AWIS-WV Newsletter
Volume 6 Issue 2, Aug 1995

Highlights ...


EYH95 A Big Success

On Saturday, March 25, 1995, 136 girls from Raleigh, Putnam, Nicholas, Mercer, Greenbrier, and Fayette counties gathered at the USDA, Agricultural Research Service, Appalachian Soil and Water Conservation Research Laboratory (ASWCRL) to participate in Beckley's first Expanding Your Horizons in Science and Mathematics conference. The day's activities began with a motivational keynote address given by ASWCRL Biologist Sheila Zeto, a Logan County native, and winner of the 1995 Celebrate Women Award, who encouraged the girls to pursue their career goals in spite of obstacles they may have to overcome.

On Saturday, April 8th, 197 girls from the Huntington area attended the first EYH conference at Marshall University. The keynote address was a rousing pep talk given by Dr. Susan DeMesquita, Professor of Physiology and winner of the 1992 Celebrate Women Award. Susan had the girls chanting "I want to be a scientist" by the end of her presentation!

In both Beckley and Huntington, the girls spent their day participating in hands-on workshops and attending career panels. These sessions provided laboratory and field experiences, introduced applied mathematics and statistics, and provided opportunities to use specialized equipment, see a multi-disciplinary research facility, and interact with professional women from educational institutions, government agencies, business, and industry (see article below for a list of the workshops).

In Beckley, local radio and TV stations promoted the conference, and the Beckley newspaper provided comprehensive pre- and post-conference coverage. WOAY-TV in Oakhill produced an excellent news segment the day of the conference. A videotape of Beckley conference events was made by the ASWCRL. These tapes and photos are available for use in your recruiting, fundraising or mentoring efforts by contacting Joyce Foster (address below).

Thanks For Making EYH95 A Reality!!

EYH95 could not happen without the tireless efforts of a virtual army of dedicated women (and a few men!) working as planners, workshop leaders, panelists, registrars, guides, trouble-shooters and supporters.

Pre-registration of 400 or so girls was handled by Judith Westerik. The Beckley, Huntington and Charleston branches of the American Association of University Women took care of the site preparation, planning, and the on-site logistics of crowd control, registration, and food. Special thanks to Sheila Zeto, Dee Cook , Karen Coleman, Dotty Chandler and all the other AAUW members who pitched in. Local chapters of Delta Kappa Gamma, members of Show of Hands, and staff of the ASWCRL also assisted with local arrangements in Beckley.

Funding for the EYH program was provided by the West Virginia Department of Education Sex Equity Program, the Marshall University Foundation, and the West Virginia University Foundation.

The hands-on workshops were the core of the program. Titles and presenters were:

Oooh! What is it?, Robin Simmons, dental hygienist;
Bubble, Drip, Swoosh!, Joyce Foster, biochemist/plant physiologist;
A Walk in the Wild: My Life with Insects, Peggy Powell, entomologist;
From Trash to Treasure, Cathy Engle, forest products technologist;
Ride the Brain Wave, Susan DeMesquita, physiologist;
Geoboard Geometry, Linda Hunt, mathematician;
Redwoods of the East?, Lucille Griffin, plant pathologist;
Explore the Human Body with a Computer, Jan Fox, computer scientist;
Are You What You Eat?, Linda Vona-Davis, biochemist;
Put Out to Pasture, Joyce Ruckle, forage agronomist;
Old McDonald Needs You!, Ruth Ann Vandevender, veterinarian;
A Splash in Time, Elsa Cook, hydrologist;
Do Plants Pass Gas?, Sheila Zeto, biologist;
Molecular Traffic Cop, Barbara White, chemist;
Gurgle, Gurgle, Swish, Joyce McCune, environmental engineer;
Small, But Not Insignificant!, Ramona Willis, microbiologist;
Lights, Sound, Action!, Tara Walter and Lisa Malanowske, TV production assistants;
Prepared for the Hereafter?, Jeanne Attili, funeral director and embalmer;
Ooey, Gooey Polymers, Kathy Covert and Jane Mills, chemists;
Whodunit?, Janet Satterfield, criminologist;
Can You Ask a Plant a Question?, Lisa Ferrara, botanist;
Unravel the Mystery of the Gene Sequence, Joyce Royland, cell biologist;
Be a Molecular Magician!, Judith Westerik, biochemist;
MOOOOve Over, I'm Hungry, Lee File, animal scientist;
Is It Right?, Pam Umberger, chemical engineer;
Water, Water Everywhere, But Not a Drop to Drink, Agnes Spicer, aquaculturist;
Brainstorming, Betsy Walker, anatomist, and Dale Birkle, pharmacologist;
Land Your Jet Here!, Maureen Donelly and Cindy Mahafkey, air traffic controllers;
Timber!, Jane Bard, forester;
Drugs 'R Us, Monica Valentovic, pharmacologist;
Observe Yourself through Others' Eyes, Elaine Baker, Marianna Footo-Linz and Jane York, psychologists;
Great Expectations, Laura Adkins, mathematician;
Shape Up! Better Figures by Computer, Karen Mitchell, Sarah Davis, Laurie Fox and Zheng Gao, mathematicians;
Exploding Pentaminos, Linda Hamilton, mathematician;
Patty Paper Geometry, Carol Perry, mathematician;
Triangle Talk, Kay Thompson, mathematician;
Aviation Electronics, Kimberly Beach, Shirlee Coppo, Federal Aviation Administration;
Hello in There!, Beverly Delidow, Kristy Blankenship, and Anna Preece, physiologists;
Out of the World Adventures, Edna Meisel, astronomer;
Soil is Not a Dirty Word, Beth Adams, soil scientist;
Can Vampires Taste the Difference?, Susan Jackman, Marcia Finucane, Jodi Cisco, and Sara Samasky, immunologists;
Go Walk-About, Karen Simpkins, anthropologist;
Interpreting the Natural Environment, Margaret Gripshover, geographer; and
Name that Tune, Manjula Ibrahim, physicist.

