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!
Take Action Tuesday
Become a 500 Women Scientists subscriber! Today, we are excited to launch our monthly subscription program! We are now officially a registered 501c(3) non-profit organization -- which means all your contributions are tax-deductible. Although the last year and a half has presented challenges and frustrations, we have channeled our energy and activism to grow into an unapologetically feminist organization with a vision towards making science open, inclusive, and accessible to all.
Our goal is to reach 500 subscribers by July 4th.
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A contribution at any level - $3, $5, $10, $25 or more a month is valued. All subscribers will receive a personalized 500 Women Scientists card and access to many of our organizational resources. Your committed support will benefit the entire organization and is crucial as we grow into a sustainable, permanent organization. Reliable, recurrent financial contributions will help pay for the vital infrastructure we need, will provide a stable foundation from which we can launch and grow our various initiatives, and will allow us to fund our national and local pod activities. We are a grassroots organization, and your support is what keeps us going every day.
Uncertainty as a Starting Place
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.
Weekly Wrap-Up
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!
Pod of the Week
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!
Take Action Tuesday
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.
Coming Out of the Shadows
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!
Weekly Wrap-Up
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!
Take Action Tuesday
Weekly Wrap-Up
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!
Pod of the Week - Eugene OR
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!
Take Action Tuesday
500 Women Scientists, Earthjustice, the Public Comment Project, and the Union of Concerned Scientists are calling on scientists nationwide to submit public comments drawing on their expertise and detailing how the EPA proposed Strengthening Transparency in Regulatory Science would impact the use of specific research. Join the National Week of Action, May 20-26.
Climbing higher into science
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.
Weekly Wrap-Up
Pod of the Week - Gothenburg
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!