September 16, 2008
Presidential Candidates' Positions on Science Issues
By WILLIAM J. BROAD
Both presidential candidates have now issued answers to a series of questions about science policy, Senator Barack Obama having done so in late August and Senator John McCain on Monday.
Their responses show clear areas of agreement on such apple-pie issues as ocean health, as well as sharp contrasts, as when Mr. Obama stresses the role of government and Mr. McCain that of business in addressing some of the nation's main challenges.
What follows is a digest of their answers, as posted by Science Debate 2008. The private group, in an effort endorsed by leading scientific organizations, has worked since November to get candidates to articulate positions on science policy. The full answers are at www.sciencedebate2008.com.
INNOVATION Mr. Obama calls for doubling federal budgets for basic research over a decade and supports broadband Internet connections "for all Americans." Mr. McCain stresses policies to provide "broad pools of capital, low taxes and incentives for research in America," as well as the streamlining of "burdensome regulations." Mr. McCain also said Congress, "under my guiding hand," adopted wireless policies that "spurred the rapid rise of mobile phones and WiFi technology."
CLIMATE CHANGE Both candidates talk of human activities' warming the planet, with Mr. McCain saying that they "threaten disastrous changes" and Mr. Obama that "they are influencing the global climate." In terms of 1990 levels of carbon emissions, Mr. McCain would ultimately have the nation's output drop by 60 percent and Mr. Obama by 80 percent.
ENERGY Mr. Obama would increase federal investment in clean energy by $150 billion over a decade, including research on alternative fuels and conservation. Mr. McCain would speed the building of 45 new reactors and make government "an ally but not an arbiter" in developing alternative energy sources.
EDUCATION Both candidates advocate policies to develop a highly skilled workforce, partly with cash incentives for teachers. Mr. McCain would put $250 million into a program to help states expand online education.
NATIONAL SECURITY Mr. Obama would put his administration "on a path" to doubling federal spending on basic defense research. Mr. McCain is much less specific, speaking of ensuring "that America retains the edge."
GENETICS RESEARCH Both laud the potential benefits and point out the social dangers, with Mr. Obama saying he backed the recently passed Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act. Mr. McCain speaks of "a new green revolution" in food development.
STEM CELLS Both support federal financing for embryonic stem cell research.
SPACE Both candidates say they want to revitalize space exploration, with Mr. McCain calling for "new technologies to take Americans to the Moon, Mars and beyond." He also suggests possibly extending the space shuttle's life. Mr. Obama would re-establish a White House Space Council to coordinate all the nation's space efforts, including ones intended to aid understanding of climate change and expand "our reach into the heavens."
SCIENTIFIC INTEGRITY Both implicitly fault President Bush, whom critics have assailed as weakening the federal advisory apparatus and politicizing scientific panels. Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
A Matter of Degrees
Preliminary results from a 7-year project to improve Ph.D. completion rates at U.S. and Canadian universities indicate that whites, men, and international students are more likely to complete their degrees than women, other ethnic groups, and domestic students. That's what experts have long suspected. But there are also some surprising differences, according to a report this month from the Council of Graduate Schools. African-Americans have the greatest variance in completion rates by discipline, for example, although the numbers are too small to be statistically significant. Although 60% complete life sciences degrees in a 10-year period (the same as for whites), only 37% do so in math and the physical sciences. The project, funded by Pfizer Inc. and the Ford Foundation, supports additional data analysis as well as a range of interventions by 29 institutions--from additional mentoring to increased research opportunities--aimed at helping more students complete their degrees.
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol321/issue5895/s-scope.dtl
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/vol321/issue5895/s-scope.dtl
Thursday, September 11, 2008
AAUW Gains Special Consultative Status with U.N. Council
WASHINGTON – AAUW has gained special consultative status at the United Nations with the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which initiates reports, makes recommendations, and promotes respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
For many years, AAUW has had a U.N. representative attending select meetings and monitoring issues affecting women and girls. The new designation allows AAUW to participate in international conferences, sign on to NGO statements, and share AAUW’s expertise.
“We closely follow a variety of international issues ranging from girls’ education to women’s economic security to human rights to women in peacekeeping,” said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. “This new status will strengthen AAUW’s presence globally and provide us with greater opportunities to engage in U.N.-related activities and initiatives that break through barriers for women and girls.”
AAUW has a proud history in global affairs that includes awarding more than 2,200 international fellowships to women from more than 130 countries and partnering with leading international humanitarian organizations on initiatives to empower women.
Next year, AAUW will actively advocate for women at the 53rd session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, which will focus on the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.
“AAUW can now advocate more effectively and support policies aimed at strengthening gender equality, especially in the areas of the economic, social, political, and reproductive health rights of women and girls,” said Carolyn Donovan, AAUW’s U.N. representative.