Career panels gave the students a chance to learn firsthand about the wide variety of opportunities in science and math fields. Most of the workshop leaders did double-duty as career panelists. Other panelists were: Emmy Shirkey, data transmissions technologist; Tammi Woodrum, park ranger; Rhonda Shepperd, anatomist/physiologist; Lisa Edwards, civil engineer; April King, pharmacist; Pam Klug, audiologist; Mildred Battle, mathematician, Susan Baligar, certified public accountant, Jame McCumbee, mathematician; Evelyn Puppolo-Cody, mathematician; Lori Leaseburge, medical student; Kim Burgess, physician; Terri Lambert, civil engineer, Stacey Knox, medical student; Nancy Norton, chemist, Donna Gillian, EEG technologist; Susan Strait-Holman, anthropologist; and Cathy Allman, medical student.

The parents and teachers who accompanied students to the conferences attended seminars and career panels. Seminars, held concurrently with student sessions, addressed a wide variety of topics related to career selection and preparation. Speakers and their subjects were: Donna Smith, Identifying Gender-Fair, Reality-Based Careers; Agnes Spicer, Parent's Guide to Students' Career Preparation; Jack Toney, Financial Aid for College; Mildred Battle, Fighting Math Anxiety; Vanessa Thompson, Student Life Skills: Helping Girls Develop Time- and Stress-Management Skills; Dotty Chandler, Hostile Hallways: Sexual Harassment at School; Nadine Hamrick, College Admission and Financial Aid; Barbara James, Returning to College: The Value of Work Experience; Justine Bowman and Maxine Loudermilk, Be the Boss: Own Your Own Business.

A Message From The President

Greetings! We have just completed a successful year under the leadership of Mary Beth Adams, and on behalf of the membership of AWIS-WV, I want to thank her and other members of the Executive Committee for their dedicated efforts. I especially want to acknowledge Dale Birkle, Susan DeMesquita, and Betsy Walker for their fund-raising activities that have made chapter projects possible.

The year ahead holds much promise and excitement. Development of an EPSCoR grants program to enhance opportunities for women in science and mathematics in West Virginia will be a major effort of the chapter (see article below). In addition, we will provide the EYH experience for girls in the northern part of West Virginia with a conference in Morgantown in the Spring of 1996. Increased visibility of AWIS-WV, already a consequence of our presence on the World Wide Web (see below), will be enhanced through our nomination of Susan DeMesquita for a Board position at the national level.

The limited number of scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in West Virginia and the wide distribution of these individuals across the state make networking an important and beneficial objective for AWIS-WV. Your new chapter officers have accepted the challenge you have presented them. Their challenge to you is to participate actively in chapter functions. I look forward to seeing you at our fall and spring chapter meetings. Your ideas and suggestions are always welcome, and your energy and enthusiasm are needed.

