Notes
from the PrezLisa Wang, President
Notes
from the Prez
Lisa Wang, President
Summer is drawing to a close, and
for many of us, the academic calendar is starting up afresh once again. It is the support
from each of you that makes this chapter a reality. Our close to 300 chapter members
comprise ~5% of the total members of AWIS nationally, and the four Bay Area chapters (Palo
Alto, East Bay, Sacramento Valley, and Monterey Bay) together comprise ~10% nationally.
Imagine if each one of us in the Bay Area brings in one friend or colleague as a new AWIS
member, we could double our numbers and represent 20% of the total members of AWIS.
In the coming months, I would like to see our newsletter bring to you highlights of news
from AWIS National in Washington DC as well as updates on the activities of our own
chapter. The Palo Alto chapter web site has been updated and restructured by our two new
webmistresses, Michelle Boytim and Sophia Kuo. Please take a look at the web site and send
us your feedback. Our web team looks forward to contributions of articles about women in
science, career development, and job postings.
In addition to our monthly chapter meetings, we have volunteer programs that reach out
into the community in the form of mentoring and outreach. The mentoring program, which is
chaired by Elizabeth Pavel, pairs up women professionals with women grad students in
science and engineering at Stanford for one-on-one as well as group mentoring activities.
The outreach program, co-chaired by Katy Kuo Korsmeyer and Ann Reisenauer, reaches out to
young people from preschool through high school age through a variety of hands-on
demonstrations, internships, and fairs. The mentoring and outreach committees are
presently recruiting for volunteers. Please see the mailing page for contact on the
various programs.
The strength of the Palo Alto chapter lies in the volunteer efforts of many committed and
enthusiastic individuals. This month, I have highlighted efforts of only a few. If you
have ideas or resources that you would like to share with AWIS Palo Alto, please send me
an email. I look forward to hearing from you!
Kay Brown took over as Chair of Membership in 1999 and she has recruited and trained an excellent crew of new volunteers. You will see Anna Mae Chinn (louisianna@earthlink.net
) on all the email announcements, meeting reminders, etc. Lalitha Subramanian (anantram@pacbell.net) handles updates and database questions. Requests for new member info, brochures, forms, etc. should be directed to Caroline Dando (cdando@stanford.edu). Please say 'hello' to our Membership folks when you attend the next chapter meeting.New Home for Web Page
Michelle Boytim, Co-Webmistress
The Web team is pleased to announce that the AWIS Palo Alto website has
moved to its new, permanent home at www.pa-awis.org.
We hope that the website will be a central information station for the chapter. We have
been busy updating and adding new pages to the web site. New features include: Weekly
updates of job listings…Current Outreach opportunites…Current Calendar of
Events…Online signup for Outreach…Updated list of Board Members
Coming soon: Online change of address for members…Online signup for
Mentoring…Updated Mentoring activities
We would love to hear your comments, suggestions, and questions about our website. Are
there other items you would like to see on the website? Do you have news, job postings, or
other items of interest to our members? Contact us at pa_webteam@ yahoo.com. We
look forward to hearing from you!
Check This Out
Volunteering Opportunities
Mentors are needed for students with science fairs, job internships, and email mentoring. Please email Katy at kuokaty@ricochet.net
if you can help with science education outreach.Love the look of our newsletter and look forward to every issue? It’s easy, give it a try! We’re looking for a new Managing Editor to take over the bimonthly publications. Contact Katy at kuokaty@ricochet.net if you’re interested.
As a global leader in the biotechnology arena, Genencor
International (www.genencor.com) develops and markets innovative enzymes that are
highly efficient and cost-effective. Currently we seek a Research Assistant for our
Immunology team to contribute to our exciting research efforts at our
state-of-the-art- R&D facility in Palo Alto, CA.
Job Description: This RA will provide technical and experimental support in the Immunology
group. The successful candidate will be willing to work with radioactive materials, human
tissues, and standard laboratory animal models. Must be highly motivated, willing to learn
new techniques, keep accurate records, have excellent written and oral communication
skills, and possess a basic familiarity with general computer software packages (MS Word,
Excel, etc.). Job duties include, but are not limited to performing in vitro epitope
mapping assays, including both proliferative and ELISA-based protocols, and assisting with
development, validation and routine performance of novel assays. This RA will interact
with a large, multidisciplinary team, and may assist others as needed on different
projects. Finally, it will be a required part of this job to provide general basic
laboratory maintenance.
Requirements: BS or MS degree in the biological sciences with 1-3 years of experience in
an academic or industrial setting. Formal immunology training is a strong plus. Experience
in culturing mammalian cell lines and performing basic immunological assays, including
flow cytometry, are desirable. Basic molecular biology experience, e.g. PCR and gel
electrophoresis a plus.
