N E W S L E T T E R
Association for Women in Science
Palo Alto Chapter
March / April 2000
|
N E W S L E T T E R |
Association for Women in Science Palo Alto Chapter March / April 2000 |
CONTENTS
Notes from the Prez 1
Check This Out 2
Outreach Success 3
Internships Needs You! 3
More Articles 4, 5
Job Announcements 6
March Program Flyer 7
NCC April Workshop Flyer 8
Calendar of Events 9
Notes from the Prez
Lisa Wang, President
Happy New Year and best wishes!
For this year and beyond, AWIS Palo Alto has chosen to focus on the lifelong learning and career development of our members. Through the efforts of our different committees, our volunteers reach out to individuals ranging from preschoolers to retirees. I would like to describe just a few of our programs to illustrate how they work together in building a larger and stronger community of women and men in science.
Katy Kuo Korsmeyer and our outreach program positions our science and
technology-focused members with a variety of science programs that target preschoolers to
high school students. AWIS members have volunteered their time in exposing children (girls
and boys) to the excitement of science through experimentation; collaborating sites
include NASA-Ames, the Expanding Your Horizons program at San Jose State University, local
public and private schools, and the Carver Scholars program.
Annually, the Palo Alto Chapter has been fortunate to be able to award two $500
scholarships to promising young women in the sciences who are students at either De Anza
or Foothill College. These achievement and need-based awards have helped awardees to cover
textbook expenses as well as tuition.
Elizabeth Pavel leads our mentoring committee in bringing together
professional women with a Ph.D. in the sciences with women graduate students at Stanford
University. In recent years, the mentoring program has worked directly with close to 10%
of the women grad students in science and
engineering at Stanford. This year's programs include one-on-one mentoring as well as four
grad student networking lunches and six evening dinner events.
In collaboration with the three other local AWIS chapters, we are exploring the implementation of weekend workshops on career development topics such as negotiation skills, conflict resolution, or leadership skills. These 3+ hour long workshops are proposed to be held quarterly or semi-annually on Saturdays and are envisioned as a way to provide career resources to address issues unique to the women in science community. To help make these workshops possible, we would like to ask for your ideas and suggestions for speakers and topics of interest (contact Danielle Pasqualone, our chapter representative, at
dpasqual@incyte.com).Another way that AWIS Palo Alto addresses the career development issue is through active volunteer participation in our various program committees. We believe that participation on a committee allows one to develop additional organizational and operational skills in a low key environment; the skills and confidence gained may be transferable to the workplace or other areas of one's life. Even 30 minutes of time volunteered can impact our chapter in a positive way; examples include bringing the pizza or drinks for one of our chapter events, sharing one's experience in an informational interview, or writing an article for this newsletter. The sum of many small contributions of time have allowed our chapter to grow over the years. We are also actively recruiting individuals to step up and take on leadership roles within our chapter; in next year's election, the president of the Palo Alto chapter could be you!
Educational Website for Kids
Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle contained an article about a cool website where kids can practice those most dreaded - but also the most relevant - problems of all: word problems! It's at www.mathstories.com and it was created by a Santa Clara dad for his kids. It includes 2,500 brain-teasers for elementary and middle schoolers.
v Check
This Out v
Women Physicians in Academic Medicine
Where the Women PhD's Are
The graph below shows the breakdown of science and engineering doctorates earned by women in 1997, the most recent year for which statistics were available, according to USA Today. (Statistics are from the National Foundation Division of Science Resource Studies.) It highlights the low percentage of women PhD’s in some fields (still less than 20% in computer science and engineering), and indirectly points to the need for continued emphasis on things like EYH (Expanding Your Horizons), our Outreach Program, and our Graduate Student Mentoring Program. Girls and young women still need encouragement and mentoring to succeed in pursuing careers in these sciences!A Book for Young Scientists
The Science Book for Girls and Other
Intelligent Beings. ISBN 1-55074-113-6. Author, Valerie Wyatt. Kids Can Press, 1998.
$8.
This is a lively, well illustrated, do-it-yourself book recommended for girls, 8-12 years
old, who like to read. It is very approachable- full of experiments to do, and contains
good humor and suggestions for making everyday observations, plus blank tables for
recording data. Also has short biographies of women in science sprinkled throughout.
