Updates & News
"Believe it till you achieve it" is the new "fake it till you make it." You're not faking anything.
A great mindset to apply as we come up on the Fall; many of us are starting up the school year, searching for jobs, and realizing we only have 4 months left in the year! Use this weekend to give yourself credit for what you have accomplished so far this year and what you will accomplish in the future. Hugs to all!
You can't help but be inspired by the Folsom youth pod. After learning about 500WS from her mentor, pod President Chinmayi set up a sign-up sheet at her school's "club rush". She quickly drew in a small group, and in a year their club has grown to 15. They are now organizing activities that support young girls in STEM and increase recognition for women scientists, and they are planning more ways to interact with their community. These highs school ladies are still trying to decide which science topic they like most - their interests range from environmental science, biochemistry, and neuroscience to computer science and marine biology - but they united in a mission of open, inclusive and accessible science. Thanks the the whole Folsom pod for letting us feature you today!
An academic prize can have a significant impact on self-confidence and work wonders on your resumé. Even if you don’t win, putting together an application can help you evaluate your skills and get your CV in order. When Prof Haley Gomez of the Cardiff University was up for a €1.8 million grant, the first thing they asked in her interview was about a public engagement award she’d received in Wales. “It’s almost a badge that says you are externally recognised as having achieved something by your community. It’s also something to distinguish yourself against others in grant applications.”
This week we are so excited to introduce you to 500 Women Scientists Madrid. The new pod launched in March 2018, but already they have started to make waves in Spain. By brilliantly using International Women's Day as their launch point combined with strategic interviews, they have been able to quickly grow their group, start serious discussions, and are leading the charge in Europe! Follow the pod on Twitter @500WomenSciMAD and read on to get to know how the Madrid pod is changing the face of science in Spain.
This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know Dr. Ruth Schmidt, a microbial ecologist, postdoctoral fellow at Université du Québec, and member of the 500 Women Scientists Leadership Board. She chats about her experiences working in Egypt during Arab Spring, communicating science through art, and working on 500WS's partnership efforts. For more from her, follow Ruth on Twitter @RuthLSchmidt!
We've been busy this summer writing and planning fall activities. We are especially excited to have our piece on the NAS sexual harassment report published in SciAm. The report came out earlier this summer, but it took some time for us to thoroughly read through and put all our thoughts together (and check our anger). We think everyone should read the report themselves, but we also have put together a succinct summary for you. Alright, now time for a weekend of rest so we can get back at it next week! Cheers friends
“Get in trouble — good trouble” U.S, Representative John R. Lewis (D-GA) #goodtrouble
Rep. John R. Lewis wrote “Dr. King and others inspired me to get in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble.” We feel similarly inspired to get in #goodtrouble and stand up against the continued assault on immigrants in the US. The US Census has proposed adding a question about citizenship to the once-a-decade nationwide census. Many agree that this question will discourage noncitizens from participating in the census and expose noncitizens to immigration enforcement.
Action 1: Speak up against the citizenship question in the 2020 census: http://cqrcengage.com/censuscounts2020/?0
Peaceful protest is the cornerstone of our fragile democracy. We must use our voices to stand up for people whose voices are being silenced and whose families are being torn apart by the cruel immigration policies of the US administration and ICE.
Action 2: Know your rights with ICE and be prepared: https://www.immigrantdefenseproject.org/ice-home-and-community-arrests/
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!
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.
Failure is okay #meetascientist and a leader of 500WS
In science and politics, your vote counts. #takeaction
Our monthly newsletter is out!
Asmeret of our Advisory Board member now has her own wikipedia page.
The woman leading the ant revolution.
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Must read: The Power by Naomi Alderman
“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.
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.
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.
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