We offer a competitive compensation and benefits package, including 3 weeks of paid
vacation, a generous 401(k) matching plan and a retirement plan. For consideration, please
send your resume to: Genencor International, Job Code AWIS0899, FAX:
Bio-Rad is looking for a Technical Support Specialist. Candidates require expertise in protein and nucleic acid electrophoresis and blotting. Email Martha Booz (martha_booz@bio-rad.com).
LongerLiving.com is looking for people with a background in science and/or medicine to write freelance health articles for their new Internet health site. This is a great opportunity for someone who is just starting to explore career options in writing. Interested parties should submit a CV and 2 writing samples to: Mignon Fogarty, Editor-in-Chief, LongerLiving.com, (360-397-8262 fax) or email mignon@welltopia.com (no attachments).
Cupertino-based law firm specializing in technology (including patent) litigation and intellectual property counseling seeks two recent PhD's for part-time, contract work. Ideal candidates have strong written and verbal communication skills, excellent educational backgrounds, and are interested in pursuing a legal career as a patent agent or attorney. If interested, please send your resume or c.v. via email or fax to Jackie N. Nakamura, Day Casebeer Madrid & Batchelder at nakamurajn @daycasebeer.com or 408-255-3254.
Two positions are available at Cell Press to edit Cell, Molecular Cell, Neuron, and Immunity. Senior Editors handle submissions of research articles. Reviews Editors commission minireviews and other reviews. The minimum qualification is a PhD. We have positions of both types available on Cell (starting immediately) and also are interested in considering applications for Neuron and Immunity. Candidates should write to Benjamin Lewin (b.lewin@cell.com) before September 15th.
The Department of Biological Sciences at CSU Hayward is seeking a part-time Lecturer in Cell and Molecular Biology for Winter Quarter, 2000 (January 3-March 15). Applicants should have completed the PhD and post-doctoral fellows are encouraged to apply. Interested applicants should call Dr. Steve Benson at 510-885-3413 for more details.
Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute need Science Writers with an interest in science and medical research for website text, science brochures, and grant applications. Please send c.v. and the number of hours per week available to Julie Brink, PhD (510-428-3340, fax 510-428-3608, jbrink@mail.cho.org), Associate Director of Research, Operations & Technology Transfer, 747 52nd St., Oakland, CA 94609-1809.
Brag Board
Congratulations! Mary Alice Yund was appointed an AWIS fellow in January. Julia Owens was the recipient of the Chancellor's Award for the Advancement of Women on April 7th.
Hurray! Brenda Wallach passed the patent bar in June. Michelle Boytim and Betty Chang both started new jobs this summer.
Please let the Editor know about any exciting new developments that you’d like to share.
Association for Women in Science (AWIS), Palo Alto
Ethical Dilemmas in Genetic Testing
Join us for an evening of lively discussion!
*********************************************************************
LOCATION for BOTH Meetings: SLAC Training Center*********************************************************************
Directions to TRAINING CENTER at Stanford Linear Accelerator (SLAC):
Contact Susan at bernhas@baxter.com (510-723-2094) for more information.
Would you like to meet and encourage more women in science? You are
invited to become a mentor to a women graduate student at Stanford University. A few hours
of your time during this year can have a wonderfully positive impact on a woman scientist
early in her career.
The Mentoring Program is designed to provide support for women pursuing a career in
science/engineering and has been highly successful since it inception in 1991. We provide
an environment such that each participating student has the opportunity to work closely
with a professional woman scientist. The one-on-one mentoring pairs are created based on
similar interests and values in areas such as scientific focus, career growth,
cultural/ethnic background, and work/family goals. We also provide opportunities for
informal mentoring and in-group forums such as our evening topic events and grad student
on-campus lunches.
To maintain and expand our program, we are recruiting for mentors. We inevitably have more
students wanting to be protegees than mentors whom volunteer, so, your participation is
very valuable! If you have any questions or would like to discuss the Mentoring Program in
more detail, please contact one of the members of the Mentoring Committee below or e-mail
AWIS_PAmentoring@yahoo.com. Additional information can also be found at the AWIS-Palo Alto
web site (www.pa-awis.org). The first of our evening events will be held Wednesday,
October 27, 1999. We look forward to seeing you!
