Our Top Picks for October 20, 2018

If you've been paying attention to the Nobel Prizes in science, you might be wondering why historically 97% of science Nobel Laureates have been men. This year the prize announcements generated buzz because women won prizes in two of the science categories: Frances Arnold won in Chemistry for her work on directed evolution, and Donna Strickland won in Physics for her work on lasers. Sadly, two women Nobel Laureates in one year (out of up to nine scientists who can be awarded Nobel Prizes -- three for each category) is still considered a lot of women for one year. So why don't more women win Nobel Prizes? In this article, Mary K. Feeney, Associate Director of the Center for Science, Technology and Environmental Policy Studies at Arizona State University, argues that it's a combination of structural barriers in academic STEM careers and implicit bias about who does science that make it harder for women to rise to the top in academic STEM fields. In this article, Rowan Thomson, Associate Professor of Physics at Carleton University, suggests how we can act to change these gender disparities that lead to women's under-representation among Nobel Laureates.

A recent analysis published in Nature aims to explain why women are underrepresented in independent fellow positions. Women make up about a quarter of independent fellows in programs including the NIH Early Independence Award, Carnegie Institute Staff Associate program, the Whitehead Fellows program, and the University of California San Francisco Sandler Fellows program. The analysis suggests that this is due both to women being underrepresented in the applicant pool and to bias against women applicants.

If you're like me, asking questions at seminars can feel a bit intimidating! It turns out that this is common among women in science, according to a new study in PLoS One. They find that women ask fewer questions in seminars than men do, and also that women are more likely than men to let internal factors (e.g., not having the nerve) prevent them from asking questions.

The journal Neuropsychopharmacology (NPP) has done some research into gender disparities among its editors, reviewers, and authors. As a result of this work, NPP is taking steps to increase the number of female reviewers and editorial board members.

#MeTooSTEM has launched a GoFundMe to help fight sexual and gender-based harassment and assault in STEM. In their words: "There are no 'baby steps' in ending sexual harassment. We need brave, giant steps. And we need your help to make them. We are asking for your contribution so we can file for 501c non-profit status, hire legal consultants to help protect students and raise awareness. Non profit status will make us eligible for grants, more donations and, most of all, more action."