Joyce Foster, AWIS-WV President

A Message From The Outgoing Treasurer

Serving as treasurer for the past 6 years has been a great learning experience and a wonderful opportunity to network with women around the State. Although our income from dues and donations is pretty small, we have obtained some grants that have financed MANY very important mentoring and networking activities. The generous donation of time from our members and supporters has been the other major factor in our success "on a shoestring." I wish I could say that I am leaving the treasury in stable condition, generally considered to be a balance of five times the operating expenses, which for us would be in the neighborhood of $4,000. Instead, we have a balance of about $600 in chapter funds, with our EYH and NSF grants fully encumbered. So my final word is "keep those dues coming", and if you hear of any sources of funds, including possible benefactors in the community, please follow up!!

Dale Birkle, Outgoing Treasurer

Attention: AWIS Membership Directory

The membership directory for the AWIS-WV Chapter is still in the works. Please help us to make this as accurate as possible by checking your mailing label. Make any corrections, add phone and fax numbers, and e-mail addresses, and send to Dale Birkle, or e-mail her at birkle@wvnvm.wvnet.edu . She hopes to have the directory finished and distributed by the Fall of 1995.

AWIS-WV Awarded EPSCoR Grant

Support for AWIS-WV mentoring activities is growing. Largely through the efforts of Susan DeMesquita, AWIS-WV has received a grant from WV-EPSCoR (Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research funded by the National Science Foundation) to fund a mentoring project for female and minority professional scientists. The proposal was approved for $20,000, with $20,000 needed in matching funds. The Women and Minorities program will solicit one-page grant applications from individuals for up to $1000 dollars for the following items: travel money to attend meetings and/or establish research contacts; supplies for research or educational purposes; stipends for student research; funds to organize conferences. More details will be available in the fall by contacting Susan DeMesquita (phone: 696-7356, fax 696-7381; e-mail her at dac007@marshall.wvnet.edu).

The Chapter has received funding from the WV Department of Education Sex Equity program to partially support expenses for EYH96 (planned for Morgantown), however other support is still needed. The officers of the Chapter welcome any leads our members may have on funding sources.

AWIS-WV Speaks Out For Research

Letters were sent to Senators Byrd and Rockefeller reminding them of the many important contributions of university-based research. A fact sheet prepared by the Council of Scientific Society Presidents was included. AWIS-WV requested their support in upcoming budget battles in the US Senate.

AWIS-WV On The WEB

The AWIS-WV Chapter's World-Wide Web site has been constructed with the help of Dave Walker of the Department of Computer Science at Marshall University. The web location is

http://consult.hsc.wvu.edu/awis/

Current items include a calendar of upcoming events, the AWIS-WV newsletter, a directory of members and friends, and links to National AWIS, national and international projects, other women's and girls' organizations, and other resources. The site is always under construction, and new information can be sent to Linda Vona-Davis..

Call for Newsletter Editor and 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 Lisa Ferrara. In the meantime, send announcements, news items and news of your accomplishments to Lisa Ferrara (address below), or e-mail her at wt123101@wvnvms.wvnet.edu.

On a related issue, we need a new, snappy logo for the newsletter masthead and the Chapter stationery. If you have any ideas, send them to Lisa.

Kudos To Our Members!

Sheila Zeto is the winner of the 1995 Celebrate Women Award in the category of Science. This award is presented by the West Virginia Governor's Commission on Women. Sheila has also received the 1995 Public Service Award given by the Beckley Area Federal Association.

Tomasina Redd recently published a paper in the Februrary 1995 issue of Microbiology.

Dale Birkle recently published a paper in the June 1995 issue of Brain Research. Dale was also appointed Parlimentarian of the American Society for Neurochemistry.

Nancy Giles was promoted to Associate Professor and granted tenure in the Department of Physics at WVU. Dr. Giles is the first woman to earn tenure in the Physics Department at WVU.

A $50,000 grant has been awarded through the NASA EPSCoR program to develop optical materials for use in NASA systems. Nancy Giles, Tomasina Redd and Tom Myers are the principal investigators. The grant will foster a collaboration between Alderson-Broaddus College and WVU, and will specifically promote the participation of undergraduate women in the project. Nancy credits her AWIS-WV contacts in helping to foster this collaboration.

Joyce Foster is serving as Treasurer of the Federal Executive Potential Program Alumni Association. She is also a member of the USDA Agricultural Research Service Strategic Planning Team.