The Mentoring Committee
Diane DeNagel diane.denagel@roche.com (W)650-855-5437
Sejal Desai smdesai@clontech.com (W)650-424-8222,x1461
Elizabeth Pavel elizabeth_pavel@gasonics.com (W)408-570-7501
Maia Richardson richard@cgl.ucsf.edu (W)415-502-8229
Melissa Thomas mramser@leland.stanford.edu (W)650-723-0386
Budget Report July’98 – May’99
| INCOME | EXPENSES | ||
| Source | Amount | Source | Amount |
| balance from last bank statement | $ 4,831.22 | Newsletter: 9/98-5/99 | $ 1,905.33 |
| NCC Mentoring reimbursement | $ 1,649.00 | Outreach | $ 389.04 |
| Nat. AWIS outreach program | $ 500.00 | Bridge | $ 230.14 |
| donation | $ 228.00 | Membership | $ 916.55 |
| PA-AWIS T-shirt sales | $ 216.00 | Programs | $ 1,114.38 |
| Nat. AWIS 4/98-1/99 chapter Dues | $ 4,121.00 | Mentoring | $ - |
| subtotal | $11,545.22 | Board meetings | $ 183.66 |
| miscellany total: | $ 1,636.42 | ||
| K. Korsmeyer salary: 8/98-1/99 | $ 670.00 | ||
| PA-AWIS directory | $ 660.60 | ||
| PA-AWIS T-shirts | $ 305.82 | ||
| subtotal | $ 6,375.52 |
Balance as of 5/5/99
$5169.70
Student Interns Can Do
There are many good reasons to take a student intern into your lab. The
students work hard in exchange for experience, and give you an opportunity to try your
hand at teaching. Over the years I have had 5 or 6 interns who worked during summer break,
or during the school year. Most took the internship for credit, all were enrolled in a
biotech program, all had basic lab skills and math/computer competency, and a real
interest in doing lab work.
Most labs have more projects than they have time and personnel to complete. Student
interns are new to science so even routine projects have great appeal. Repetition presents
the student with the chance to master a technique and really get good at something. I once
'hired' an intern to work on a project that generated samples for SDS-PAGE and western
blot. The student was awesome. She trained easily, turned out tons of gels and westerns,
and, in the end, gave us a fine presentation on her work. She got a lot out of her
internship, and we got a lot of work done in return.
Contact Katy Korsmeyer (kuokaty@scientist.com),
our Outreach Chair, to find out how you can get a student intern.
Tama Olver, VP and Chief Officer, Informix Software and Advisory Board
Member of WITI, was our speaker for the May 13th program. She led our discussion of the
role of women in leadership.
The question, "What is missing in leadership?" elicited a long list of
answers.
"Sharing.…Mentoring….Communication…FeedbackFlexibility…Cooperation…"
The quick responses to this question from the fifty AWIS members and guests indicated that
many of us have experienced less than desirable leadership at some time in our working
lives.
We also considered what it takes to make an organization and its people function well
together. One of the high points of the evening occurred when we all considered what it
would be like if each of us were unconditionally committed to the success of our
coworkers.
Tama Olver believes that it is finally politically acceptable to suggest that women and
men are different. Furthermore, she believes that we must discover the important style
differences between male and female managers and exploit these differences to improve the
working environment.
Time for Financial Planning
I was idly perusing the Palo Alto Adult Education booklet for Fall 1999 when one item jumped out at me: a class in "Women's Investment Issues". It's a 4-week class being taught Tuesday nights by a woman and you need a calculator, so, I think it will be practical and hands-on. If you're like me, it is on your list to become more informed about your personal financial options. Here's another chance! PLUS, AWIS Palo Alto has chosen to focus the September meeting on a similar topic: Personal Financial Planning, with a seminar by Ms. Mickey Hong. Check calendar listing (p. 9) for the class schedule and the full-page flyer (p. 3) for details on our meeting. Hope to see you there!
Meeting On BioEthics
If you're interested in the BioEthics of genetic testing, you will not want to miss the October chapter meeting when we present Dr. Mildred Cho, Senior Research Scholar at Stanford Center for BioMedical Ethics. Be prepared for an evening of lively discussion. Dr Cho will focus on genetic testing for BRCA1 and BRCA2 in breast and ovarian cancers. BRCA1 and 2 proteins are thought to be involved in DNA repair and seem to be tumor suppressors. Normally, they are expressed in all people. Genetic testing raises a wide range of other issues, including privacy, genetic discrimination, "individualized medicine", pharmacogenomics, etc. You may also want to check out a related article in the Summer 1999 issue of the National AWIS Magazine. The article is on transcription profiling of the human genome, a technique for better diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy of breast cancer. See you Monday, October 18th, for this exciting program.
