All Entries Tagged With: "University of Illinois"
When Is the Optimal Time For Programs to Encourage Girls to Consider STEM Fields?
A new study challenges the view that efforts to increase interest among girls into STEM fields should begin in elementary or middle school. The authors of a new University of Illinois study believe that such programs will be more effective in late adolescence.
New Online Archive Honors Women’s Accomplishments at the University of Illinois
The University of Illinois has created a new website that celebrates women who have made significant contributions as students, faculty members, staff or alumni during the university’s 150-year history.
New Administrative Positions for Eight Women in Higher Education
Here is this week’s roundup of women who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
In Memoriam: Emily Ann Stipes Watts, 1936-2018
Dr. Emily Watts served on the English department faculty at the University of Illinois for nearly 40 years. In 2005, she was named professor emerita. Professor Watts was the author of three books and was a strong advocate for women in college sports.
Amy Wildermuth Will Be the Next Leader of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law
Professor Wildermuth currently serves as associate vice president for faculty and academic affairs at the University of Utah. Earlier, she was the university’s chief sustainability officer and a professor in the university’s College of Law. She was a clerk for Justice John Paul Stevens at the U.S. Supreme Court.
Study Looks at the Gender of Characters in 200 Years of Fiction
Using an algorithm, researchers examined 104,000 works of fiction that had been digitized. They found that in novels written by men, women typically accounted for one quarter to one third of all prominent characters. In novels written by women, the gender of characters was roughly equal.
In Memoriam: Marjorie J. Miller, 1932-2018
In 1973, Marjorie Miller joined the faculty at Bowling Green State University in Ohio teaching textiles and fashion merchandising. She was the director of the university’s fashion merchandising program from 1986 until her retirement a decade later.
Three Women Appointed to Endowed Faculty Positions at Major Universities
Appointed to endowed faculty posts are Amy Singer at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachsuetts, Antoinette Burton at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Sylvie Naar in the College of Medicine at Florida State University.
Northwestern University’s Vicky Kalogera Receives Prestigious Award in Astrophysics
Vicky Kalogera, the Daniel I. Linzer Distinguished Professor of Physics and Astronomy and director of the Center for Interdisciplinary Exploration and Research in Astrophysics at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, has been awarded the 2018 Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics from the American Institute of Physics and the American Astronomical Society.
Ruth V. Watkins Selected as the Next President of the University of Utah
When she takes office this spring, Dr. Watkins will be the first woman to serve as the permanent president of the University of Utah in its 168-year history. Since 2013, Dr. Watkins has served as the senior vice president for academic affairs at the university after a 20-year career at the University of Illinois.
Indiana University Astrobiologist Will Be NASA’s New Planetary Protection Officer
Lisa Pratt, Provost Professor in the department of earth and atmospheric sciences at Indiana University, will be assigned the lofty responsibility of protecting the Earth from potential contamination by extraterrestrial life forms, such as microorganisms that could live in the ice on Mars.
In Memoriam: Laurel Ann Grotzinger, 1935-2017
Professor Grotzinger joined the faculty at Western Michigan University in 1964. In 1979 she became the dean of the Graduate College. Dr. Grotzinger was the first woman in the history of Western Michigan University to be appointed to an academic dean position.
In Memoriam: Leslie Rosenberg Wolfe, 1943-2017
Leslie R. Wolfe was the long-time director of the Center for Women Policy Studies in Washington, D.C. She is perhaps best known for her 1989 report that exposed gender bias in the SAT college entrance examination that allegedly caused women to score lower on the test than men.
Joanne Chory Awarded a $3 Million Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences
Joanne Chory is a professor at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California and an adjunct professor of biological science at the University of California, San Diego. She was honored for “discovering how plants optimize their growth, development, and cellular structure to transform sunlight into chemical energy.”
Mary Lynn Boscardin Chosen to Lead the Council for Exceptional Children
Mary Lynn Boscardin is a professor of special education at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Professor Boscardin will serve as president-elect during 2018 and become president of the council on January 1, 2019.
Deborah Curtis Will Be the First Woman President of Indiana State University
Since 2012, Dr. Curtis has been serving as provost at the University of Central Missouri in Warrenburg. Earlier she served on the faculty of Illinois State University for 26 years and also was dean of the College of Education.
Study Finds a Gender Gap in Publication Rates of Ph.D. Students
A new study by researchers at Indiana University, West Chester University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Illinois found that doctoral students who are men tended to publish more papers than doctoral students who are women. The pattern was particularly true in STEM fields.
