SWPS Resource Library Catalog
Women in Physics/Science
Out of the Shadows: Contributions of Twentieth-Century Women to Physics, edited by
Nina Byers and Gary Williams.
An accurate and authoritative 2006 description of the women who made original
and important contributions to physics, documenting their major discoveries and
putting their work into its historical context. This book is an ideal reference for
anyone with an interest in science and social history.
Every Other Thursday: Stories and Strategies from Successful Women Scientists, by
Ellen Daniell.
This book tells the story of a professional problem-solving group that for more than
25 years has empowered its members by providing practical and emotional support.
The objective of “Group,” as Ellen Daniell and six other members call their
bimonthly gatherings, is cooperation in a competitive world. And the objective of
Every Other Thursday is to encourage those who feel isolated or stressed in a work
or academic setting to consider the benefits of such a group—a group in which
everyone is on your side.
Each of the high-achieving individuals in Group (including members of the National
Academy of Sciences, a senior scientist at a prestigious research institute, and
university professors and administrators) has found the support of the others to be
an essential part of her own success. Daniell provides detailed examples of how
members help one another navigate career setbacks or other difficulties. She shows
that group support, discussion, and application of common experience bring to light
practical solutions and broader perspectives. In an inspirational conclusion, the
author offers advice and practical guidelines for those who would like to establish a
group of their own.
The Madame Curie Complex: The Hidden History of Women in Science, by Juile Des
Jardins.
Why are the fields of science and technology still considered to be predominantly
male professions? The Madame Curie Complex moves beyond the most common
explanations—limited access to professional training, lack of resources, exclusion
from social networks of men—to give historical context and unexpected revelations
about women's contributions to the sciences. Exploring the lives of Jane Goodall,
Rosalind Franklin, Rosalyn Yalow, Barbara McClintock, Rachel Carson, and the
women of the Manhattan Project, Julie Des Jardins considers their personal and
professional stories in relation to their male counterparts—Albert Einstein, Robert
Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi—to demonstrate how the gendered culture of science
molds the methods, structure, and experience of the work. With lively anecdotes
and vivid detail, The Madame Curie Complex reveals how women scientists have
often asked different questions, used different methods, come up with different
explanations for phenomena in the natural world, and how they have forever
transformed a scientist's role.
The Science on Women and Science, edited by Christina Hoff Sommers.
Women have achieved or exceeded parity with men in most academic fields but
continue to be outnumbered in the physical sciences, engineering, and math. For
many equity activists, this imbalance constitutes a serious problem, even a "crisis,"
necessitating federal oversight to prevent gender bias in higher education and
scientific industries. Congress, the Obama administration, and many science and
education leaders are considering dramatic measures to improve women's
prospects in the sciences. But what if claims of gender bias have been exaggerated?
In 2007, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) released Beyond Bias and Barriers:
Fulfilling the Promise of Women in Academic Science and Engineering, an influential
study suggesting that women face a hostile environment in the laboratory. The NAS
report dismissed the possibility that gender disparities in scientific fields might be
attributable to biological differences and called for immediate remedial action in
education, government, and business. This volume examines the research behind
the NAS's claims and presents a more balanced analysis of the gender gap.
Scientific research on the relationship between gender and vocation is complex,
vibrant, and full of reasonable disagreements. Some scholars agree that
discrimination is the best explanation for the current configuration of men and
women in science, but others, perhaps a majority, suggest that biology and
considered preference explain why men and women follow different career paths.
The Science on Women and Science is a lively, readable, and balanced collection of
articles by distinguished scholars from sides of an often-contentious debate.
Breaking into the Lab: Engineering Progress for Women in Science, by Sue V. Rosser.
Why are there so few women in science? In Breaking into the Lab, Sue Rosser uses
the experiences of successful women scientists and engineers to answer the
question of why elite institutions have so few women scientists and engineers
tenured on their faculties. Women are highly qualified, motivated students, and yet
they have drastically higher rates of attrition, and they are shying away from the
fields with the greatest demand for workers and the biggest economic payoffs, such
as engineering, computer sciences, and the physical sciences. Rosser shows that
these continuing trends are not only disappointing, they are urgent: the U.S. can no
longer afford to lose the talents of the women scientists and engineers, because it is
quickly losing its lead in science and technology. Ultimately, these biases and
barriers may lock women out of the new scientific frontiers of innovation and
technology transfer, resulting in loss of useful inventions and products to society.
Women in Science: Career Processes and Outcomes, by Yu Xie and Kimberlee A.
Shauman.
Why do so few women choose a career in science--even as they move into medicine
and law in ever-greater numbers? In one of the most comprehensive studies of
gender differences in science careers ever conducted, Women in Science provides a
systematic account of how U.S. youth are selected into and out of science education
in early life, and how social forces affect career outcomes later in the science labor
market.
Studying the science career trajectory in its entirety, the authors attend to the causal
influences of prior experiences on career outcomes as well as the interactions of
multiple life domains such as career and family. While attesting to the progress of
women in science, the book also reveals continuing gender differences in
mathematics and science education and in the progress and outcomes of scientists'
careers. The authors explore the extent and causes of gender differences in
undergraduate and graduate science education, in scientists' geographic mobility, in
research productivity, in promotion rates and earnings, and in the experience of
immigrant scientists. They conclude that the gender gap in parenting
responsibilities is a critical barrier to the further advancement of women in science.
Writing and Presentations
Writing Your Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A Guide to Starting, Revising, and
Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis, by Joan Bolker.
