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WIMSIG NEWSLETTER - December 2016


Latest AustMS WIMSIG Awardees

Congratulations to the following awardees of the October 2016 round of the Cheryl E. Praeger Travel Awards and Anne Penfold Street Awards. The Praeger Awards are for travel funding (open to all female members of the AustMS) and the Street Awards are for caring expenses incurred whilst travelling (open to all members of the AustMS).

  • Bronwyn Hajek (University of South Australia) has been awarded a Praeger Award for a research visit to Prof Maria Clara Nucci, University of Perugia, Italy, May 2017.
  • Joan Licata (The Australian National University) has been awarded a Praeger Award to attend the Workshop on Homology Theories in Low Dimensional Topology, Isaac Newton Institute, Cambridge, UK, April-June 2017. Joan has also been awarded a Street Award to cover caring expenses whilst on this trip.
  • Catherine Penington (Queensland University of Technology) has been awarded a Praeger Award to attend the Society of Mathematical Biology Conference, Salt Lake City, USA, July 2017.

We look forward to hearing about their mathematical adventures. The next round of award applications closes on April 1, 2017.


ARC Future Fellowships

Congratulations to Associate Professor Jessica Purcell (Monash University) and Associate Professor Yvonne Stokes (The University of Adelaide), who have been awarded ARC Future Fellowships.

Jessica will work on the interactions of geometry and knot theory, and Yvonne will work on fully coupled flow and energy models for modern glass and polymer fibre technology.


WIMSIG Elections

Nominations have been received for all positions on the Executive Committee of the Women in Mathematics Special interest Group. Those who are eligible to vote will receive an invitation to a ballot in early December. We thank those who have stepped forward to nominate for a position on the committee.


Busting Myths About Women in STEM

The Office of the Chief Scientist has released an occasional paper. This report contains comprehensive evidence to bust well-known myths. The main points of the report are the following.

  • There is no gender difference in mathematics ability.
  • Participation of women in STEM increases in culturally-inclusive environments.
  • Women in STEM earn less than their male colleagues.
  • While there have been improvements in the treatment of women in science, there is still a long way to go.

Accompanying the paper is a 2-page infographic that you might like to print out and stick in a prominent place in your workplace.

Roslyn Prinsley, the lead author of the report, was interviewed on Radio National.


EVENTS

WIMSIG General Meeting

At the 2016 AustMS meeting in Canberra, WIMSIG will have a general business meeting.

  • Time: 5:30-6:30pm, Sunday 4 December 2016
  • Venue: Scarth Room, University House, ANU

This meeting is a chance for members and friends of WIMSIG to meet the Executive Committee and discuss things of interest. We will have reports from Cheryl E. Praeger Travel Award recipients, Melissa Tacy and Chaitanya Oehmigara. Guest speakers include Inge Koch with an update on the AMSI Choose Maths project, Birgit Loch with a story of success at Swinburne, and Sally Zanic leading a discussion about the opportunities presented by MATRiX.

The General Meeting will be followed by the Women in Mathematical Sciences Dinner.


Women in Mathematical Sciences Dinner

This is joint event of the 60th Annual Meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society (AustMS) and the Australian Statistical Conference 2016, organised by the AustMS Women in Mathematics Special Interest Group (WIMSIG). It is the largest dinner yet!

The dinner will feature speeches and Q&A from some prominent women, including plenary speakers.

The sponsors are: Professor Nalini Joshi through her ARC Georgina Sweet Australian Laureate Fellowship; ACEMS; ANU; and the Australian Signals Directorate.


WIMSIG Conference 2017

Celebration of Women in Australian Mathematical Sciences

If you are considering going to the WIMSIG Conference 2017, then register your interest. This is the first event of its kind in Australia, so we don’t know just how popular the event will be. The expression of interest form also gathers information about potential childcare and lactation space requirements. If there are any other services that may enable your attendance, then please ask Lesley Ward. We want this event to be as inclusive as possible.


OPPORTUNITIES

The University of New South Wales (UNSW)

Brexit

The London Mathematical Society has issued a statement on the implications of Brexit for female mathematicians working in the UK.


MEDIA

Let Her Finish

Have you noticed that women seem to get interrupted in meetings more than men? A study focussing on Australian Senate Estimates Hearings suggests that women are interrupted more often than men in committee meetings. Moreover, men interrupting women is more likely to diminish the woman’s argument, and women interrupting men is more likely to support the man’s argument.

BuzzFeed News


Allegations of harassment in Astronomy

There have been allegations of harassment and bullying within the CSIRO Astronomy and Space Science division. The ABC's Background Briefing program has produced a radio documentary with interviews from several prominent astronomers.

There have been some follow up articles.

If you or someone you know has experienced bullying or harassment, please seek support through the services at your organisation. If the incident is of a serious nature, then a police report may also be appropriate.


Other Articles of Interest


Have you read an interesting article? Have some news? Have an opportunity available?

Please send items to the WIMSIG Secretary.

Note: Newsletters are published on the 1st day of each month (or soon after). The deadline for submitted items is the 2nd last day of each month.


Updated: 01 Dec 2016
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