AWIS-WV
Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 1, Jan 1995
Plans for EYH95 Well Underway
Report from the Executive Board
AWIS-WV Gets Grant
Call for Newsletter Editor and New Chapter Logo
Of Note ...
AWIS-WV Continues to Grow and Grow
Report on the Fourth Annual Chapter Business Meeting
Current AWIS-WV Officers
Plans for EYH95 Underway
Two Expanding Your Horizons conferences will be held this spring. The Chapter has been awarded a grant from the Sex Equity Program, WV Department of Education, and a grant for public service from the WVU Foundation, to support these mentoring programs for junior high school girls. The first EYH workshop is scheduled for March 25th at the USDA Agricultural Research Service Lab in Beckley, and the second on April 8 at Marshall University. The Marshall EYH is being organized by Susan DeMesquita and the Huntington branch of the AAUW, headed by Dee Cook. The Beckley EYH is spearheaded by Joyce Foster and Shiela Zeto, President of the Beckley Branch of AAUW. Registration materials are prepared and ready to distribute. AAUW members have a well-planned recruitment strategy of personal visits to area junior high schools, Girl Scout meetings and visits to other community groups. Through the publicity from last year's conferences, and the tireless efforts of many AWIS-WV members, the word is out that the EYH conferences are fun, very well-presented, a unique experience for the girls and an invaluable networking opportunity for WV scientists. For further information, contact Judith Westerik (800-356-7836 x289).Report from the Executive Board
An Executive Board meeting was held Jan 21 at Flatwoods, WV, despite the first real snow of the winter. Plans for the upcoming EYH conference were discussed, along with new grant applications, and nominees for the upcoming elections. A slate of candidates is being assembled by Beth Adams (SAY YES IF SHE CALLS YOU!) and will be sent out to the membership for election-by-mail in April. New officers will take over at the annual business meeting in May, and will serve two year terms.AWIS-WV Gets Grant
Support for AWIS-WV mentoring activities is growing. The Chapter was awarded a grant from National AWIS to participate in their National Science Foundation-supported program aimed at mentoring undergraduate female science, math and engineering students. The first event will be a Spring Reception on March 31st for women science majors, co-sponsored with the WVU Center for Women Studies. The featured speaker will be Dr. Anne Bastille, an ecologist and author, Commissioner of New York State's Andirondack Park Agency, and internationally recognized advocate for wildlife and wildland conservation. (Call Betsy Walker, 304-293-2212, for details). The
Chapter has applied for funding from the Sex Equity program and the EPSCOR
program to support expenses for EYH96 (planned for Morgantown and the
Eastern Panhandle), and chapter members are talking with EPSCOR directors
about funding for a program to mentor women faculty and women scientists
in post-doctoral and non-tenure-track positions.
The
officers of the Chapter welcome any leads our members may have on other
funding sources.
Call for Newsletter Editor and New Chapter Logo
The Chapter newsletter is currently sent out to nearly 400 people in the State, a group including women scientists and engineers in government, industry and academia, science teachers, and public officials. It has become the major form of communication within the Chapter, and a crucial method for expanding and solidifying our network. The Chapter has grown so much, and the workload along with it, that now is the time to create a new "position" in the Chapter, Newsletter Editor. We need someone who has access to a fax machine, e-mail and word processing, and enjoys gathering news and writing, to put together the newsletter four times a year. Chapter funds will permit financial compensation for your effort, on the order of $100 per issue, plus covering all expenses of duplication and mailing. Anyone who is interested in doing this very important job, please contact Beth Adams. In the meantime, send announcements, news items and news of your accomplishments to Dale Birkle (address below). On
a related issue, we need a new, snappy logo for the newsletter masthead
and the Chapter stationary. If you have any ideas, send them to Dale Birkle
or one of the other officers.
Of Note ...
A new study on the forces that shape women's decisions to study science has been released by the Center for Research on Women in Science at Wellesley College. "Pathways for Women in Science" is available by calling 617-283-2500. Women's
Day at the Legislature will be held Feb 14, 1995. This annual
event is a day of skill-building, activism and inspiration sponsored by
the WV Women's Commission and other statewide women's organizations. This
year the 75th anniversary of women's suffrage will be celebrated with
workshops to learn and build political skills, an information fair, a
public forum on gender bias in the court system, a keynote address by
Barbara Baxter, the first female president of the WV State Bar, and social
events. Information and registration can be obtained by calling 1-800-723-7151.