Currently, AAUW is encouraging its branches to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10 and to continue supporting ratification of the women’s rights treaty—the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
“AAUW members have long supported our efforts, from hosting international visitors to initiating forums and symposia on global issues pertinent to women and girls,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW’s director of fellowships, grants, and international programs. “We are thrilled that our role is expanding.”
For many years, AAUW has had a U.N. representative attending select meetings and monitoring issues affecting women and girls. The new designation allows AAUW to participate in international conferences, sign on to NGO statements, and share AAUW’s expertise.
“We closely follow a variety of international issues ranging from girls’ education to women’s economic security to human rights to women in peacekeeping,” said AAUW Executive Director Linda D. Hallman, CAE. “This new status will strengthen AAUW’s presence globally and provide us with greater opportunities to engage in U.N.-related activities and initiatives that break through barriers for women and girls.”
AAUW has a proud history in global affairs that includes awarding more than 2,200 international fellowships to women from more than 130 countries and partnering with leading international humanitarian organizations on initiatives to empower women.
Next year, AAUW will actively advocate for women at the 53rd session of the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women, which will focus on the equal sharing of responsibilities between women and men, including caregiving in the context of HIV/AIDS.
“AAUW can now advocate more effectively and support policies aimed at strengthening gender equality, especially in the areas of the economic, social, political, and reproductive health rights of women and girls,” said Carolyn Donovan, AAUW’s U.N. representative.
Currently, AAUW is encouraging its branches to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10 and to continue supporting ratification of the women’s rights treaty—the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
“AAUW members have long supported our efforts, from hosting international visitors to initiating forums and symposia on global issues pertinent to women and girls,” said Gloria L. Blackwell, AAUW’s director of fellowships, grants, and international programs. “We are thrilled that our role is expanding.”
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Girl Power at School, but Not at the Office
August 31, 2008
Preoccupations
Girl Power at School, but Not at the Office
By HANNAH SELIGSON
Hannah Seligson says perfectionism can stop women from taking risks.
I WAS born in 1982 - about 20 years after the women's rights movement began. Growing up in what many have called a post-feminist culture, I did not really experience institutional gender bias. "Girl power" was celebrated, and I felt that all doors were open to me.
When I was in college, the female students excelled academically, sometimes running laps around their male counterparts. Women easily ascended to school leadership positions and prestigious internships. In my graduating class (more than half of which was female) there was a feeling of camaraderie, a sense that we were helping each other succeed.
Then I left the egalitarianism of the classroom for the cubicle, and everything changed. The realization that the knowledge and skills acquired in school don't always translate at the office is something that all college graduates, men and women, must face. But for women, I have found, the adjustment tends to be much harder. It was certainly hard for me - I lasted only nine months in my first job out of college.
Inspired by my own rocky entrance into the work world, I decided to interview other young women and discovered that many of them, like me, were facing a steep workplace learning curve. What was it, I wondered, that was making our first career steps so wobbly when we had been so accomplished and self-assured in school?
Every workplace is different, but certain patterns began to emerge. I experienced and heard of instances when some women, instead of helping a new female colleague, tried to undermine her. Rather than giving "the new girl" the tools to succeed, they might try to sabotage her advancement.
I saw some men, raised in a different era, who refused to take young women seriously, focused on their appearance and gave them the least desirable assignments. Even in this day and age, I saw women becoming "assistant-ized"- saddled with all the coffee runs and photocopying.
Some workplaces are more sexist than others. A woman should never accept a job offer without first finding out whether the odds are already stacked against her. This background check will assess how a potential employer treats its female employees, how many women are in leadership positions and whether there is a history of pay discrimination or sexual harassment.
But outside forces are only part of the story. I have also seen young women - myself included - getting in the way of their own success. I have found that we need to build a new arsenal of skills to mitigate some of our more "feminine" tendencies. Having lived in a cocoon of equality in college, we may have neglected these vital, real-world skills.
In my own case, I realized that I needed to develop a thick skin, feel comfortable promoting myself, learn how to negotiate, stop being a perfectionist and create a professional network - abilities that men are just more likely to have already.
The more traditionally "feminine" trait of sensitivity, while often appreciated, is not always an asset in the work world. I have spent too much time being rattled by terse e-mail from editors, agents who have told me that I'd never get a book deal, and bosses who have berated me as not being "detail-oriented." I think that in order to break through any kind of glass ceiling, or simply to get through the day, you have to become impervious to the daily gruffness that's a part of any job.
I used to think that perfection was the pathway to success. Not so, according to women I have interviewed who have reached the apex of their professions. Rather, it can lead to paralysis. Women, I have found, can let perfectionism stop them from speaking up or taking risks. For men, especially if they are thick-skinned, the thought of someone telling them "no" tends not to be viewed as earth-shattering.