On-Line Site for Young Scientists and Their Mentors
Dr Internet is a cool site that features at-home experiments that
can be done with everyday materials. Visit on the Net:
http://ipl.sils.umich.edu/youth/DrInternet
Are you interested in Science Education? Would you like to volunteer to visit classrooms, or be an email mentor, or judge science fair exhibits? For info call: Katy Korsmeyer at kuokaty@scientist.com
National Women's History Month
March is National Women's History Month, recognizing the contributions of famous women in history. Visit the National Women's History Project website at www.nwhp.org and encourage everyone to recognize and celebrate women's voices and achievements throughout history.
Monterey Bay AWIS Chapter
Yes, there is a Monterey Bay chapter of AWIS. Jill Zande is Program Coordinator at
Marine Advanced Technology Education (MATE) Center of Monterey Peninsula College. Give her
a call at 831-645-1395 or check out their website at
http://skyler.monterey.edu/~mbawis.
Help With Networking
If you're a student preparing for a career in research, building your professional network is the best way to ensure that your dissertation and other research publications are read. That means you not only have to do some good research, you also need to build a community - a professional network - around your research topic. Unfortunately, many students neglect or aren't comfortable with their networking. The skills are easy enough with practice, but they are not at all obvious to beginners.
"Networking on the Network" is a guide to professional networking for PhD students. Originally written for the students of the Department of Communication at UC San Diego, it has been continuously expanded and revised for six years, incorporating comments from dozens of researchers in many fields. It includes detailed instructions for identifying individuals who should be part of your professional network, contacting and corresponding with those people, building your network at professional conferences, organizing events of your own, and citing others' work in your dissertation. It also includes a lengthy section on interviewing for academic jobs.
"Networking on the Network" is free and available on the Web at http://dlis.gseis.ucla.edu/people/pagre/network.html. Please send any comments that might improve it, and pass it along to others who can use it.
An Outreach Success Story
Student Mentee Wins Scholarship in Science Fair
Tanya Buxton, Teacher (ed. Katy Kuo Korsmeyer)
Dr. Paul Hardenbol at the Stanford Human Genome Center has been mentoring Menlo School senior, Lesley Earl, through our Outreach internship program. Lesley spends 6-10 hours a week in the lab. Under Paul's guidance, she is performing DNA shearing experiments through various sized capillaries at varying speeds. The other variables she has tested are different numbers of repetitions in a high powered automated syringe and different concentrations of DNA, some that have been saturated with ethidium bromide thought to shear DNA to smaller sizes. This project has implications in improving the methods of DNA sequencing for the Human Genome Project by shearing DNA to smaller pieces so that sequencing be performed quickly and easily.
Lesley's science fair project was awarded a $1000 scholarship from Oracle and 2nd place honors in the "High School Biological Sciences" category in the San Mateo County Science Fair held this February at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Mateo. In addition, she has been admitted early decision and will attend Haverford College in PA next fall. Besides being a strong student, Lesley is also a talented vocal musician. We congratulate and applaud Paul and Lesley for fine teaching, collaborating and furthering science education!
One sure fire way to inspire high school students to follow up on their interest in science is through an internship in the "real" world while still in high school. For a scientist, it is deeply satisfying to share your experiences and influence as a mentor and coach. However, the experience might seem intimidating at first. Will the student have enough technical background? Will they make a serious commitment so that I won't have wasted my time? Will my employer condone this type of "extracurricular" activity? From a company's standpoint, what will result from the use of our resources, space, and employee time? All valid questions. And, now, we have improved our internship program in order to make you and your company feel more at ease in taking the plunge.
In partnership with the San Mateo Biotechnologies Pathway . . .
Industry gets:
The scientist gets:
Students get:
142 students have already completed these unpaid internships. 21 have
continued into paid employment. These student internships administered by the county also
provide liability insurance and worker's compensation.
Currently, internships are completed at one of six companies; PE Biosystems, Genencor,
Fibrogen, Incyte Pharmaceuticals, Baxter, or SyStemix, Inc. If you work at one of above
and would like to host an intern along with your fellow colleagues, please contact us
below. All participating scientists write up a short description of their research project
and personal history. Students sign up for interviews and you choose! If you're interested
and your company is not one of the current participants, we can set up a contract with the
powers-that-be quickly and easily. All positions related to the biotechnology field are
needed; not just bench research.
For more information, contact Katy Korsmeyer at kuokaty@scientist.com or Ellyn Daugherty at AEEDAugher@aol.com.
All Out Reach
Thanks to the volunteering spirit of our members (and their friends), Outreach has been growing by leaps and bounds! Our database of volunteers have increased due to members who pass on the word (and cry for help) to their non-AWIS colleagues. Here's an update on the recent activities.
