Updates & News
Today marks the launch of 500 Women in Medicine, a satellite of 500 Women Scientists established by five women medical students. Celebrate by getting to know the five women running this initiative. We believe women play a critical role in medicine and for medicine to truly serve the people, it must be inclusive and reflect the true diversity in our society. To learn more, check out their official page and follow them on Twitter @500WIM, Instagram @500womeninmedicine, and Linkedin.
Somehow 2 years have passed since we first wrote our pledge, and we couldn’t be more proud of the organization we have built together. In celebration of our anniversary, I included extra links - plus everything just seemed a bit more awesome this week. We can’t wait for our 3rd year together! Happy Weekend friends.
Tucson is a beautiful city with a beautiful pod. In October, the pod graciously hosted the 500WS board meeting and we were able to meet some of their awesome (130!) members. The women have created a highly active, sustainable pod with a variety of projects that keeps their members engaged and interested. One of their secrets might be that they have 9 women on their leadership team each focusing on a different job - events, advocacy, communication, treasurer, outreach, etc. Read on, and maybe you’ll get some ideas for your own pod meet ups! Thanks Tucson :).
Today, the US celebrates #GivingTuesday to kick off the holiday season with a day of charitable giving to organizations doing work worth supporting. Since 500 Women Scientists launched two years ago, we’ve worked to serve society by making science open, inclusive, and accessible. We’ve run campaigns to change the face of what a scientist looks like, to stand up for evidence-based policies, to speak out against hate and bigotry, and to increase participation in democracy.
This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know Teresa Ambrosio, a fourth-year PhD student studying Chemistry at the University of Nottingham. She runs a blog and Instagram account, which is centered on her experiences navigating through academia, imparting career advice she’s gathered over the years. In this interview, she shares her journey to chemistry, as well as her inspiration for getting started in science communication and advocacy.
It’s important for climate—and climate justice—to have its own forum in the new Congress. For Take Action Tuesday, please consider getting organizations of which you’re a part to join Sunrise Movement’s call for a special committee to address the climate crisis.
This month we are celebrating 2 years together and it really does feel like a plan we have been working on for a long time is starting to take shape. Thank you to everyone that has been along for the journey. To those who are just joining, Welcome! We can’t wait to hear your ideas on how to make science more open, inclusive and accessible. Happy Weekend!
Finding the time and means to meet your pod during busy weeks can feel like a burden. But we all know how great a good network or action oriented meeting can be, and that meeting often brings us motivation. The Chicago pod, undeterred by the traffic and chaos of the big city, has figured out a way to keep their pod momentum going, growing to over 145 members online!
This week, we celebrate our 2 year anniversary and our 100th Take Action post!! Our official first Take Action post was on December 8, 2016 and in the 99 subsequent weekly posts, we have called on our members to call their elected representatives, prompted actions to support immigrants, to defend healthcare and funding for science, to fight against discrimination and harassment, and to take action in our communities to push for inclusion and equity.
We were thrilled to see so many women elected this week (116!). With those victories came so many firsts across states and districts- first Native American women, first black women , first muslim women, first LGBTQ, the list goes on. Still, our work does not start or end with one political defeat or victory, and we know that this is only one step. You all, our community, and the women elected this week inspire us to keep working for change. Enjoy the weekend friends.
Today is election day in the United States. Who we elect today will lead our action - or inaction - on climate change, reproductive rights, immigration policy, and countless other consequential societal challenges. We cast our votes knowing that this is both an essential responsibility and a privilege.
This week on #MeetAScientist, get to know Alex Phillips, a graduate student in organic geochemistry at Caltech and the founder of the Instagram account @women.doing.science. The account features women in STEM fields sharing their research stories, as they change the idea of what a scientist looks like. In addition to following their stories on Instagram, you can find them on Facebook and Twitter.
With regard to social justice, October did not go well. We have been busy pushing back, and meanwhile let’s use today - Dia de las Muertos - to mark a new day and refresh our energy. As Dr Zuleyka Zevallos, an applied sociologist highlights in her blog “ ‘The concept of resistance is an important cultural/ political aspect of Día de los Muertos.’” She suggests watching this film to better grasp this holiday based on post-colonialsim and celebrating life. Just 4 more days until we vote in the USA. #GOTV!
This week on #MeetAScientist get to know Dr. Diana de la Iglesia is a bioinformatician working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and cancer research. She’s also one of the Pod coordinators of 500 Women Scientists Madrid. Along with three fellow women scientists—Ana Isabel Gozález, María de la Fuente, and Carmen Agustín—she co-organized the #oCientificaoMadre ( #ScientistorMother) campaign to raise visibility around the challenges that come with being a scientist and a mother. Here, she talks about her work, the success of the campaign, and her ideas for the Madrid Pod.
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
