Special Colloquium on Women in Astronomy
in the framework of the
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Joint European Astronomy Meeting and National Astronomy Meeting
JENAM - 2008
September 8 - 12, 2008, Vienna, Austria
Date and Location:
Main building of the University of Vienna
Programme:
11:45-12:30 Audimax
Review "Women in Astronomy" by Meg Urry (Yale University)
12:30-12:50 Audimax
Public Discussion on "Diversity awarness and Women in European Astronomy" (Chair: Catherine Cesarsky)
13:00-14:30 Hörsaal 30
2nd Meeting of the Network of German-speaking women (Chair: Christiane Helling)
( + lunch)
All interested colleagues are very welcome!
Background Information
Professor Urry's scientific research focuses on active galaxies that is galaxies with unusually luminous cores powered by super-massive black holes. Over the past 15 years, Professor Urry has worked hard to increase the number of women in the physical sciences, organising national meetings on women in astronomy in 1992 (leading to the Baltimore Charta) and 2003 and is now helping organise a third meeting scheduled for 2009. She lead the U.S. delegation to the first international meeting on Women in Physics in Paris, France in 2002. Professor Urry chaired the Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy for the American Astronomical Society, and served on the Committee on the Status of Women in Physics for the American Physical Society. She was an editor of the STATUS newsletter. Her opinion piece "Diminished by Discrimination We Scarcely See" was published in the Washington Post (2005). Most recently she has authored a chapter called "Photons Have No Gender: A Woman's View of Physics" in the book "Gendered Innovations In Science and Engineering".
Dr. Catherine Cesarsky worked on the theory of cosmic ray propagation and acceleration, and galactic gamma-ray emission. Later, she led the design and construction of the ISOCAM camera onboard the Infrared Space Observatory (ISO), and the ISOCAM Central Programme that studied the infrared emission from many different galactic and extragalactic sources.
Dr. Cesarsky was Director General of the European Southern Observatory between 1999 and 2007. She was the first woman president of the International Astronomical Union (2003-2006) and is a strong supporter of women in astronomy. She is currently also a member of the IAU Special Nominating Committee.
The AstroWomenNetwork
The AstroFrauenNetzwerk (AstroWomenNetwork) is an association of
German-speaking women astronomers and astrophysicists, whose core is
formed by female astronomers and astrophysicists who obtained their
PhD in astrophysics. Our aim is to create an atmosphere of transparent
information exchange, increase the visibility of women astronomers and
astrophysicists, and actively contribute to the recognition and the
potential of diversity in our professional societies like the
Astronomische Gesellschaft, the OEGAA, as well as at our universities
and research institutions. A first step in this direction will be
done at the JENAM/AG meeting in Vienna this year. For the first time
in the history of the two organisations JENAM and AG, a plenary
talk will be devoted to the topic of diversity. In collaboration with
the AstroWomenNetwork, Meg Urry (Yale University) has been invited by
the SOC of the meeting to give a talk on "Women in Astronomy". We
thank the board of the AG for embracing our ideas and for providing
financial support for this talk.
Das AstroFrauenNetzwerk ist ein Zusammenschluss
deutschsprachiger Astronominnen und Astrophysikerinnen. Der Kern des
Netzwerks wird von in der Astronomie oder Astrophysik promovierten oder
tätigen Frauen gebildet. Eines unserer Ziele ist es, den
Informationsfluss unter den Astronominnen und Astrophysikerinnen zu
erhöhen, die Sichtbarkeit der Astronominnen und Astrophysikerinnen in
den deutschsprachigen Ländern zu erhöhen, und im Besonderen aktiv
bei der Anerkennung von Vielfalt und deren Potential für unsere
Gesellschaft im allgemeinen und Organisationen wie AG, OEGAA, sowie
Universitäten etc. im speziellen mitzuwirken. Ein Schritt in diese
Richtung wird auf der diesjährigen JENAM/AG-Tagung in Wien gegangen,
da erstmalig in der Geschichte beider Organisationen ein
Plenumsvortrag ausschliesslich dem Thema "Diversität und Vielfalt"
gewidmet wird. In Zusammenarbeit mit dem AstroFrauenNetzwerk ist Meg Urry (Yale University)
zu einem Vortrag "Women in Astronomy" vom SOC
der Konferenz eingeladen worden. Ein herzlicher Dank geht hier an den
Vorstand der AG, der unsere Ideen aufnahm und diesen Vortrag
durch finanzielle Unterstützung ermöglicht.
Further Information and Contact:
Christiane Helling, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, Scotland, E-mail: Christiane.Helling@st-and.ac.uk
Inga Kamp, Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, University of Groningen, Netherlands, E-mail: kamp@astro.rug.nl
Eva Grebel, Astronomisches Rechen-Institut, University of Heidelberg, Germany, E-mail: grebel@ari.uni-heidelberg.de
Anneliese Schnell, Institute of Astronomy, University of Vienna, Austria, E-mail: schnell@astro.univie.ac.at
Theresa Lueftinger, Institute of Astronomy, University of Vienna, Austria, E-mail: lueftinger@astro.univie.ac.at