June Networking Social
It was on a nice, cool early evening that we had our June Networking Social. We were all out on the patio with our slice of pizza, fresh fruits, drinks and a choice of ice cream (ranging from Dreyer's homemade vanilla ice cream to sherbet and sorbets). All quite yummy, but one couldn't possibly taste them all! We moved indoors and sat down in pre-arranged circle of chairs. Each person told others in the circle about herself: her occupation, interests, etc. Then we played a sort of "musical chairs" where each person moved to another circle and met new people. I learned a bit about immunology, the role of NK cells, and the research being conducted on them. Overall, the June Networking Social was great - I came, I met new people and I learned!
AWIS Palo Alto Mentoring Program 1999-2000
Mentor Profile Form
Please e-mail responses to AWIS_PAmentoring@yahoo.com
or snail-mail to Elizabeth Pavel, 1098 Morton Court, Mountain View, CA 94040
Submission deadline is October 28, 1999
Name:
Company: Job Title/Function:
Work Address:
Work Phone:
Home Address:
Home Phone:
E-mail:
Preferred Mailing Address: home / work / e-mail
Did you participate in the Mentoring Program last year (survey question)? Yes / No
Would you like to volunteer to be a mentor? Yes / No
Would you like to volunteer to be a phone/e-mail resource for three or four women graduate
students? Yes / No
Is it important to you to have a protegee who shares the same scientific interests? Yes
/ No
Please list degrees your have obtained, including the major, school, and date:
Please list career experience, including job function, industry, and years of experience:
On an additional page, please include any information for which you would feel comfortable
as acting as a resource (special interests, career changes, problems/conflicts with your
major advisor, a thesis committee that fell apart, encountering different expectations for
you vs. male peers, factors affecting your selection of career path, combining family and
career, etc.)
…Colleen Woo as our new co-chair of the Programs Committee!
Colleen graduated from Stanford with a Ph.D. in Immunology. Her graduate research involved
studies concerning acute myeloid leukemia. She is now a research analyst at a consulting
firm named BioMedical Insights, Inc. The company performs market and technology
assessments, pharmacoeconomic analyses, and managed care marketing strategies for
biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. She has been a member of the Programs
committee since 1998 and has recruited speakers for the monthly seminars at SLAC. "We
want to design the seminars such that over the course of the year, various topics will be
presented that hopefully will be of interest to everyone. We want to encourage
participation in AWIS from graduate students, as well as individuals in the
workforce."
If Colleen had any spare time, she enjoys swing dancing, roller blading, hiking, and
attending plays/musicals. Let’s all applaud Colleen in taking on her new
responsibilities.
...Elizabeth Pavel as our new Mentoring Chair. She has been
involved in AWIS since her undergraduate work at Amherst College, except that AWIS stood
for "Amherst Women in Science" then. She participated as a protegee in Mentoring
for three years, while working on her PhD in bioinorganic chemistry at Stanford. In 1998,
she joined both the Programs and Mentoring Committees and participated as a mentor.
Elizabeth has been working as a Process Development Engineer at GaSonics International,
headquartered in San Jose. GaSonics makes equipment for semiconductor manufacturing (www.
gasonics.com). The equipment that she demonstrates and tests is used to remove photoresist
and other residues from the wafers after the etch process using ionized gases (plasma).
Regarding the mentoring program, Elizabeth states "as a former
protegee, I feel that the mentoring program provides a much-needed support mechanism for
women pursuing advanced degrees in the male-dominant fields of science and engineering. I
was lucky enough to fall into the AWIS mentoring program at a critical time during my
graduate career, a time when I was seriously thinking of throwing in the towel. While I
never felt my being a "women in science" was an issue, I did find the lack of
visible and accessible role models disappointing. Having a one-on-one mentor was a big
help, but the evening events were just as helpful. Knowing that there were women out there
who had been through the PhD process, gone through the same problems, had the same
self-doubts, and survived. The Mentoring Program showed me I was definitely not alone,
that there were many other women scientists-in-progress out there who wanted support, and
more importantly, there were many women scientists willing to give it. I'd like to see
more of our members not only volunteer to participate as one-on-one mentors, but also come
to the evening programs."
Please introduce yourselves to Elizabeth and her colleagues on the mentoring committee!
Contact information can be found in the accompanying article on page 4.
Thirty-five women gathered on Thursday July 22nd to enjoy a wonderful
summer program given by Dr. Linda Shore, co-Director of the Teacher Institute at the
Exploratorium. The topic was "Children as Scientists".
Dr. Shore believes that children are natural scientists and that sometime during their
early education, their scientific curiosity is lost. Children need science programs that
are inquiry- and discovery-based, cooperative, concrete, and conceptual. For these and
other reasons, Dr. Shore and her colleagues have created several books of science
activities for families to enjoy together. Her goal is to help us "See science
everywhere!"
