Updates & News
Rise Up, Take Action! We hope you were inspired by the many MLK events yesterday. In that spirit, we focus on those under-served in science. Help us lift them up!
Our federal science agencies are world class and critical to our nation’s health and safety, yet this week the CDC was given a list of banned words. Neither the science nor its budgets should be censored. Help us speak up against the ban of 7 words in the CDC budget:
Net Neutrality is critical to science. Data traveling through a network equally, regardless of the source, destination, or content of that data is important for the progress and democratization of science. We encourage you to speak up for Net Neutrality this week (and have even shared some text for you to send)!
This week we ask you to take action in support of graduate students. The House GOP tax plan includes a new tax on the tuition waiver that many graduate students receive. The senate version keeps the current exemption.
This week, I am at the Women’s Global Leadership Forum at U.Va and have been reminded of and inspired by amazing women outside STEM working to improve the rights of women and girls around the world. It has been another reminder that for all the work there is to do, we have many allies in our journey and many places to look for inspiration. Speaking of work to do, here are some specific actions for the week, one inward facing and one outward facing:
In the face of tragedy, let us not lose hope, and let us never ever stop fighting for what is right and just. We are angry and heartbroken at the terrible shooting in Sutherland Springs, Texas -- the loss of so many lives including young children with so much hope and potential ahead of them. Today we take action.
As we look back on the achievement and growth of the past year and as we plan for the year to come, we ask you to take some time this November to celebrate how far we have come and reflect on where you want this organization to go.
This week let’s talk about sexual harassment in academia. Over the last few days we have heard our friends, colleagues, mentors, and students publicly acknowledge their experiences with sexual harassment and assault using #MeToo on social media. Have you done this yourself? Some have been brave enough to share full stories, others are simply retweeting #MeToo. All of these posts are important to pushing the conversation forward and forcing the community to acknowledge openly that sexual harassment is a deep rooted issue. Here are two actions you can take to fight sexual harassment in science:
Happy Ada Lovelace Day! This week for #takeactiontuesday we promote and discuss the awesomeness of women scientists. We celebrate the brilliance and creativity of Ada Lovelace, a mathematician and visionary of computer science. We also reflect on how many women scientists are overlooked and under appreciated.
This week, we seek to follow the example of Governor Scott, who has asked Florida universities and colleges to provide out of state tuition waivers and discounts to students from Puerto Rico. We encourage everyone reach out to your Governor and local college/university president and ask for similar consideration for these students in need.
Where hurricane displaced college students can get tuition breaks in Florida:
The environmental disasters devastating our families, friends, and colleagues right now are overwhelming. Puerto Rico has been destroyed by hurricane Maria, and Houston is still facing a long road to recover. As a first step we have identified a few organizations accepting donations. Beyond donations we want to hear from you! If you have suggestions, comments and ideas please add more in the comment section!
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
