NCC-AWIS hosted a very enjoyable all chapters

get-together on Saturday August 3 at CHORI

(Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute) in

Oakland. Kitty DeJong, East Bay Chapter

President, works at CHORI and made the beautiful

room available to AWIS.

Exceptional Service Awards were given at the

meeting to Carrie Bretz of Monterey Bay, Kim

Longworth and Donna Lagarias of Sacramento

Valley, and Mary Alice Yund and Martha Booz of

East Bay. The Palo Alto chapter honorees were Ann

Reisenauer and Susan Bernhard. The awards are

engraved glass pedestals, that recognize ten years

of service in multi-dimensional activities. Recipients

gave short acceptance speeches, and the gracious

remarks were lively and full of humor. We laughed,

hugged each other, enjoyed a tasty buffet lunch and

networking after the ceremony, as well as a tour of

Like to Walk? Please Join Us! We resumed our

Sunset Dish-Walks this summer, following the July

Networking Social. We have held four walks so far

and plan to continue until Daylight Savings Time

ends in October. It’s lots of fun, good exercise as

well as good for networking and informal mentoring.

Just ask Terri, Yuko or Marilyn (below)! Please email

Several AWIS Members have started new jobs

over the summer months. Congratulations go out to

Tina Mah, Marina Gelman, Betty Chang and

Laurence Fayadat, all of whom have started their

industrial careers recently, joined new companies or

I’d like to welcome you all back after our summer

break. The Programs Committee has been hard at

work scheduling an exciting lineup of meetings for

the rest of this year and next year. If you are

interested in becoming involved with the planning or

implementation of programs please contact our

Program Chair, Kam Dalquist (contact information

for all board members is listed at the end of the

newsletter. We are also gearing up our Mentoring

program where graduate students from Stanford are

partnered with volunteers that provide advice,

encouragement and support on the graduate

experience and life beyond. If you would like to

know more, please contact the mentoring program

mentoring co-chair. We will be updating the

mentoring information on the website soon, and you

can also sign up online. I would encourage all of

you to get involved. The amount of time

commitment that you make is up to you. I can speak

from experience that it is a terrific program; I spent

several years as a protégé and I have been

At the July chapter meeting over 70 scientists

gathered to participate in our annual Midsummer Ice

Cream Networking Social. After dinner and

"informal" networking, we all played a more "formal"

networking game. The group divided into pairs for

five minutes of practicing our "introductions" on each

other, before switching partners and doing it again.

After that, special interest groups gathered to talk

about such topics as "bench" versus "non-bench"

careers in industry. If you missed out on this

opportunity to network with other chapter members,

we plan to hold a Midwinter Networking Social in

At the June chapter meeting Rachel Manber

spoke about insomnia and non-medication

approaches to treating it. She gave a fascinating

overview of the various causes of insomnia and the

methods of treatment. Dr. Manber showed evidence

that over the long term, non-medicatio\n approaches

such as cognitive behavioral therapy had a higher

efficacy at preventing relapses than medications

taken alone or combined with the behavioral

therapy. She attributed this effect to the sense of

self-efficacy a patient has when controlling insomnia

with changes in behavior. Dr. Manber revealed to

us the sleep advice that she deems essential when

dealing with insomnia. 1) Restrict the time spent in

bed. 2) Instead of trying to control the time one

goes to bed, establish a regular wake-up time. 3)

Go to bed only when sleepy. 4) Stay in bed only

when asleep. 5) Do not "try" to sleep. This advice

aims to associate the bed only with sleeping. She

says that these changes in behavior need to be

maintained for at least three weeks and

acknowledges that it can be difficult to achieve. Yet,

her sound advice backed by data and experience

gives us a fresh perspective on sleep, a biological

AWIS-Palo Alto members have helped the

American Cancer Society raise money for breast

cancer research for the past three years. Would you

like to join us this year? The 5-mile ‘Making Strides’

this year. You can pledge, make a donation or walk

Also, please visit the Breast Cancer Site. With

just a few clicks, you can direct a corporate sponsor

or advertiser to donate mammograms for women in

historically underserved groups (i.e. women of color,

The first mentoring social will be held on

social for mentors-only will be from 6:30-8:30p in

Menlo Park to encourage, thank and inform women

about becoming mentors. All mentors- past, present

and future are welcome to attend. Please RSVP so

we can anticipate the quantities of refreshments

needed – and to get directions to this special event.

This year’s new mentoring committee members

include Lyle Rice, Virginia Kalogeraki, Nadine

Gassner, Michelle Boytim, and grad students Sarah

Reybuck, Jenny Nyman and Nahrain Kamber. The

Mentoring Program pairs grad students (protegees)

with more senior women to help ‘smooth the bumps’

of grad school and the transition into the workplace.

Postdocs are invited to participate as mentors and

may also pair with a mentor for themselves. If YOU

would like to be part of Mentoring this year, please

fill out a Mentor Form on our chapter webpage

The first mentoring meeting for grad student

protegees and their prospective mentors will be held

on campus in Hartley Hall on Wednesday October

introduction to mentoring, mentors will introduce

themselves and pairs will have a chance to form

during small group discussions. We anticipate 40-50

students and mentors will join the program this year

– and we look forward to sharing ideas and

experience. Please sign up as a mentor (form on

webpage) and help the next generation of women

Palo Alto AWIS is experimenting with our format.

