Updates & News
Happy 3 month birthday 500WS! Today is extra special because we are officially launching 500WS Pods, local chapters of 500WS. What better way to celebrate 3 months together than by growing and strengthening our network.
As our network has grown over the last two and a half months, we have had the amazing oppurtunity of meeting some fantastic people. Today in our weekly #meetascientist I have the pleasure of interviewing Maryam Zaringhalam. Maryam's activities demonstrate the role of creativity in the sciences and she is a wonderful example to other women searching for their voice in science.
This week amidst the upsetting and chaotic news of the executive order banning travel from seven predominantly muslim countries, people across the country have stood up for their friends, colleagues, and neighbors. Here we meet two scientists whose lives are directly affected by the ban. At the end of the post we have put together a long list of resources for those affected and those who want to help.
Many of us have been busy preparing for the March and focused on taking action. This week we wish everyone a safe and inspiring weekend. Don’t forget to take some time for yourself - take a key from DJ Khalid “Have a lot of pillows”. With that in mind, our weekly actions:
The function of education is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. Intelligence plus character - that is the goal of true education. -Martin Luther King, Jr
Meet Rukmani Vijayaraghavan, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Virginia who, using her NSF fellowship resources, has organized a awesome science camp for middle school girls, Girls Exploring the Universe. Rukmani's outreach demonstrates the value in reaching out and setting an example for young girls.
One of the goals of 500 Women Scientists is to empower women to grow to their full potential in science. Mentoring and professional development trainings offer a great avenue to achieve this goal. As a start to 2017 we put together a list of resources that may be of interest for those of you searching for mentoring, professional or other networks.
It has now been a month since the first texts and emails and the initiation of the 500 Women Scientist. The month has flown by, full of signatures, press coverage , discussion, new connections and many exciting directions to take the movement. Before we get too far along we wanted to stop and introduce our lead organizers, Kelly Ramirez and Jane Zelikova.
Our mission is to serve society by making science open, inclusive, and accessible, and to transform society by fighting racism, patriarchy, and oppressive societal norms
