Featured Opportunities
Grace Hopper 2010
The 10th Annual Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing (GHC) has opened its Call for Participation. The Grace Hopper Celebration will take place from September 28 - October 2, 2010, in Atlanta, Georgia. This year's theme "Collaborating Across Boundaries" recognizes the significant role women play in using technology to work across scientific, social, geographical, racial or political borders. The submission deadline is March 16, 2010. For more information, please visit their website.
Global Marathon
Each year, the National Engineers Week Foundation launches Engineers Week, a series of annual outreach programs and events designed to raise the public’s understanding and appreciation of engineering and the work of engineers. The Global Marathon, an extension of Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, offers a one-of-a-kind mentoring opportunity for girls interested in engineering and technology. Mark your calendar for the 2010 Global Marathon “Launching Tomorrow” on March 10-11. To learn more about the Global Marathon and join the live forum, click here.
MIT Poster Contest
At MIT, the School of Science is co-sponsoring a competition to make mentoring more visibly prominent in the minds of members of the science research community. The mentoring poster competition will recognize the best posters. Check out the website to see the wonderful ideas that emerged here and click on "browse posters."
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Get Mentor, Get More Grants?
More female junior faculty in engineering and science have mentors, and when they do, they have a better chance of getting funding
A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences showed that mentoring had a profound impact on the ability of women in academia to get grants, which in turn increases their chances of promotion and tenure. As a result, NAS issued a call to action for research institutions to initiate mentoring programs for new faculty.
NAS was commissioned by Congress to assess gender differences in the careers of science, engineering and mathematics faculty. The study examined women’s participation and representation in the hiring process, professional activities, tenure, and promotions in science, engineering and math (SEM) disciplines.
It found that 93% of women with mentors had a probability of receiving grant funding versus 68% women with no mentor. It also found that 49% of the males and 57% of the females had a mentor.
The paper, Gender Differences at Critical Transitions in the Careers of Science, Engineering, notes that “Institutional mentoring programs could help ensure that female faculty acquire grant funding, which in turn should have a positive effect on their promotion rates.” You can download the full study here.
–Lisa Jennings, Senior Consultant for
Strategic Partnerships and Outreach
Obama Signs HBCU Executive Order
On Friday, February 26, 2010, President Barack Obama signed an executive order to bolster the efforts of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
During the signing ceremony, Obama said, “This initiative originated in President Carter’s administration; it expanded under President Reagan; and its been renewed by each President since, to help these schools give their students every chance to live up to their full potential.” Dr. John S. Wilson will lead the Obama Administration’s efforts to partner with federal departments, agencies and offices. Wilson is chairman of the advisory board and a graduate of the historically black college Morehouse University.
Access the full Executive Order here.
–Lisa Jennings, Senior Consultant for
Strategic Partnerships and Outreach
MentorNet Congratulates the Black Engineer of the Year
MentorNet extends its hearty congratulations to the winner of this year’s Black Engineer Award, John Harris, Vice President at Raytheon. Among his many professional roles in supply chain engineering, Harris also served as Raytheon’s Executive Diversity Champion.
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Thank You to February's New and Renewing Partners!
• Foothill College
•Milwaukee School of Engineering
• Naval Research Lab
• Rochester Community College
• SanDisk
• Santa Fe College
• Surface Mount Tech Association
• University of Nevada - Las Vegas
Spring Recruitment Campaign Reminder
In January, we launched our 2010 Spring Outreach Drive to recruit new proteges. The drive is off to a great start, with 495 new proteges signed up already! We are also recruiting mentors for our new proteges, so please help us out by spreading the word! The college or university with the highest number of newly recruited proteges will receive a 10% discount on their renewal fee. We will also offer a 10% renewal discount to the college or university with the highest ratio of recruits to school size.
Does Hollywood Get Science Right?
Television shows and movies may take you to worlds far away, but their makers, aware of viewers' need for believability, say they consult scientists to make things more real. "Audiences now demand that, or they hunger for it," Academy-Award winning director and producer Ron Howard said. Read more
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