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Asian Women in STEM Careers: An Invisible Minority in a Double Bind - September, 2011 The paper Asian Women in STEM Careers: An Invisible Minority in a Double Bind, co-authored by Lilian Wu, Chair (Emeritus) of CWSEM and Wei Jing, Research Associate of the Policy and Global Affairs at the National Academies, examines Asian female scientists and engineers' participation and advancement in STEM careers. The data presented in the paper point to the existence of a double bind for Asian women, facing both a bamboo ceiling because of Asian stereotyping and a glass ceiling because of implicit gender bias. The scarcity of Asian women in upper management and leadership positions merits greater attention, more targeted programmatic efforts, and inclusion in the national discussion of the STEM workforce. This paper was published on Issues in Science and Technology, Fall 2011, Vol 28, Issue 1. Read the paper online | Download PDF of the paper The White House and National Science Foundation Announce New Workplace Flexibility Policies - September, 2011 On September 26, 2011 the White House and National Science Foundation (NSF) announced the “NSF Career – Life Balance Initiative”, which is a 10-year plan to enhance flexibility for men and women in research careers. View the full press release. These policies include, but are not limited to: delayed starts of NSF funded projects for family-related reasons, extensions of research grant timelines for child birth interruptions, and funding for technicians to perform research in cases of parental leave. These NSF initiatives reinforce efforts by the White House under President Obama to engage government agencies, universities, and industry to institute polices that create greater flexibility in the workplace that lead to optimal work-life balances for both men and women. Additionally, these policies further reflect discussions from the November 2010 Roundtable of Representatives from Federal Agencies and Professional Societies, where CWSEM engaged representatives from relevant stakeholder organizations, including NSF, to address the needs of postdoctoral and early career researchers. View the Meeting Recap. U.S. State Department Meeting: Changing Mindsets to Promote Women and Girls in Science - June, 2011 June 13, 2011 a symposium “Changing Mindsets to Promote Women and Girls in Science” gathered more than 100 scientists, engineers, educators and representatives from the private sector and foreign governments at the U.S. State Department. The symposium examined programs and policies that are making positive impact on attracting girls to STEM fields, keeping them interested in STEM through college, and providing concrete tools for women to maintain them at every level of their scientific careers. Institutional transformation and practices that help shape perceptions about women, girls and STEM were also discussed at the meeting.CWSEM successfully brought 15 women scientists and engineers from Africa and the Middle East to participate in the symposium and was delighted to be one of the partners supporting this event.
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