week we are happy to introduce our Pod from Eugene Oregon. They are working hard to engage people in many different STEM or “STEM-adjacent” careers and to encourage mixing of science, industry, education, public policy, and the general public towards community-building that highlights science and active inquiry in everyday life. Read on to find out more about how they interact with their community. Thanks for taking time to answer our questions ladies!

This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know rock climber and neuroscientist Melise Edwards. In addition to being a Research Associate at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, she uses her Instagram platform (@meliseymo) to share her climbing adventures, while discussing issues of inclusion, sexism, and racism in the climbing community. Here, she chats about how her passions for science and climbing intersect and how both the scientific and climbing communities can do better when it comes to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Yesterday my supervisor told me that time is like dry sand running through your fingers. So with that in mind, I am going to take the weekend to prioritize what I want to accomplish this summer, what I want 500WS to tackle, and also take some time for myself to breathe. What are your weekend plans?

This week we are excited to highlight one or largest pods - Gothenburg, Sweden. Found on the western side of Sweden between Copenhagen, Oslo and Stockholm, the Gothenburg pod formed because they were dissatisfied with the rate of change in the situation for women in science. They have now gathered a large diverse group of scientists who are dedicated to identify structural gender inequalities in the scientific community and work towards correcting them. Read on to learn more about this awesome group of women!

Hello friends, how was your week? We spent the week thinking about ways our organization can best address issues of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in the sciences. Do you have awesome success stories of programs that both reward and elevate POC so as to create equity in science and move us beyond our current very flawed system? We'd love to hear your thoughts on this. Meanwhile, we are preparing for our board meeting, can't wait to share the outcomes with you all! 

Support diversity on your campus! In response to two Native American young men having the campus cops called on them last week, we ask you to pressure your university leadership via twitter, facebook, and post cards to support organizations such as SACNAS, Black Student Alliance, and various cultural centers.

This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know Jesse Shanahan, a graduate student in astrophysics, an accessibility coordinator, and a science communicator. She created the hashtag #disabledandSTEM and has recently joined the leadership team of 500 Women Scientists to make sure we're honoring our mission to make science inclusive and accessible. We're thrilled to have her on board and excited to share some of her work with you all!

I missed last week, so this week is extra full of all the goods. Meanwhile we are wrapping up Science Salons (stay tuned for the final update), and are now getting ready for the Science-a-thon! It is May now, does that mean we can talk about the summer? We are excited for our 3rd boarding meeting - this time in Atlanta! What are your summer plans? Any good projects we should know about?