Gender Equity Conference

Strengthening the Physics Enterprise in Universities and National Laboratories

APS brought together chairs of 50 major research-oriented academic physics departments as well as about 15 physics-related managers of major national laboratories. The workshop was a forum for presentations, panel discussions and break out sessions led by distinguished physics speakers and social scientists to engage academic physics chairs and managers from physics-related national laboratories.

The goal of this workshop is to double the number of women in physics in the next 15 years by informing, educating and providing chairs of physics departments and physics-oriented national laboratory managers the tools to achieve that goal.

The report on the workshop contains a number of recommendations to increase the number of women at academic institutions and national laboratories.  Specific actions are proposed for faculty, staff, and funding agencies.

Gray arrow  Gender Equity Report
Gray arrow  Organizing committee
Gray arrow  Suggested reading list
Gray arrow  Additional resources

Agenda

Sunday Evening, May 6, 2007 (Hilton Garden Inn)

4:30 p.m. Reception

6:00 p.m. Opening Remarks, Introductions, and Goals of the Workshop
Co-chair, Arthur Bienenstock, Stanford University, APS President-Elect
Co-chair, Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University, CSWP Chair 2007
Tony Chan, Assistant Director, NSF Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Patricia Dehmer, Associate Director of Science for Basic Energy Sciences and Acting Deputy for Programs, DOE Office of Science

6:15 p.m. Session 1: Defining the Issues
Presiding: Arthur Bienenstock, Stanford University, APS President-Elect
Keynote Speaker: Alice Agogino, University of California at Berkeley
"Beyond Bias and Barriers: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering"
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6:45 p.m. Discussion
Presiding: Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University, CSWP Chair 2007

7:00 p.m. Speaker: Arthur Bienenstock, Stanford University, APS President-Elect
"The Nation Needs More Women Physicists"

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7:30 p.m. Discussion

7:45 p.m. Theater Performance: University of Michigan Center for Research on Learning and Teaching Players.  Sketches will visually demonstrate biases, examples of mentoring, hiring, and tenure decision processes.
Presiding: Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University, CSWP Chair 2007

9:00 p.m. Reception (continued)

Monday May 7, 2007 (American Center for Physics)

8:00 a.m. Session 2: Equity and Bias
Presiding: Theodore Hodapp, American Physical Society
Keynote Speaker: Virginia Valian, Hunter College
"Why So Slow? The Advancement of Women"

8:30 a.m. Discussion

8:45 a.m. Mary Ann Mason, University of California at Berkeley.
"Do Babies Matter in Scientific Careers? The Case for Changing the Culture"
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9:15 a.m. Discussion

9:30 a.m. Break

10:00 a.m. Session 3: Challenges and Opportunities
Presiding: Meg Urry, Yale University
Keynote Speaker: Robert Drago, Penn State University.
"Bias Against Caregiving in the Academic Workplace: Evidence and Implications"
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10:30 a.m. Discussion

10:45 a.m. Panel Discussion: Challenges to Institutions; Recruitment and Hiring, Retention and Promotion
Moderator: Ana Mari Cauce, University of Washington
Panelists: Patricia Falcone, Sandia National Laboratories
Myron Campbell, University of Michigan
Millie Dresselhaus, MIT
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Mary Ann Mason, University of California at Berkeley

12:15 p.m. Eight groups will meet, each charged with identifying challenges that departments/divisions face in working towards eliminating biases that negatively impact efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and promote women in physics. Groups will develop a set of best practices and recommendations that will increase the recruitment, retention, and promotion of women in physics. The leader of each group or designated reporter will make a report to the whole meeting.

2:00 p.m. Brief summary of Breakout Session A Recommendations

2:30 p.m. Panel Discussion: Recommendations from Panel A
Moderator: Karan Watson, Texas A&M University
Panelists: Laurie McNeil, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
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Patricia Rankin, University of Colorado
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Sue Rosser, Georgia Institute of Technology
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Natalie Roe, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

4:00 p.m. Break

4:30 p.m. Session 5: Training the Next Generation
Panel to identify and implement best practices for eliminating biases that negatively impact efforts to recruit, hire, retain, and promote students, and postdocs in physics. Propose ways to augment and Assist in prioritizing recommendations.
Presiding: Catherine Fiore, MIT
Moderator: Meg Urry, Yale University
Panelists: Barbara Whitten, Colorado College
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Howard Georgi, Harvard University
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Marc Kastner, MIT
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Keivan Stassun, Vanderbilt and Fisk Universities
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6:00 p.m. Reception

7:00 p.m. Dinner

Tuesday May 8, 2007 (American Center for Physics)

8:00 a.m. Session 6: Challenges and Opportunities at Funding Agencies
Presiding: Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University, CSWP Chair 2007


Remarks and Panel Discussion Featuring NSF and DOE Funding Agency Officials 
Presiding: Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University
Panelists: Patricia Dehmer, Associate Director of Science for Basic Energy Sciences and Acting Deputy for Programs, DOE Office of Science
Judith Sunley, Executive Officer, NSF Directorate for Mathematics and Physical Sciences

8:20 a.m. Discussion

8:35 a.m. Panel Discussion: Special Programs
Panelists: Judy Franz, APS
    Download remarks (PDF)
Alice Hogan, Program Officer, NSF Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences Directorate
Sharon Wyatt, Attorney-Advisor, DOE Office of Civil Rights & Diversity
Patricia Hyer, Associate Provost, Virginia Tech
   Download remarks (PDF)

9:45 a.m. Break

10:15 a.m. Breakout Sessions B: Recommendations to Funding Agencies
Presiding: Patricia Rankin, University of Colorado
8 breakout sessions with groups focusing on issues relevant to DOE and NSF funding.

11:15 a.m. Reports from Breakout Group leaders

11:45 a.m. Panel Discussion: Issues and Findings Relevant to Funding Agencies
Moderator: Artie Bienenstock, Stanford University, APS President-Elect
Panelists: Eric Rohlfing, Director, DOE Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences Division
Beverly J. Berger, Director, DOE National Nuclear Security Administration University Partnerships Division
Joseph Dehmer, Director, NSF Physics Division
W. Lance Haworth, Director, NSF Materials Research Division
G. Wayne Van Citters, Director, NSF Division of Astronomical Sciences
 
12:45 p.m. Summary of Breakout Sessions A: Sherry Yennello
Gray arrow  Download presentation* (PDF)

1:15 p.m. Concluding Remarks: Co-Chairs, Arthur Bienenstock, Stanford University, APS President-Elect, and Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University, CSWP Chair 2007

1:30 p.m. Lunch

2:15 p.m. Open Session for the Press and Public Summarizing the Results of the Workshop
Co-chairs, Steering Committee and Panelists will summarize the results of the workshop and be available for questions.

* These presentations are not for general distribution without the permission of the author.


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Support for this conference is provided by the National Science Foundation and the Department of Energy.