Researchers Document Why Sexual Harassment Is Rampant in Anthropological Field Work
The new study found that field site directors who failed to establish clear ground rules for the behavior of their team also were more likely to tolerate, ignore – or in some cases, engage in and encourage – the physical and/or sexual harassment of some members of their team.
Notre Dame’s Jennifer Tank to Lead the Society for Freshwater Science
Jennifer Tank is the Galla Professor of Biological Sciences and director of the Environmental Change Initiative at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. She will serve as president-elect of the Society for Freshwater Science until May 2018, when she will become president.
A Dozen Women in New Administrative Posts at American Colleges and Universities
Here is this week’s roundup of women who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
University of Utah Dean Stepping Down to Take Major Humanities Post at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Dianne S. Harris, dean of the College of Humanities and a professor of history at the University of Utah since 2015, will be leaving the university to take on the duties as senior program officer in higher education and scholarships in the humanities at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in New York City.
Five Women Scholars Appointed to Endowed Chairs
The five women appointed to endowed chairs are Marvella Ford at South Carolina State University, Marianne Janack at Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, Valerie Hansen at Yale University, Marcia Hoy at the University of Tennessee, and Lynne M. Thomas at the University of Illinois.
Survey Finds Widespread Sexual Harassment in Astronomy and Planet Science
Researchers surveyed a large group of professionals in the field of astronomy and planet science. They found that 39 percent of all respondents reported that they had been verbally harassed and 9 percent stated that they have been physically harassed at work within the past five years. Women of color were the most likely to be victims.
Nine Women Faculty Members Taking on New University Roles
Here is this week’s listing of women faculty members from colleges and universities throughout the United States who have been appointed to new positions or have been assigned new duties.
Women in Engineering Are Tracked Into Management, Not Technical, Roles
A new study by M. Teresa Cardador, a professor of labor and employment relations at the University of Illinois, finds that increased efforts to promote women to managers in engineering fields, leaves smaller numbers of women in technical fields in engineering.
A Dozen Women Appointed to Administrative Posts in Higher Education
Here is this week’s roundup of women who have been appointed to new administrative positions at colleges and universities throughout the United States.
Notable Honors and Awards for Eight Women in Higher Education
The selected for prestigious honors are: Judy Genshaft, Fenice Boyd, Anna Deavere Smith, Vivien Schmidt, Donna Cox, Marilyn Horne, Marisa Marques, and Sandra Sanguino
Study Finds That Gender Stereotypes of Intellectual Abilities Are Apparent at an Early Age
In an experiment, children ages 5 to 7 were asked about their perception of the intellectual abilities of men and women in a story that was read to them. For children at age 5, boys and girls were equally likely to rate their own gender positively. But by age 7, girls were significantly less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their gender.
Marjorie Hass to Be the First Woman President of Rhodes College in Memphis
Since 2009, Dr. Hass has been serving as president of Austin College in Sherman, Texas. She also serves as chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. She will become the first woman president in the 168-year history of Rhodes College on July 1.
Middle School Bullying May Lead to a Propensity for Sexual Harassment Later
A study found that a major ingredient in bullying among middle school students involves homophobic name calling directed at boys. Victims of such bullying often turn to sexual harassment of girls to demonstrate to their male peers that they are not gay.
Elaine Fuchs Selected to Receive the Vanderbilt Prize in Biomedical Science
Dr. Fuchs is the Rebecca C. Lancefield Professor at Rockefeller University in New York City. The Vanderbilt Prize honors women scientists with a stellar record of research accomplishments who have made significant contributions to mentoring other women in science.
In Memoriam: Susan Lee Lindquist, 1949-2016
Professor Lindquist served on the faculty at the University of Chicago for 23 years. In 2001, she became a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was named director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research.
In Memoriam: Sandra Lee Schwartz Bartky, 1935-2016
Sandra Lee Bartky was an influential feminist philosopher and a long-time faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She taught at the university for four decades.
Wheaton College Professor Is a Member of the 50 State Marathon Club
Annette Tomal, an associate professor of business and economics at Wheaton College in Illinois, recently completed a 26.2-mile marathon in Pocatello, Idaho. She has now completed running a marathon in all 50 states.
In Memoriam: Ada Letitia Loveless, 1925-2016
Ada Letitia Loveless was the long-time director of women’s athletics at Kalamazoo College in Michigan. When Loveless arrived at Kalamazoo College in 1953 there were no women’s intercollegiate athletic teams. During her 33-year tenure, she established eight varsity sports for women.