Young Explorers has expanded to include 6 classrooms at 2 different schools reaching close to 100 children. These fun science hands-on activities are looked forward to by preschoolers and elementary students. We hope all this mess and fun will translate to future young scientists. Stop by the information table at our chapter meetings to look through some cute snapshots!
Bridge-to-the-Future program ended last Fall, but community outreach to middle and senior high students is still going strong. Science fairs and internships are hot topics this year. Our members have and will participate as coaches and mentors for science fair projects, presenters for the Expanding Your Horizons conference, and judges for the numerous local and regional science fairs. Judging for science fairs is a great way to contribute with little time commitment and effort. Our chapter has provided some prizes for best young female scientist at the local fairs. Mentoring a project requires more time commitment but the personal satisfaction is immeasurable. Read about an internship success story on page 3. We are currently revamping our high school internship program to make it even easier for you and your company to participate. See the article on page 3 for more details.
Requests continue to pour in from teachers, schools, and other organizations who would like to see more scientist inspire our youngsters. If you have a desire to work with students, come and see the energy and excitement for yourself. No experience necessary. All fields of science are desired. Please sign up on our web page at www.pa-awis.org/activities/Outreach/outreform.htm. Feel free to contact Katy at kuokaty@ricochet.net or (650)340-0395 for more information.
The Mentoring Committee Needs You!
The Mentoring Committee is looking for volunteers to replace departing committee members. This is a great opportunity to get involved with your local AWIS chapter and with mentoring. Help assign mentor/protegee pairs, organize evening dinner events, and interact with peers, colleagues, and our future women in science. For more information, please contact any of the committee members at the email addresses below or at AWIS_PAmentoring@yahoo.com.
The infrastructure is in place - we just need you!
Elizabeth Pavel, Chair (elizabeth_pavel@gasonics.com)
Diane DeNagel (diane.denagel@roche.com)
Sejal Desai (smdesai@clontech.com)
Maia Richardson (richard@cgl.ucsf.edu)
Melissa Thomas, Student Rep.(mramser@leland.stanford.edu)
Call for Nominations
Danielle Pasqualone, NCC Representative
The Annual NCC Recognition Awards Banquet is scheduled for Wednesday, April 26th, at Genentech. (See page 8) Three awards will be presented to women who are outstanding scientists, role models, and mentors who have helped promote and advance the careers of other women in science. The Ellen Weaver Award is given to a junior scientist, about 5-10 years past training, and the Judith Poole Award is given to a woman who is well-established in her career, 10 or more years past training. A new award has been established this year which will be given to a woman in an "alternative" science career. If you would like to nominate someone for any of these awards, please let Mary Alice Yund (yund@worldnet.att.net) know by March 17th.
NCC Website
You can always find up-to-date information and news of current events concerning NCC by visiting their website at http://www.ebawis.org/nccchptr.htm.
January Meeting Recap
Dr Jaleh Daie past President of National AWIS was the featured speaker at our first meeting of the year 2000. Jaleh recently moved from the University of Wisconsin, and is currently the Director of the Science Program at the Packard Foundation in Los Altos. She addressed a standing-room only crowd, and using an informal and interactive style, led us in conversation on various topics. Jaleh shared her vision for Science in the New Millennium, which will forge new interdisciplinary science connections. Bioinformatics, neurobiology, and laser surgery in medicine are some of the tremendous fruits interdisciplinary science has yielded in the recent past. Jaleh also shared with us her personal journey, tracing her professional career from its roots in her childhood growing up in Iran. We learned how she and her husband, both academic professionals until recently, balanced a two-career marriage. Jaleh’s activism and desire to do public service has defined her life – and she encouraged each one of us to get involved! A final highlight of the January meeting was the annual ‘Member Appreciation’ gift give-away. Prizes were handed out to Members, and chocolate treats were enjoyed by everyone present.
Our Thanks
A big thanks to Jane Leong, for her service as co-Chair of Programs last year. Also, many thanks to Fong-Yih Bih who has stepped up to take her place. Fong-Yih has primary responsibility for making the calendar of upcoming events that we share at our chapter meetings. To list a special event, meeting, workshop or outing (hike, museum trip, etc.) please send a note to Fong-Yih at fybi@pacbell.net.
Job Hunting Tips
AWIS meetings can be a low-key way for you to practice your job hunting skills. Since about half the people at each meeting are attending for the first time, this is a perfect opportunity for you to practice your handshake, smile, and your one-minute introduction. Bring a few business cards to each meeting, and seek out a few new people, introduce yourself and exchange cards with them. If you are a student or unemployed, be sure to make your own ‘introduction cards’ to exchange, so that people you meet can follow up easily with you later. When you get someone’s card, write the date on it and add a note about where you met or the science connection. Annotated in that way, it will be useful long after the meeting.
