CfAlogo CfA Women in Science


  • This is an informal group of women scientists and graduate students at CfA who meet more or less monthly to discuss topics of mutual interest. These topics might include career paths, work-family issues, research problems, parenting, politics, rewards, salaries, advisors, mentors, promotions, policies ... etc. - whatever the group wants to bring up.
  • To communicate with this group, email cfawis@cfa

  • WIS-Chats, located here!

Meetings and Links

  • Wednesday, May 20, 2009, Pratt Conference Room 11:00 am: Women in Astronomy III. The third meeting in the Women in Astronomy series will be held 21-23 October, 2009 in College Park MD. What should CfA contribute to this meeting? Come to discuss ideas and options. The meeting web site can be found here where you can sign up to get on the mailing list for announcements.

  • Tuesday, May 12, 2009, Pratt Conference Room 11:00 am: Professor Kathryn Johnston, Columbia University will give a special seminar: Women (and Other Minorities) in Science and Engineering: A Personal Perspective. Professor Johnston relates: This seminar consists of a set of slides which can be found here (pdf file) summarizing what I have learned (through committee work and attending talks) about the social and psychological science literature that might be relevant to understanding the slow progress of women in science. My intention is not to give a thorough review, my field is Local Group Science, but rather to use the slides as a starting point for discussion. Co-sponsored by CfAWIS, the Institute for Theory and Computation, and the Department of Astronomy.

  • Thursday, October 9, 2008, Tea Room (P-226) 5:00 pm: Professor Bernice Durand, University of Wisconsin - Madison will discuss informally her experiences at Wisconsin drawing from her positions as Professor of Physics (now Emerita) and Vice Provost for Diversity and Climate (now Emerita).

  • Friday, September 26, 2008, Pratt, 12:30 pm: Opening Meeting Discussion of CfA responses to the Gender Equity report including Division mentors and reviews for postdocs. A new program of data-gathering for employment and promotion will be introduced by Christine Jones (HEAD).

  • Monday, May 5, 2008, Pratt, 12:30 pm: Beth Willman, Clay Fellow at the CfA will share her experiences and insight in seeking (and securing!) a junior faculty position. Books and articles may give advice, but nothing surpasses the real thing, starting from the AAS Job Register to the final offer. Beth will discuss a draft of her compendium: 'Advice from the Trenches' based on her own and others' experiences in making the move from post-doc to junior faculty.

  • Monday, March 3, 2008, Pratt, 12:30 pm: Saku Vrtilek of the CfA will lead an informal discussion of some highlights relevant to careers and gender from the recent AAAS Meeting here in Boston. These include sessions on: 'The One-Minute Talk', 'Improving the Climate in the Workplace', 'Communicating Science', 'Inside the Double Bind: Women of Color in STEM fields'.... and more.

  • Monday, January 7, 2008, Pratt, 12:30 pm: Hannah Riley Bowles, Assoc. Professor of Public Policy at the Kennedy School of Government will discuss her research on gender issues in negotiation: 'Sometimes it does hurt to ask'. A copy of her research paper from Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes can be found here (pdf file) and also a review chapter Untapped Potential in the Study of Negotiation and Gender Inequality in Organizations forthcoming in the Academy of Management Annals.

  • Monday, December 3, 2007, Pratt, 12:30 pm: Audra Baleisis, Ph.D. Candidate, University of Arizona will discuss her thesis research: "How Grad Students Learn How to Speak like Astronomers."

  • Thursday, Nov. 1, 2007, 12 noon Tea Room: Dr. Naomi Ridge , Science and Innovation Officer at the British Consulate General in Boston and former NSF postdoc in Astronomy here at CfA will speak about her new position. How she found it. What she does. What are some opportunities apart from astronomy research and teaching?

  • Monday, October 1, 2007, Pratt, 12:30 pm: "Women's Networks, Effective or Not?" Deborah Belle, Professor of Psychology at Boston University and Director of the Human Development Program will review psychological ideas about women's networks. They can be empowering. However, in some cases women find themselves depleted instead of renewed. How do networks of women in the sciences work? Are they effective? A recent study in the Psychology of Women Quarterly here (pdf file) suggests ways of increasing retention and success of women in an academic environment. Come and discuss your own experiences.

  • Tuesday, September 18, 2007, Pratt, 11:00 am: Charles Alcock, Director of the CfA will discuss the CfA Gender Equity Report and the implementation of its recommendations. The report submitted in February 2007 can be found on the Director's Office webpage. The Executive Summary was reprinted in the June 2007 issue of STATUS by the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy published by the AAS and is linked here.

  • Programs for 2006 can be found here.

  • Programs for 2005 can be found here.

Last modified on 12-May-2009
Comments or Questions? Contact dupree@cfa