Interesting Features at PWN for 10.27.14

We hope to see many of you at the annual PWN meeting during the Society for Neuroscience conference in Washington DC in November! If you are a PWN member attending SfN and have not yet heard about our meeting, please leave a comment below or click on my name to email me for more details.  

News from the PWN Pipeline:

Plugging up the "leaky pipeline."

The shortage of women in STEM-related industries and fields is an ongoing problem. CNN asked several female leaders in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields to weigh in on solutions for engaging and retaining women in STEM careers. Dr. Patty Fagin asserts that young girls demonstrate as much interest and aptitude for STEM as young boys but they lost interest along the way, suggesting a 'leaky pipeline,' possibly because they were not encouraged as enthusiastically to explore these options. One solution is to initiate early exposure to STEM-related studies and to offer female mentors early on as well, so as to show that support and success are available to all women.

"I can never be sure whether I truly earned it."

Dr. Claudia Perlich offers an interesting perspective on the apparent paucity of women in data science. In fact, she posits, there are many women data scientists but not very many 'visible' ones. It is possible that women are only suggested for invited and keynote speaker roles after committee members are reminded that "we need to get more women speakers." In order to increase the visibility and accomplishments of female data scientists, and female scientists in general, Perlich asserts that it may require a job transition from the limitations of academia to industries where women are already in more key leadership roles and well positioned to offer support and mentorship to other women ascending the ranks.