MPOWIR - Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention

Are Women Better PIs?

Last summer, the New York Times ran an article entitled "No Doubts: Women Are Better Managers," which unleashed a firestorm of comments (over 300), many of which railed against the inherent sexism of that proposition and others that suggested that women were in fact worse bosses, who were harder on their female subordinates than males.

The following article, posted on the Tomorrows-Professor email list, describes what science says about male and female managers, and some evidence-based advice for working with men and women in the lab. The article is by Edyta Zielinska and is from The Scientist: Magazine of the Life Sciences,  Volume 24, Issue 6, Page 71, June 1, 2010.

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Help to the Finish Line: Ways to Reduce the Number of Ph.D. Dropouts

Doctoral students in the United States are finishing their degrees faster than at any point since at least 1983. But that's not actually saying much. Their average time-to-degree is still a formidable 7.7 years—and that, of course, is for the students who manage to finish at all. By some estimates, more than 30 percent of the students who enter American doctoral programs walk away empty-handed.

A report released in March by the Council of Graduate Schools highlights some of what the council calls "promising practices" that might reduce attrition rates and average time-to-degree. The report draws on data from more than 20 universities that have taken part in the council's Ph.D. Completion Project, a seven-year study of doctoral-program attrition—especially the attrition of women and underrepresented minorities.

The practices described in the report include:

• Improving advising and mentorship.
• Increasing financial support.
• Improving students' early research experiences.
• Improving support and supervision during the dissertation phase.

Click here for the full article:

http://chronicle.com/article/Help-to-the-Finish-Line-Wa/64879/

Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences

A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success.

The report, “Why So Few?,” supported by the National Science Foundation, examined decades of research to cull recommendations for drawing more women into science, technology, engineering and mathematics, the so-called STEM fields.

Click here to link to the New York Times Article about the report.

Click here to link to the NSF report.

Impostor Syndrome - Part 2

Women in US astronomy graduate programs are considerably more likely than men to fear being exposed for a lack of astronomy knowledge or ability, according to the American Institute of Physics (AIP) in College Park, Maryland, and the American Astronomical Association (AAS).

http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2010/100128/full/nj7280-574a.html

Researchers have known about Impostor Syndrome for some time.  This article from 1978 explores the causes and dynamics of this phenomenon.

Download IP in High Achieving Women

Still Earning Less

Consider a few facts: Women are now half of all workers on U.S. payrolls; there is no longer a clear timeline for marriage and childbirth; and a record 40 percent of children born in 2007 had unmarried mothers. Those figures are from a recently published study, led by Maria Shriver, called "The Shriver Report: A Woman's Nation Changes Everything." The study also found that nearly two-thirds of women are either the main breadwinners or co-breadwinners in their families. Nonetheless, they still earn less than men, while handling more than their fair share of caregiving responsibilities at home.

Click for the full article from the Chronicle of Higher Education:

http://chronicle.com/article/Still-Earning-Less/63482/

Impostor Syndrome

"Impostor syndrome" is the name given to the feelings that Abigail and many other young scientists describe: Their accomplishments are just luck or deceit, and they're in over their heads. The key to getting past it, experts say, is making accurate, realistic assessments of your performance. Perhaps equally important: knowing you're not alone."

Follow the link to article in Science

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_development/previous_issues/articles/2008_02_15/caredit_a0800025

Active Teaching Techniques

Robert J. Feller and Christine R. Lotter discuss several “tried and true” classroom and laboratory teaching strategies that promote better learning, attention, engagement, and curiosity in students.

The strategies are designed to promote the use of student-centered learning rather than the lecture mode of instruction (instructor-centered) that most of us experienced as undergraduates and in graduate school.

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He Said, She Said

Mentor Group 3 recently discussed an article from the Journal of Engineering Education by Joanna Wolfe and Elizabeth Powell. 

The article focuses on how gender-typical speech can sour teamwork.  Click here for the full article: Download Hesaid_shesaid_article_JEE

One-Minute Talk

"When you meet someone new in a professional context, your goal should be to communicate four things: who you are, what you do, why you're meeting them, and most of all, why they should care that they are meeting you."

The article below is from the Science Career Magazine on introducing yourself and talking about your work.

http://sciencecareers.sciencemag.org/career_magazine/previous_issues/articles/2009_03_13/caredit.a0900034

Women in Science

This paper was published in the french journal Le Monde last October about women in science. Each article is translated to English.

Download the article