Dissertation writers need strong, practical advice, as well as someone to assure
them that their struggles aren't unique. Joan Bolker, midwife to more than one
hundred dissertations and co-founder of the Harvard Writing Center, offers
invaluable suggestions for the graduate-student writer. Using positive
reinforcement, she begins by reminding thesis writers that being able to devote
themselves to a project that truly interests them can be a pleasurable adventure. She
encourages them to pay close attention to their writing method in order to discover
their individual work strategies that promote productivity; to stop feeling fearful
that they may disappoint their advisors or family members; and to tailor their
theses to their own writing style and personality needs. Using field-tested strategies
she assists the student through the entire thesis-writing process, offering advice on
choosing a topic and an advisor, on disciplining one's self to work at least fifteen
minutes each day; setting short-term deadlines, on revising and defining the thesis,
and on life and publication after the dissertation. Bolker makes writing the
dissertation an enjoyable challenge.
Public Speaking for Psychologists: A Lighthearted Guide to Research Presentation, Jobs
Talks, and Other Opportunities to Embarrass Yourself, by David B. Feldman and Paul
J. Silvia.
Public speaking is one of the most common fears. Few people look forward to
talking in front of others and even fewer do it as effectively as they could. A career in
psychology and its related fields involves extensive public speaking, so you will need
to learn to do it well. With time and practice, you too can become a confident and
effective presenter. Public Speaking for Psychologists is a practical and lighthearted
guide to planning, designing, and delivering a presentation. The first half of the book
covers the nuts-and-bolts of public speaking: preparing a talk, submitting an
abstract, developing your slides, managing anxiety, handling questions, and
preventing public-speaking disasters. The second half applies these tips to common
presentations, such as research talks, poster presentations, job talks, and talks to lay
audiences. Throughout the book, the authors both experienced presenters offer
realistic advice, useful tips, and humorous stories of embarrassing mistakes they
will never make again.
How to Write a Lot: A Practical Guide to Productive Academic Writing, by Paul J.
Silvia.
All students and professors need to write, and many struggle to finish their stalled
dissertations, journal articles, book chapters, or grant proposals. Writing is hard
work and can be difficult to wedge into a frenetic academic schedule. In this
practical, lighthearted and encouraging book, Paul J Silvia explains that writing
productively does not require innate skills or special traits but specific tactics and
actions. Drawing examples from his own field: psychology, he shows readers how to
overcome motivational roadblocks and become prolific without sacrificing evenings,
weekends and vacations. After describing strategies for writing productively, the
author gives advise from the trenches on how to write, submit, revise, and resubmit
articles: how to improve writing quality; and how to write and publish academic
work.
General Graduate School Advice
From Student to Scholar: A Candid Guide to Becoming a Professor, by Steven M. Cahn
and Catharine R. Stimpson.
Steven M. Cahn's advice on the professorial life covers an extensive range of critical
issues: how to plan, complete, and defend a dissertation; how to navigate a job
interview; how to improve teaching performance; how to prepare and publish
research; how to develop a professional network; and how to garner support for
tenure. He deals with such hurdles as a difficult dissertation advisor, problematic
colleagues, and the pressures of the tenure clock. Whether you are beginning
graduate study, hoping to secure an academic position, or striving to build a
professorial career, Cahn's insights are invaluable to traversing the thickets of
academia.
What They Didn’t Teach You in Graduate School: 199 Helpful Hints for Success in Your
Academic Career, by Paul Gray, David E. Drew, Matthew Henry Hall, and Laurie
Richlin.
Just landed your first faculty position? Close to getting your Ph.D., and planning a
career in academe? Already in your first job? This insightful guide will help you
achieve success.
What will academic life be like? How do you discover its tacit rules? Develop the
habits and networks needed for success? What issues will you encounter if you’re a
person of color, or a woman? How is higher education changing?
In 199 succinct, and often humorous but seriously practical hints, Paul Gray and
David E. Drew share their combined experience of many years as faculty and
(recovering) administrators to offer insider advice—the kind that’s rarely taught or
even talked about in graduate school.
For instance, Gray and Drew advise you on what you can do to become known in
your field and also to be humble about your Ph.D. They also warn you of the danger
points along the Ph.D. path, and the possible stumbling blocks with litigious
students. Their hints can cover topics as lofty as quantitative and qualitative
methods and as mundane—but still as important—as negotiating campus parking.
For easy reference as you climb the academic ladder, the hints are divided into 15
short chapters and 4 appendices covering the stages and responsibilities of faculty
life.
As the authors state, “It is a good life and it is a lifestyle for which you even get paid”.
These hints will help you both make a valuable contribution to, and get the most
from, academe.
And if you are really penurious, persuade a family member or friend to buy this
book for you.
How to Be a Good Graduate Student, by Frank Vahid.
Graduate school is the best-kept secret in America, not only leading to a better
career, but being a lot of fun too. Based on the author's own graduate school
experience and 15 years of professor experience, this book gives students candid
advice on how to succeed in graduate school. The book covers subjects starting from
deciding whether to attend graduate school, choosing which school to apply to,
making it through the early years, serving as a teaching assistant, choosing an
advisor, managing time, doing research, writing papers, giving presentations,
traveling, and finally preparing for an academic career.
Emotional/Psychological Aspects
Self-Assertion for Women, by Pamela E. Butler.
The bestselling assertiveness guide that shows women how to get what they want-reissued with a new preface by the author.
Self-Assertion for Women offers practical advice with realistic sample dialogues and
step-by-step exercises showing women how they can: learn to communicate clearly
and effectively, protect themselves from misread signals in public, as well as
intimate, situations, maintain professional authority without becoming aggressive,
deal appropriately with sexual harassment, express positive and negative feelings
without anxiety, set boundaries and assert themselves freely while maintaining
loving relationships, and identify "assertiveness blind spots”.
Butler's strategies can be applied by all women in any situation that requires direct,
effective, and positive action.
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