Women in Astronomy Workshop

The first Australian women in astronomy workshop was held on 13 May 2011 in the CASS Marsfield Lecture Room. The meeting was attended by more than 60 people. Follow this link to the talks. A post-meeting report has also been posted on astro-ph.

Women in astronomy workshop, held 13 May 2011 at CASS in Sydney.

Women in Astronomy Workshop

13 May 2011
CASS Marsfield Lecture Room

The ASA Women in Astronomy Chapter is holding a 1 day workshop on Friday 13 May at the CASS Headquarters in Marsfield, Sydney. This workshop will present some of the issues women face during their astronomy careers and provide time for discussion of approaches that can be implemented by our community, from individuals to institutions, to address them. Guest speakers include Dr Ros Dubs (Chair, Space Industry Innovation Council) and Nicole McKenna (Vice President, National Foundation for Australian Women).

Workshop Goals:

1. To raise awareness of general issues that impact on the decision of women to continue in a research focused career.
2. To illustrate the validity of the many career paths for astronomers and space scientists.
3. To identifying issues faced by women in astronomy and some solutions (e.g. mentoring).
4. To suggest how institutions and individuals can help women succeed in our field.

There is no registration fee to attend the workshop. For catering purposes, please email Sarah Brough (sb@aao.gov.au) to indicate your attendance, no later than 15 April 2011.

All are welcome! The reduction in the percentage of women at each career step is an issue that affects everyone, as women and men are equally talented and deserve equal opportunity, and full participation of men and women will maximize excellence in the field. With that issue in mind, this workshop is open to all and everyone is strongly encouraged to attend. At the end of the workshop a report on the outcomes will be submitted to the ASA Council.

Guest Speakers:
Dr Rosalind Dubs (Chair, Space Industry Innovation Council)
Formerly Deputy Vice-Chancellor (External Relations), University of Technology Sydney, Dr Ros Dubs has wide-ranging commercial and international experience in both private and public sectors. As part of global electronics company Thales SA, she was the Paris-based Operations VP of its world-leading air traffic management business, managing director of its navaids business line in Stuttgart, Germany, and director of electronic systems with ADI Limited. Dr Dubs’ earlier career included senior positions in CSIRO, the Australian National University, and Airservices Australia. Trained as a chemist, she holds a BSc(hons) from the Australian National University and a Dr ès Sc from the Université de Lausanne, Switzerland. Ros is also a non-executive director of Aristocrat Leisure Limited.

Nicole McKenna (Vice President, National Foundation for Australian Women)
Nicole is an executive coach, facilitator and freelance consultant with experience spanning over almost 20 years in the private sector. She is the Vice President of the National Foundation for Australian Women, the leading national body dedicated to promoting and protecting the interests of Australian women, and a Council Member of Economic Security4Women, one of the six national alliances funded by the Office for Women. Nicole is also a non-executive Director of Performing Lines, a performing arts company that develops, produces and tours innovative Australian performance nationally and internationally. Nicole has a particular interest in and commitment to building the capability and professional confidence of women in the context of career progression and development, and regularly works with women to become promotion-ready, plan for their “next big thing” or in career transition.

Workshop Program:

A full workshop program can be found here.

Links to the talks can also be found here.

Organising Committee:
Sarah Brough (AAO, Chair)
Amanda Bauer (AAO)
Kate Brooks (CSIRO/CASS)
Andrew Hopkins(AAO)
Sarah Maddison (Swinburne)

Sponsors:
ASA
AAO
ATNF
CAASTRO

Registered participants:
Amanda Bauer (AAO)
Catherine Braiding (Macquarie University)
Shari Breen (CASS)
Kate Brooks (CASS)
Sarah Brough (AAO)
Donna Burton (ANU)
Evelyn Caris (Swinburne University)
Matthew Colless (AAO)
Warrick Couch (Swinburne University)
Darren Croton (Swinburne University)
Maria Cunningham (UNSW)
Tamara Davis (University of Queensland)
Orsola De Marco (Macquarie University)
Gayandhi De Silva (AAO)
Phoebe Claire de Wilt (Adelaide University)
Phil Diamond (CASS)
Rosalind Dubs (Chair of the Space Industry Innovation Council)
Ilana Feain (CASS)
Kristin Fiegert (AAO)
Lisa Fogarty (University of Sydney)
Bryan Gaensler (CAASTRO)
Sarah Gordon (RMIT)
James Green (CASS)
Madusha Gunawardhana (University of Sydney)
Kate Gunn (CAASTRO)
Lisa Harvey-Smith (CASS)
Tanya Hill (Melbourne Planetarium)
Rob Hollow (CASS)
Andrew Hopkins (AAO)
Minh Huynh (ICRAR, UWA)
Carole Jackson (CASS)
Victoria James
Helen Johnston (University of Sydney)
Simon Johnston (CASS)
Virginia Kilborn (Swinburne University)
Amanda Kocz (AAL)
Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway (Monash University)
Helen Levers (CASS)
Vicki Lowe (UNSW/CSIRO)
Maria Lugaro (Monash University)
Elizabeth Mahony (University of Sydney)
Sarah Maddison (Swinburne University)
Juan Madrid (Swinburne University)
Minnie Mao (CASS)
Naomi McClure-Griffiths (CASS)
Nicole McKenna (Vice President, National Foundation for Australian Women)
Vanessa Moss (University of Sydney)
Simon O’Toole (AAO)
Sarah Pearce (CASS)
Kate Randall (University of Sydney)
Jill Rathborne (CASS)
Gavin Rowell (University of Adelaide)
Stuart Ryder (AAO)
Elaine Sadler (University of Sydney)
Julia Scharwaechter (ANU)
Toner Stevenson (Powerhouse Museum/Sydney Observatory)
Michelle Storey (CASS)
Peter Tuthill (University of Sydney)
Caterina Ubach (Swinburne University)
Mark Wardle (Macquarie University)
Fred Watson (AAO)
Emily Wisnioski (Swinburne University)
Kathrin Wolfinger (Swinburne University)
Ivy Wong (CASS)