Weekly Wrap-Up

Weekly Wrap-Up

We are really excited to be attending the Ecological Society of America annual meeting in New Orleans next week. Not only will we have a chance to catch up with new and old friends, but we have 3 opportunities to make a real difference. Even if you can't make the meeting, check out what we have planned: 1.  Path to Being A Strong Ally in Science 2.   500 Women Scientists: How Many Ecologists Does It Take... and 3. Elections Matter! - maybe you can set up a workshop at your next conference? Message us to find out more! 

Have a great weekend and keep up the great work. And if you have been taking the summer off like me - then soak up these last days/weeks of rest and know you will kick butt this fall!

Take Action Tuesday

Medical experts agree that breastfeeding has profound positive physiological and psychological impacts on both mothers and babies. However, breastfeeding can be a challenging journey for mothers due to lack of information, support, and access to private facilities. This is especially true for mothers in male-dominated careers, like STEM (and especially more challenging for students without their own private offices). 

This week, we ask you to respond to the US White House’s opposition to an international resolution that promotes breastfeeding.

US federal laws mandate that nursing women need to be provided both breaks during the day and appropriate (non-bathroom) locations to express milk. We invite you to advocate on behalf of either yourselves - if you are nursing mothers - or on behalf of your co-workers to ensure that your place of employment has proper lactation accommodations. If you are a conference organizer, please make sure that your meeting venue has a lactation facility.

We also invite you to support organizations, such as La Leche League, “Make the Breast Pump Not Suck”, and mamava, that provide education to and advocacy for nursing mothers.

Lastly, if you are currently nursing, consider participating in the Big Latch On August 3rd-5th, which is an international event that aims to support, promote, and normalize breastfeeding.

Weekly Wrap-Up

This week, we are again reminded that there are notably few statues or even Wikipedia pages describing or celebrating women's contributions to our society. But we are also reminded that our voices matter in a democracy. There are more women running for public office in the US than ever before - running and winning! So lets keep our sleeves rolled up and keep doing the good work! Happy Friday.

 

What we like

Take Action Tuesday

“When we all vote, we determine our future.” -Michelle Obama

500 Women Scientists has launched our Get Out the Vote initiative for the U.S. midterm elections, but voting for leadership of our scientific societies matters too. Society leaders shape the priorities and values of organizations for years to come.

Today, we ask you to take 5 minutes to check when your scientific society holds its next elections and make plans to vote. Or take it a step further and consider how you can get involved in your society’s leadership.

As the Earth and space science community prepares for the AGU 2018 Fall meeting, AGU elections are just around the corner. All AGU members (past and present), make sure your AGU membership is up to date and vote for the leadership of your scientific society between August 27th through September 25th.

Let us know in the comments or on twitter about scientific society elections and how you’re getting involved.

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Failure is okay

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Failure is okay

This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know Dr. Lexi Moore Crisp, a biologist and 500 Women Scientists leadership team member. Many of you may know Lexi as one of the international pod coordinators, working to connect our network of pods around the globe. She's also co-founder of the Philly pod and is working to transform how we think about mentorship within our community. In this interview, she chats about everything from badger burrowing to the need to feel comfortable with failure.

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Weekly Wrap-Up

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Weekly Wrap-Up

I've been thinking a lot about optimism over the last few weeks. To live in a better world, we have to be able to imagine it first. That requires optimism—heaps of it. So I've been coming to see optimism as a habit of mind—one that I have to practice at. Curating these weekly wrap-ups are part of that active practice. They're a list of what we've done, what we love, and what we have left to do.

Take Action Tuesday

This week, we make our voices heard to ensure science is being used in EPA's decision-making process and we write letters to pre-scientists. Join us to #takeaction.

1) The EPA is considering new rules that will restrict the science that can be used in decision-making. Under the new regime, the EPA administrator will be responsible for deciding what science is “acceptable." The period for public comments has been extended through August 16th. Educate yourself about the issue via the Union of Concerned Scientists and take action:

Comment on the new rules and make it clear that EPA should be listening to experts and looking at all available scientific evidence when protecting our health, air and water.

2) Letters to a Pre-scientist is asking for scientists from around the world to sign up to be a pen-pal with 5th-9th grade students from low-income schools. Your personal connection to a student will teach them about science, familiarize them with opportunities in science, and provide necessary practice in reading and writing. Sign up to be a pen-pal for Letters to a Pre-scientist.

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Weekly Wrap-Up

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Weekly Wrap-Up

This week is one in a number that has highlighted how high the stakes are for our future, which is why we're so excited about our newly launched campaign to Get Out the Vote. Regardless of whether you're based around the world, the message I took away from the webinar is the same: if we can mobilize around our values and build a collective story to inspire others to action, change will come.

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Weekly Wrap-Up

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Weekly Wrap-Up

Happy first international #LGBTstemday (one day late)! And Happy Independence Day (2 days late). The summer is here and while we would all rather be on a beach with a coconut based drink in our hand, there is resistance to do! We will be here all summer to help you plan. Use the summer to meet up with your pod or network of women at a conference, and keep us posted! Enjoy the weekend ;). 

Take Action Tuesday Independence Edition

Take Action Tuesday Independence Edition

“Be bold. Be courageous. Never be afraid to speak up and speak out. Together we can build a more perfect union. #goodtrouble” Representative John Lewis

The Declaration of Independence in the U.S. is a document of protest. If you are an American, there is no better way to show your patriotism on the 4th of July, than to take an action to improve your country. =

Weekly Wrap-Up

Weekly Wrap-Up

My mentor sent me a message yesterday, she said "We have had conservative Supreme Courts before and lived through it. We will weather this storm and come out the other side." It may not be comforting to know that an even larger storm is coming, but know, no matter what arrives, we will stand together. To prepare yourself and get some good motivation, I recommend reading Dr. Chandra's thread and the links. Keep your heads up! 

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Understanding our responsibility

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Understanding our responsibility

This week on #MeetAScientist, learn about University of Washington Chemical Engineering professor Lilo Pozzo. Lilo's research group explores properties of nanomaterials with applications spanning from photovoltaic cells to protein engineering. Born in Argentina and raised in Puerto Rico, Dr. Pozzo recently spent time in Puerto Rico with her research group helping restore power to the island using microgrids and solar arrays.

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