Job Hunting Resources
* Call-in radio show ‘Work with Marty Nemko’ KALW, 91.7 FM, 11 am Sunday mornings.
* Peninsula Professional Network. This is a free networking and job search program for unemployed professionals. Groups meet on Peninsula, call (650) 652-7858 for details.
* EastBay Works Career Center, 1875 Willow Pass Road, Concord. Free workshops, topics vary. Call (925) 646-5555 for details.
* North County Employment Center. 271 92nd Street, Daly City. Free workshops, skill testing. Call (650) 301-8440.
* Career Action Center. 10420 Bubb Road in Cupertino. www.careeraction.org or 408-253-3200. The Career Action Center has a huge library of information on companies in the Bay Area, plus computers, videotaping, career coaching, workshops, reference information on salary surveys.
More Volunteers Needed
The Program committee needs volunteers! If you like party planning, you’re a natural for Programs. Must be a responsible team member. Small time commitment, but must be able to attend most chapter meetings. Volunteers accepted for set-up, clean-up, bringing food or drink. Great experience inviting speakers, increases confidence and visibility. Contact Adrienne, Colleen or Fong-Yih (see back of newsletter for contact info).
Book Review
The book, "Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women" by Dr Virginia Valian has been heralded as a breakthrough in the discourse on gender and has great potential to move the women’s movement to a new, more productive phase, according to Publisher’s Weekly. Tania Gonzalez at UCSF reports that Valian’s goal is to make the invisible factors that retard women’s progress visible, so that fair treatment of men and women will be possible. The book makes its case with experimental and observational data from psychology, sociology, economics, and biology to explain the disparity in the professional advancement of men and women. Many anecdotes enliven the presentation.
Positions Available at ACLARA BioSciences Inc.
PROJECT MANAGER
Job Reference #KGM
ACLARA BioSciences Inc. has pioneered the development of
electronically-controlled microfluidics, often referred to as "lab-on-a-chip"
technology, in genetic analysis, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics. We currently
have a key opening for a Project Manager.
Working with our research and engineering directors, you will take the lead in creating
project development plans and timelines for a variety of product-focused projects. You
will also communicate and coordinate project tasks and schedules with outside partners.
The ideal candidate will have technical experience in a laboratory environment as well as
specific product development and project management experience within the life sciences
industry. Candidates must also have a solid understanding of a variety of technical
disciplines including biology, chemistry, mechanical engineering, materials engineering
and/or biomedical engineering.
Candidates should have a BS, MS or Ph.D. in biology, chemistry or engineering and at least
five years of relevant industry experience. Strong organization, communication and
leadership skills are required. Experience in genetic analysis, laboratory automation or
materials science is a plus.
ELECTRICAL/BIOMEDICAL ASSOCIATE ENGINEER
Job Reference # PK1
ACLARA BioSciences Inc. has pioneered the development of electronically-controlled
microfluidics, often referred to as "lab-on-a-chip" technology, in genetic
analysis, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics. We currently have a position open for
an Electrical/Biomedical Associate Engineer.
In this position, your responsibilities will include designing and developing research
microscope breadboards, assembling simple laser optic systems, programming instrument
control interfaces in LabView, and providing basic data analysis. The qualified candidate
will have a BS in Electrical or Biomedical Engineering along with coursework in
Biophysical Chemistry. Experience with LabView programming, design of high sensitivity
instrumentation systems, and basic electrical circuit design is required. Experience with
laser optics and chromatographic separations is preferred.
If you are interested in playing an integral role in a company developing leading edge
technologies with broad applications in the life science industries, please send your
resume to:
ACLARA BioSciences, Inc.
1288 Pear Avenue
Mountain View, CA 94043-1432
Fax: 650-210-1210
Email: jobs@aclara.com
Association for Women In Science (AWIS), Palo Alto
"Balance: The Physics of Flesh and Bone"The way you move in your daily
life determines the health of your
muscular-skeletal system and how all other systems of your body function.
Schedule
7:00-7:30 pm Networking and light Supper
7:30-7:45 pm Announcements
7:45-8:45 pm Program
8:45-9:00 pm Coffee/Tea and Discussion
· Welcome!! The Meeting is
free. You don’t need to be a Member to attend.·
All scientists, students, and their friends are welcome. Men too!