We participated in several activities that evening. It was certainly entertaining to watch
each other plucking at the yarn that was wrapped around our heads ("Head Harps")
or trying to quickly say aloud the color of the print of the written words rather than the
words themselves ("Red, White, Blue"). In case anyone in the room had forgotten,
we were once again reminded that science is indeed fun.
The Exploratorium’s website can be found at www.exploratorium.edu and the books, The
Scientific Explorer, and, The Scientific Explorer: Out and About, provide more
science fun.
Expanding Your Horizons Conference
We would like to invite you to participate in the 22nd annual "Expanding Your Horizons in Math, Science and Engineering Conference" on a Saturday in March, 2000. Over 800 6-9th grade girls come to the San Jose State University campus to attend workshops presented by women scientists.
If you
prefer to do something other than give a workshop, volunteers are needed for various
things -- some are jobs to do ahead, others on the conference day. Please let Sally
Veregge (veregge@biomail.sjsu.edu,
408-924-4880) or Marilyn Blockus (blockus@mathcs.sjsu.edu,
408-924-5115) know soon if you are interested in participating in any way. Let them know
you’re from PA-AWIS! Your Outreach Committee will also gladly provide support.
Contact Katy (kuokaty@ricochet.net) for
workshop activities, supplies, a partner, or just lots of encouragement!
k k k k k
"Success or failure is determined more by mental attitude than by mental capacity." - Walter Dill Scott
AWIS-PA Chapter
OUTREACH PROGRAM VOLUNTEER SIGN-UP FORM
Mail the completed form to Katy Korsmeyer
or sign up on our webpage under Outreach
http://www.pa-awis.org/
NAME:
ADDRESS:
Phone #:
Email:
PROFESSION:
SCIENCE SPECIALTY:
ACTIVITIES YOU WOULD LIKE TO PARTICIPATE IN: Please check ALL that appeals to you. (The
Outreach Committee can suggest activity ideas and reimburse for supplies.)
___ Workshop presenter for EYH Conference
___ Young Explorers (hands-on classroom science)
___ Will mentor 1 or 2 students for job internships
___ Email mentoring for 1 or group of students
___ Be a Guest Scientist or Judge for career days
___ Be a mentor for a science fair project
C A L E N D A R o f E V E N T S
Investment
Issues
Tuesday s, September 14 — October 5
7:30 - 9:30 pm
Palo Alto Adult School
(Palo Alto residency not required)
Women's Investment Issues
Instructor: Ms. Sigrid Taylor, CFP
Cost: $40 Class Number PA 715
650-329-3752 or fax 650-329-8515
NCPDG Dinner Networking
Wednesday, September 15
6:00 — 9:00 pm
Clarion Hotel, Millbrae
Speaker: Dr Shabbir Annik, Oread
Cost: $40 pre-registered
Email ncpdg@aol.com to RSVP
Palo Alto Board Meeting
Thursday, September 16
7:00 — 9:00 pm
Home of Katy Korsmeyer
Please contact Karen at klowe@beckman.com or
650-859-1307
Finances for Your Future
Thursday, September 23
7:00 — 9:00 pm
SLAC Training Center
2575 Sand Hill Road, Palo Alto
Personal Financial Planning: Investing for Your Future
Speaker: Ms. Mickey Hong, Merrill Lynch
See p. 3 for more directions
Contact Jane L (Jane.Leong@rp-rorer. com) or Susan B (510-723-2094)
ebAWIS Program
Thursday, September 23
Bayer Corporation, Berkeley
"Tips to Maximize Your Career Potential"
Speaker: Gail Schechter
Contact Martha L. Booz at mlbooz@calnatives.com
or go to http://www.ebawis.org/
Hike Around the Dish
Science and Ethics
NCPDG Dinner Meeting
Windy Hill Hike
EYH Conference
GGGG
MentorshipFrom NCPDG
Women Leaders 2000
"Women Leaders 2000: A Symposium for Women in University
Settings"
Forum for women to explore ways to gain access to positions of leadership in higher
education
Speakers: Chin-Ning Chu, author of Do Less, Achieve More
Julianne Malveaux, columnist and economist
Pat Heim, author of Hard Ball for Women
Featuring a keynote panel on leadership with UCSC Chancellor MRC Greenwood, UCLA Vice
Chancellor Claudia Kernan-Mitchell and UCSB Vice Chancellor France Cordova
Sponsored by: Center for Gender Equity, UCSF
For more information, please call 415-476-5222 or check http://www.ucsf.edu/cge