The pre-registration deadline is Feb 8, on-site registration may be limited
or unavailable.
"The
Paradox of Critical Mass for Women in Science" appeared as part of a policy
forum in the Oct 7, 1994 issue of Science (vol 266, pp 51-54).
The article explores the phenomenon of critical mass not necessarily improving
opportunities for women in academia.
Research
Day, an annual event showcasing research conducted at WVU School
of Medicine, will be held on April 7, noon to 6pm at various locations
at the Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center. Call 304-293-7206 for further
information.
AWIS-WV Continues to Grow and Grow
The membership of AWIS-WV continues to increase, thanks to the dedicated recruiting efforts of our members and the growing network of educators and community leaders who recognize our great work in the State. Our official membership now stands at about 60. Welcome
to the following new members who joined National AWIS and the WV Chapter
in 1994.
Nina
Turner, Morgantown
Munjula Ibrahim, Morgantown
Terri Blake, Morgantown
Sheila Kay Zeto, Beaver
Sandra Denardis, Wheeling
Margaret Mattson, Morgantow
Also
many thanks to those of you who have been long-standing members of National
AWIS and have added chapter dues to your yearly payment.
As
always, a membership application is enclosed with this newsletter. Many
of you reading this have been put on our mailing list by recommendation,
or through lists we have obtained from other groups. We are thrilled to
have such a large network and truly want to spread the word about our
activities to as wide an audience as possible. We are fortunate that our
financial situation allows for that, but a time may come when we have
to reduce our mailings to Chapter members and subscribers only. Please
consider sending in Chapter dues (send application directly to Dale Birkle),
or better yet, joining the Chapter and National AWIS (send application
to National AWIS), where you help to support dozens of activities that
help women scientists throughout the USA and the world (and you get a
slick, bimonthly newsmagazine too!).
Report on the Fourth Annual Chapter Business Meeting
The fourth annual AWIS-WV business meeting was held May 21, 1994, in Parsons, WV, hosted by Beth Adams and the US Forest Service. Beth presented an introductory talk, explaining who the Forest Service is, the important role of research in the Forest Service's mission, and an overview of the research conducted on the Fernow Experimental Forest in Parsons. The Fernow Forest is one of the oldest experimental forests in the nation, with research records going back to the 1950's. Such unbroken data records are unique, making the Fernow Forest a very valuable research tool. After this introduction, and a brief tour of the Timber and Watershed Laboratory, the business meeting was held. The treasurer and secretary gave their reports, and the success of the EYH workshops in Williamson and Charleston was shared in a slide presentation. We discussed what we had learned from our first EYH workshops and how to improve the 1995 series. Plans were made for Chapter activities in 1995, and proposals for new programs were presented. The children returned from child care and joined us for a box lunch, then we were off with Beth as our guide for a tour of the Fernow Experimental Forest. We enjoyed a lovely spring afternoon exploring the experimental watersheds and beautiful hardwood forests, finding salamanders and native plants, and discussing forestry, soil and environmental research. The generous, multi-disciplinary sharing of expertise was an enriching and educational experience for all.Current AWIS-WV Officers
Mary Beth Adams, AWIS-WV PresidentUSDA Forest Service
Timber Laboratory
Parsons, WV 26287
phone: 304-478-2000
fax: 304-478-8692
email: /S=B.Adams/ou1=r09F21D01A@mhs-fswa.attmail.com
Joyce
Foster, AWIS-WV President-Elect
USDA-Agricultural Research Service
Appalachian Soil and Water Conservation Research Lab
P.O. Box 867, Airport Road
Beckley, WV 25802-0867
phone: 304-252-2809
fax: 304-256-2921
Dale
Birkle, AWIS-WV Treasurer
WVU-Health Sciences Center
Pharmacology
P.O. Box 9223
Morgantown, WV 26506-9223
phone: 304-293-5798
fax: 304-293-6854
email: birkle@wvnvm.wvnet.edu
Judith
Westerik, AWIS-WV Secretary
WV School of Osteopathic Medicine
Biochemistry
Lewisburg, WV
phone: 800-356-7836 x289
fax: 304-645-4859
Betsy
Walker, AWIS-WV Past-President
WVU-Health Sciences Center
Anatomy
P.O. Box 9128
Morgantown, WV 26506-9128
phone: 304-293-2212
fax: 304-293-8159