Directions to the TRAINING CENTER at Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC):
Contact: susan_bernhard@baxter.com or Susan at (510) 723-2094 for more information
east bay * palo alto * sacramento valley * monterey bay
present:
Awards Dinner
Come share a special evening of companionship and celebration!
Plans for the catered, full course buffet have not been finalized at this time. As in the past, there will be something for everyone!
DATE: Wednesday, April 26 20001 DNA WAY (formerly Pt. San Bruno Blvd) Bldg.B5
South San Francisco
(for map, visit www.gene.com)
TIME:
6:00 PM Social Hour
7:00 PM Dinner
8:00 PM Awards
CONTACT: Joy Barnitz, Treasurer, NCC-AWIS for questions (510) 353-1272 or
R.S.V.P. Please register me for the NCC April Awards Dinner
Name ___________________________________________________________
Address ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
Phone (day) ______________________ Email __________________________
Phone (eve) ______________________
Check payable to: NCC – AWIS ($25)
Mail to :
Chapter: ___________ Joy Barnitz, NCC AWIS Treasurer
1017 Joshua Place
Fremont, CA 94539
Mail your check no later than Monday, April 16, 2000
C A L E N D A R o f E V E N T S
Symposium: Women in Medicine
March 10, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Fairchild Auditorium
Stanford University
Symposium: The Pioneering Efforts of Women In Medicine and Medical
Sciences
For information, call 408-286-6036 or visit www.med.stanford.edu/womed
Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry Conference & Exhibition
Industry leaders, idea exchange, strategies, techniques, corporate case
studies
For information, call 212-964-7000 x252 or visit: http://www.frost.com./conferences/DEV
March NCPDG Dinner
Speaker: Laura K. Shawver,Ph.D.
Senior Vice President Preclinical and Pharmaceutical Development
SUGEN, Inc.
For cost and reservations call 650-321-2235 or visit www.ncpdg.org
ebAWIS Program
Speaker: Bonnie Jameson
"Communication Skills: Understanding Yourself and Others"
Contact Martha Booz at mlbooz@calnatives.com or
go to http://www.ebawis.org/
Palo Alto March Meeting
"Balance: The Physics of Flesh and Bone"
Speaker: Jean Couch
Director of the Balance Center,
author of the book, "The Runner's Yoga Book"
See p. 7 for more information
Contact Susan Bernhard (510-723-2094)
Women in Clinical Trials
Speakers: Ms. Beth Brown, MA & Dr. Rita Redberg
of the UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health
"Women and Their Participation in Clinical Trials"
Contact Tania at tgonzal@itsa.ucsf.edu
Maureen at mconway@osrmail.ucsf.edu
Women Leaders in Science
Women Leaders in Science Seminar:
"Talking Through Walls: Cell Signalling in Arabidopsis Reproduction"
Speaker: Daphne Preuss, Ph.D.
Professor, University of Chicago
Contact Amy at amyk@itsa.ucsf.edu
Business Success/Leadership/Vision Conference
RSVP: http://www.successconf.com or call 415-289-2409
San Francisco Bay Area Women's Conference
Topics: Career Development, Personal Growth and Enrichment, Negotiation Skills, Balance in Life and more
To register or for more information,
800-873-7545 or email: enroll@skillpath.net
cost: $149 per person
San Diego Chapter
Second Spring Gala
Saturday, April 8, 6:30 PM
Ballroom, House of Hospitality
on the Prado in Balboa Park
Speaker: Dr. Kurt Benirschke, Professor Emeritus of Pathology and Reproductive Medicine at UCSD
"Scholarship winners introduced, elegant dinner, live music!"
Contact Janice Payne at jkpayne@beckman.com or call 619-687-5580
cost: $50 members and guests, $60 non-members
April NCPDG dinner
Speaker: Enrique A. Dalmasso, Ph.D.
Ciphergen Biosystems, Inc.
For cost and reservations call 650-321-2235 or visit www.ncpdg.org
Take Our Daughters to Work
One group for 11 to 13-year-olds and the other for 9 to 10-year-olds
Contact Megha Satyanarayana at 415-476-8283
Annual PBWC meeting - Professional Business Women's
Conference -
Thursday, May 4, 2000 8:45am-6:30 pm at the San Jose Convention Center
For more info: 650-548-2424 or www.pbwc.org
Keynote speakers include Dr. Anita Borg and Anna Deavere Smith.:
$160 for pre-registration
$75 for young women ages 14-21