One tactic I've found useful in getting over the perfectionist tendency is a shock therapy called soliciting feedback. Not only does it demystify what your boss thinks about you, but it also gives you the data to become a more valuable employee.
The other dose of shock therapy I've undergone is reprogramming my brain to think that, yes, girls do brag. I've indoctrinated myself with the idea that my job is a two-part process. One part is actually doing the work and the second part is talking about it, preferably in bottom-line terms.
The old-boys' club proves that men have long known that a professional network is imperative to success. Women don't have as much of a tradition of business networking ("Do you want to go grab a beer?" doesn't quite roll off our tongues) and, understandably, they may feel awkward or clueless about how to do it.
I can tell you that it doesn't work to go up to someone and say, "Will you be my mentor?" That's the workplace equivalent of "Will you be my boyfriend?" A more organic approach - saying something like, "Can I pick your brain about some ways to transition out of my entry-level position in the next year?" - has been much more effective for me.
Young women also need to learn how to speak salary, a language that many men already seem to know. Coming into the work force, I thought that, just as my professor had given me the grade I deserved on my political science midterm, my company would pay me what I "deserved."
RECENTLY I had a conversation with a male friend, a reporter in his mid-20s, about how hard it is to ask for money and negotiate for raises. He looked puzzled that I'd have an aversion to something that he does with ease, telling me: "When I want a raise, I just ask for it. And even if they say no, I'll keep asking for it."
The American Association of University Women found that men who are a year out of college make 20 percent more in weekly pay than their female co-workers do. Why? Because my friend and scores of other young men understand the central tenet of a bigger paycheck: ask and you shall receive.
The pay disparity speaks to a larger issue that women, coming directly out of the colleges that nurtured and rewarded them and gave them every advantage, may have trouble grasping. For me, it was crystallized in a comment made to me by Myra Hart, a retired senior faculty member at Harvard Business School who studies women as entrepreneurs:
"By and large women believe that
the workplace is a meritocracy, and it isn't."
Hannah Seligson, a freelance journalist, is the author of "New Girl on the Job: Advice From the Trenches" (Citadel Press).
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Preoccupations
Girl Power at School, but Not at the Office
By HANNAH SELIGSON
Hannah Seligson says perfectionism can stop women from taking risks.
I WAS born in 1982 - about 20 years after the women's rights movement began. Growing up in what many have called a post-feminist culture, I did not really experience institutional gender bias. "Girl power" was celebrated, and I felt that all doors were open to me.
When I was in college, the female students excelled academically, sometimes running laps around their male counterparts. Women easily ascended to school leadership positions and prestigious internships. In my graduating class (more than half of which was female) there was a feeling of camaraderie, a sense that we were helping each other succeed.
Then I left the egalitarianism of the classroom for the cubicle, and everything changed. The realization that the knowledge and skills acquired in school don't always translate at the office is something that all college graduates, men and women, must face. But for women, I have found, the adjustment tends to be much harder. It was certainly hard for me - I lasted only nine months in my first job out of college.
Inspired by my own rocky entrance into the work world, I decided to interview other young women and discovered that many of them, like me, were facing a steep workplace learning curve. What was it, I wondered, that was making our first career steps so wobbly when we had been so accomplished and self-assured in school?
Every workplace is different, but certain patterns began to emerge. I experienced and heard of instances when some women, instead of helping a new female colleague, tried to undermine her. Rather than giving "the new girl" the tools to succeed, they might try to sabotage her advancement.
I saw some men, raised in a different era, who refused to take young women seriously, focused on their appearance and gave them the least desirable assignments. Even in this day and age, I saw women becoming "assistant-ized"- saddled with all the coffee runs and photocopying.
Some workplaces are more sexist than others. A woman should never accept a job offer without first finding out whether the odds are already stacked against her. This background check will assess how a potential employer treats its female employees, how many women are in leadership positions and whether there is a history of pay discrimination or sexual harassment.
But outside forces are only part of the story. I have also seen young women - myself included - getting in the way of their own success. I have found that we need to build a new arsenal of skills to mitigate some of our more "feminine" tendencies. Having lived in a cocoon of equality in college, we may have neglected these vital, real-world skills.
In my own case, I realized that I needed to develop a thick skin, feel comfortable promoting myself, learn how to negotiate, stop being a perfectionist and create a professional network - abilities that men are just more likely to have already.
The more traditionally "feminine" trait of sensitivity, while often appreciated, is not always an asset in the work world. I have spent too much time being rattled by terse e-mail from editors, agents who have told me that I'd never get a book deal, and bosses who have berated me as not being "detail-oriented." I think that in order to break through any kind of glass ceiling, or simply to get through the day, you have to become impervious to the daily gruffness that's a part of any job.
