Women in Physics Mentor Page
Welcome to this page - I hope it is a place where we can build ideas, advertise events, and document resources.
Meeting Notes
Notes from event from spring term 2008: In our spring term 2008 meeting we had more students participate, and invited both men and women to encourage more dialogue. We held the meeting in the physics department which was also convenient to show up to during the busy end-of-year time! Here are the recommendations:
Host a special tea for all women in physics classes including intro physics at the start of the fall term
Perhaps host a special colloquium early in the year to discuss careers in physics, why be a physics major, and such issues to educate students about joining our department
This and the tea could be joint functions at the start of the year - and could possibly also include department tours of some sort
We could have a day in physics 211 devoted to careers in physics to reach out to prospective majors
We need to ask TAs to help recruit for such an event, to conduct lab tours, and to talk to students
Notes from event from winter term 2008: Our most recent event was attended by only one student. Although it was an enjoyable evening, and we had a good discussion about things relevant to those present (like job searches and choices), we did not accomplish the desired task of providing an informal place for women physics students to dialogue. We have some suggestions that came out of this meeting that I will list here.
Have meetings on campus so it's easier for students (especially undergrads) to attend
Do more to get lower-division undergrads involved
Participate more in larger groups such as Women in Engineering and U of O Women in Science
Have the group be for women and men since our current female population is small - and even more importantly since if the environment is to be welcoming for women the men need to part of making that
We discussed the fact that some undergrad and grad initiatives (documented on these pages) have fizzled out - perhaps a way to make something more sustainable is for grads and undergrads to combine efforts and find something of common interest to push forward with
One thing people say they need (and not just us but on a national level) is more job-related mentoring. Dr. Tate told us about the student-driven job resources and related meetings at U of Washington. Perhaps this might be a good way for us to go. This would probably have to be faculty motivated for a while but once it got rolling it could be student-driven.
Events
Prior events: So far this year we have hosted three events. We had a women's tea at Dr. Tate's house fall quarter and one at Dr. Demaree's house winter quarter, and an informal meeting in the department at the end of final exam week. Between those two meetings we were able to collect some great ideas for all students I've documented throughout this wiki.
Here are a list of suggested future events:
Quarterly tea at the houses of one of the four women faculty members
Joining in events from the Women in Engineering group, joining with the women in the chemistry department, and joining with the women in science group at the University of Oregon
Join in events through the Association for Women in Science (AWIS)
Have a spring open house specifically aimed at freshman women interested in science and engineering
Participate in the first year 'intro-to-college' course that freshman take to introduce people to the department
Give lab tours for freshman
Participate in a larger university event such as the engineering expo
Ideas for creating a great environment for women
Grad students would like to see more help with planning their careers and the job search
Incoming graduate students are often drawn here because of the location and environment but may need help finding jobs for their partners/spouses since the town is small
Creating a place where people can practice professional discourse in a non-judgmental environment
Undergrads would like to see career advice, especially when choosing a major (they what to know what they can do with a physics degree)
Undergrads would also like to see study groups and study sessions where they can feel more integrated with the department and like-minded people, especially when they are in the large introductory courses
Interesting Articles
Article from the American Institute of Physics Bulletin of Science Policy reporting on the Hearing on Barriers to Women's Advancement in Academic Positions AIP article
Editorial from the New York Times on how women deal with politeness and authority issues in college NY Times article
Links and resources
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