For years, members have received a paper copy of

the newsletter by mail. We would like to transition to

sending electronic copies by email. This will allow

us to defray the costs of running our AWIS chapter.

If you would like to be among the first to receive your

newsletter in pdf format by email, please contact

Toby Freedman, an AWIS member is creating a

database of informational interviewers for people

seeking career guidance. Such a database can

assist young scientists by giving them the

opportunity to speak with scientists in a variety of

positions. If you would like to connect with other

scientists by attending informational interviews,

Please contact Mirella with any posts for future

and announcements affecting women in science in

While visiting the AWIS web site, be sure to access

the Science Next Wave articles. AWIS has a

Page 4

Microrite, Inc. has been providing assistance to Pharmaceuticals, Medical Device and Biotechnology

Total Quality Management of Microbiological Quality Control.

Plant sanitation problem solving.

Selection and Qualification/Validation of Disinfectants for the manufacturing facilities.

Modifying cleaning procedures for contamination control.

Development of environmental monitoring and water monitoring systems.

Writing/modifying procedures per Current Compendial Requirements.

Evaluation of microbiological data and writing reports

Writing validation protocols, validation of microbiology related equipment.

Onsite training of microbiology laboratory personnel in microbiological methods, aseptic techniques and

microbial identification, including QC personnel with limited understanding of microbiology or nonmicrobiologists.

Auditing QC microbiology laboratories, contract laboratories.

Laboratory and stability data analysis and reports.

Performance of Validation Audits and Report Reviews.

Development and Revision of Quality Assurance Documents and Procedures for Compliance.

Development of, and Assistance with Document Control Systems. Simplification of paper based systems.

Assistance with preparations for Pre-approval Inspections, routine FDA Inspections and State Licensure

Inspections.

Assistance with Compliance Audits.

Assistance with Development of Tracking Systems for Deviations, Out of Specification Results,

Corrective Actions and Quality Investigations.

Batch record review and reports.

Technology Transfer Documentation.

Reconciliation of Clinical Returns, and QA/QC Retains.

Assistance with manufacturing related documentation.

On site training and qualification of manufacturing personnel in aseptic techniques.

5019 New Trier Ave, San Jose, CA 95136

Creativity is a vital resource that can be brought to one’s involvement with visual arts,

science, business, writing, political activism, relationships, and life in general. In Dr.

Zimmerman’s ongoing classes specific practices are taught to cultivate fluid and

inventive approaches that provide a rich complement to linear and analytical skills. This

special evening will provide AWIS members and guests with an experiential introduction

to the nature of the creative state. Bonnie Zimmerman, MD, teaches courses on

creativity and consciousness at Stanford and to a variety of organizations and individuals.

7:00-7:30 pm Networking and light supper

7:30-7:45 pm Announcements

7:45-8:45 pm Program

Take Hwy 280 SOUTH, exit at Page Mill Rd and at the bottom of the ramp turn LEFT and head towards Palo Alto.

Turn RIGHT onto Coyote Hill Road. PARC (formerly Xerox PARC) is on the left, just past the crest of the hill. Enter

Take Hwy 280 NORTH, exit at Page Mill Road, turn RIGHT at the bottom of the off ramp and head up hill towards

Oregon is renamed Page Mill Road. Follow Page Mill Road WEST, cross Foothill Expressway, and take a LEFT on

WEST. Turn LEFT onto Coyote Hill Road. PARC is on the left, (follow directions above to Auditorium).

Dr. Long is also the William C. Steere, Jr.-Pfizer Inc. Professor of Biological

Sciences. Her research on the interactions of microbes and plants has led to

advances in our understanding of the process of nitrogen fixation. Dr. Long

has received numerous awards including membership in the National

Academy of Sciences. Please join us to hear about the research and

7:00-7:30 pm Networking and light supper

7:30-7:45 pm Announcements

7:45-8:45 pm Program

Take Hwy 280 SOUTH, exit at Page Mill Rd and at the bottom of the ramp turn LEFT and head towards Palo Alto.

Turn RIGHT onto Coyote Hill Road. PARC (formerly Xerox PARC) is on the left, just past the crest of the hill. Enter

Take Hwy 280 NORTH, exit at Page Mill Road, turn RIGHT at the bottom of the off ramp and head up hill towards

Oregon is renamed Page Mill Road. Follow Page Mill Road WEST, cross Foothill Expressway, and take a LEFT on

WEST. Turn LEFT onto Coyote Hill Road. PARC is on the left, (follow directions above to Auditorium).

Venture capital is the top of the food chain for investment and management of

biotechnology companies. Join us for a special panel discussion about venture

capital led by three successful leaders in the field. This will be exciting and

informative discussion about careers in venture capitalism and future trends in the

7:00-7:30 pm Networking and light supper

7:30-7:45 pm Announcements

7:45-8:45 pm Program

Take Hwy 280 SOUTH, exit at Page Mill Rd and at the bottom of the ramp turn LEFT and head towards Palo Alto.

Turn RIGHT onto Coyote Hill Road. PARC (formerly Xerox PARC) is on the left, just past the crest of the hill. Enter

Take Hwy 280 NORTH, exit at Page Mill Road, turn RIGHT at the bottom of the off ramp and head up hill towards

Oregon is renamed Page Mill Road. Follow Page Mill Road WEST, cross Foothill Expressway, and take a LEFT on

WEST. Turn LEFT onto Coyote Hill Road. PARC is on the left, (follow directions above to Auditorium).

Page 7