Ruth Ann Davis, professor of biology and chemisty, was honored as Potomac State College's Outstanding Professor of the Year. The award recognizes excellence in teaching, community service and professional development or research.

Erica Harvey was awarded a WV-NSF/EPSCoR Instrumentation grant for enhancing undergraduate education and research at Fairmont State College with a UNIX workstation.

Of Note ...

The first issue of "Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering" was published in June 1994. The purpose of the journal is to publish original, peer-reviewed papers that report innovative ideas and programs; scientific studies; and formulation of concepts related to the education, recruitment, and retention of underrepresented groups in science and engineering. To receive guidelines for manuscript preparation or to submit a curriculum vita if you are interested in reviewing papers for the journal, contact: Kathy Wager, Editorial Assistant, Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, Women's Research Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 10 Sandy Hall, Room 10, Blacksburg, VA 24061-0338; 703-231-0296 (fax: 703-231-7669; e-mail: jrlwmse@vt.edu.).

Vivian Sheldon Epstein has written and illustrated The History of Women in Science for Young People, a useful resource for those who teach or mentor young people. The book is available through VSE Publishers, 212 S. Dexter ST., #115, Denver, CO 80222; 303-322-7450. The hardcover price is $14.95; softcover is $7.95. ISBN 0-9601002-7-X.

The Brandeis Summer Odyssey Program invites proposals for courses to be taught next summer. The proposals and instructors selected will form the curriculum and faculty of the Brandeis Summer Odyssey Academy. Brandeis Summer Odyssey, a challenging 4-week residential experience held on the Brandeis University campus in Waltham, Massachusetts, encourages analytical thinking and hands-on learning experiences, with special emphasis given to scientific topics. Participants are talented high school students between the ages of 14 and 17 years old who are chosen from a nationwide pool of applicants. The deadline for submission of proposals is September 15th. For further information, contact Daniel Terris, Assistant Provost, Brandies University, PO Box 9110, Waltham, MA 02254-9110.

News From National AWIS

The Executive Board of National AWIS has proposed a revision to the original mission statement of AWIS, which reads "Promoting opportunities for women and girls to enter the sciences and to achieve their career goals." The new statement would read "To Achieve equity and full participation for women in science and technology". The Executive Board seeks reaction to this proposed mission statement. Fax comments to 202-408-8321 or e-mail to awis@access.digex.net.

The National AWIS Executive Board has issued a call for nominations for AWIS President-elect, Teasurer, Secretary and Councilor (2 positions). The Chapter plans to nominate Susan DeMesquita for Councilor. Do not hesitate to nominate yourself. Contact Ellen Weaver at 202-408-0742 (phone) for more information.

Report From The Annual Business Meeting

The Annual Chapter meeting was held on May 20th at Flatwoods, WV. There was much discussion of the EYH conferences, and the 1995 crew offered many suggestions for planning for next year. The consensus was that the 1996 EYH conference will be a single, larger one (300 girls) to be held in Morgantown at WVU.

Some ideas for future AWIS activities were discussed. These included field trips or other social events to encourage networking, increasing our contacts with women working in industry, increasing our contacts with science teachers, putting together press packets on Chapter activities, formulating long-term goals and defining our mission, and defining strategies for fund-raising. Any thoughts you may have on these topics are welcomed--please contact Joyce Foster.

Current AWIS-WV Officers

Joyce Foster, President
Appalachian Soil and Water Conservation Research Lab
USDA-Agricultural Research Service
P.O. Box 867, Airport Road
Beckley, WV 25802-0867
phone: 304-252-2809
fax: 304-256-2921

Dale Birkle, President-Elect
Pharmacology
WVU-Health Sciences Center
P.O. Box 9223
Morgantown, WV 26506-9223
phone: 304-293-5798
fax: 304-293-6854
e-mail: birkle@wvnvm.wvnet.edu

Lisa Ferrara, Secretary
Biology
WV Institute of Technology
Montgomery, WV 25136
phone: 304-442-3363
fax: 304-442-3479
e-mail: wt123101@wvnvms.wvnet.edu

Jeanne Sullivan, Treasurer
Biology Department
West Virginia Wesleyan College
59 College Ave
Buckhannon, WV 26201
phone: 304-473-8125
fax: 304-472-2571
e-mail: sullivan@academ.wvwc.edu

Mary Beth Adams, Past President
USDA Forest Service
Timber Laboratory
Parsons, WV 26287
phone: 304-478-2000
fax: 304-478-8692
e-mail:

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