WIMSIG Newsletter - September 2014

Funding Opportunities

In 2013, members of WIMSIG suggested to the Executive Committee that it would be useful if WIMSIG could offer funding for travel, and to offset the expense of family responsibilities. We are delighted to announce that we have developed a pair of Travel Awards, to be funded by the Australian Mathematical Society and administered by WIMSIG.

• AustMS WIMSIG Cheryl E. Praeger Travel Awards are for travel funding. The Praeger Awards are open to female members of AustMS.
• AustMS WIMSIG Anne Penfold Street Awards are for funding to offset the cost of caring responsibilities. The Street Awards are open to any member of AustMS with caring responsibilities.

We warmly invite you to apply for the Praeger and/or Street Awards, as appropriate, and to encourage others who could benefit from them to apply. Applications for the initial round of Awards close on 1st October.

Inspiring women in science internships

AMSI has some new internship opportunities for female students. The Veski Inspiring Women program is open to female honours and masters students.

WIMSIG Election

At the end of the year all positions on the WIMSIG Executive Committee will be declared vacant, and an election will be held for office bearers. The positions open are:

• Chair
• Secretary
• Treasurer
• Ordinary Member (two positions)

Members of WIMSIG who intend to nominate for Chair, Secretary, or Treasurer must also be members of the Australian Mathematical Society. Only members of WIMSIG who are also members of the Australian Mathematical Society have voting rights.

The Returning Officer is Birgit Loch (bloch@swin.edu.au).

Nominations for any or all of the Offices and Seats to be filled may be made by any two Members who are entitled to vote at the ensuing election, provided that the persons nominated are entitled to vote at the ensuing election and that the nominations are received by the Returning Officer no later than November 30.

Events

We would be happy to advertise to our membership any conference or workshop that has specific and suitable measures in place to increase female participation. Such measures could include female invited speakers, women's gatherings, financial incentives (travel funds or reduced registration), suitable arrangements for childcare, or any other efforts to attract female participants.

If you would like your event to be advertised to the WIMSIG membership, please feel free to contact the group’s webmaster - Amy Glen (A.Glen@murdoch.edu.au).

For details of past and upcoming events, see the WIMSIG Events page.

Congratulations

• Congratulations to Kate Smith-Miles of Monash University on being awarded the 2014 Australian Laureate Fellowship Georgina Sweet Award by the Australian Research Council.
• Congratulations to Maryam Mirzakhani. The first female Fields Medallist.

Positions Vacant

The School of Mathematics & Statistics at The University of Sydney is seeking a new Head of School. All the relevant information is available here.

Media Hits

• Stereotyping in Advertising: Libra's latest campaign suggests that their product “Absorbs more than you ever did in maths class”.
  
  Nalini Joshi (The University of Sydney) and Deborah King (The University of Melbourne) were quoted in The Australian on August 27.