I used to think that perfection was the pathway to success. Not so, according to women I have interviewed who have reached the apex of their professions. Rather, it can lead to paralysis. Women, I have found, can let perfectionism stop them from speaking up or taking risks. For men, especially if they are thick-skinned, the thought of someone telling them "no" tends not to be viewed as earth-shattering.
One tactic I've found useful in getting over the perfectionist tendency is a shock therapy called soliciting feedback. Not only does it demystify what your boss thinks about you, but it also gives you the data to become a more valuable employee.
The other dose of shock therapy I've undergone is reprogramming my brain to think that, yes, girls do brag. I've indoctrinated myself with the idea that my job is a two-part process. One part is actually doing the work and the second part is talking about it, preferably in bottom-line terms.
The old-boys' club proves that men have long known that a professional network is imperative to success. Women don't have as much of a tradition of business networking ("Do you want to go grab a beer?" doesn't quite roll off our tongues) and, understandably, they may feel awkward or clueless about how to do it.
I can tell you that it doesn't work to go up to someone and say, "Will you be my mentor?" That's the workplace equivalent of "Will you be my boyfriend?" A more organic approach - saying something like, "Can I pick your brain about some ways to transition out of my entry-level position in the next year?" - has been much more effective for me.
Young women also need to learn how to speak salary, a language that many men already seem to know. Coming into the work force, I thought that, just as my professor had given me the grade I deserved on my political science midterm, my company would pay me what I "deserved."
RECENTLY I had a conversation with a male friend, a reporter in his mid-20s, about how hard it is to ask for money and negotiate for raises. He looked puzzled that I'd have an aversion to something that he does with ease, telling me: "When I want a raise, I just ask for it. And even if they say no, I'll keep asking for it."
The American Association of University Women found that men who are a year out of college make 20 percent more in weekly pay than their female co-workers do. Why? Because my friend and scores of other young men understand the central tenet of a bigger paycheck: ask and you shall receive.
The pay disparity speaks to a larger issue that women, coming directly out of the colleges that nurtured and rewarded them and gave them every advantage, may have trouble grasping. For me, it was crystallized in a comment made to me by Myra Hart, a retired senior faculty member at Harvard Business School who studies women as entrepreneurs:
"By and large women believe that
the workplace is a meritocracy, and it isn't."
Hannah Seligson, a freelance journalist, is the author of "New Girl on the Job: Advice From the Trenches" (Citadel Press).
Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Leadership Opportunities for Students
Dear AAUW College/University Partner Representative:
Please share the following leadership opportunity and attached announcement with students, administrators, and relevant faculty, such as staff at women’s and career centers, at your institution.
AAUW is now accepting applications for its Student Advisory Council (SAC) for the academic year 2008-09.
With AAUW’s focus on breaking down the economic and educational barriers women and girls face, SAC members provide essential firsthand accounts of student needs and ideas for combating sex discrimination to AAUW staff through monthly conference calls.
SAC members also have many opportunities to develop as leaders and gain valuable résumé-building experience. For example, students will develop women’s equity events on their campuses and in their communities and assist in planning the annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, held each June in Washington, D.C. At the conference, student advisers play essential roles in helping lead programs, introduce speakers, encourage networking among attendees, and ensure that the conference runs smoothly.
Applicants must be current students at two- or four-year accredited institutions and have at least a 2.75 GPA, leadership experience, an interest in women’s issues, and the ability to fulfill the necessary time commitment.
Applications must be submitted to lti@aauw.org by September 26, 2008. Complete details and application materials are available online.
Contact lti@aauw.org or 202/785-7719 for more information.
Sincerely,
Linda D. Hallman, CAE
AAUW Executive Director
Please share the following leadership opportunity and attached announcement with students, administrators, and relevant faculty, such as staff at women’s and career centers, at your institution.
AAUW is now accepting applications for its Student Advisory Council (SAC) for the academic year 2008-09.
With AAUW’s focus on breaking down the economic and educational barriers women and girls face, SAC members provide essential firsthand accounts of student needs and ideas for combating sex discrimination to AAUW staff through monthly conference calls.
SAC members also have many opportunities to develop as leaders and gain valuable résumé-building experience. For example, students will develop women’s equity events on their campuses and in their communities and assist in planning the annual National Conference for College Women Student Leaders, held each June in Washington, D.C. At the conference, student advisers play essential roles in helping lead programs, introduce speakers, encourage networking among attendees, and ensure that the conference runs smoothly.
Applicants must be current students at two- or four-year accredited institutions and have at least a 2.75 GPA, leadership experience, an interest in women’s issues, and the ability to fulfill the necessary time commitment.
Applications must be submitted to lti@aauw.org by September 26, 2008. Complete details and application materials are available online.
Contact lti@aauw.org or 202/785-7719 for more information.
Sincerely,
Linda D. Hallman, CAE
AAUW Executive Director
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