President’s note
I write my last note as WOMEESA President for the newsletter today. Over the last 3.5 years, I have been privileged to lead the most incredible team, working hard together to build WOMEESA from just an idea at a conference back in late 2017, to an international network with nearly 700 members. I’m so proud of what we have ALL achieved to date by coming together to address gender inequity in geosciences in the region, supporting each other and building a collective voice. The Twitter thread here showcases some of our major achievements in the first three years.
There’s still a long way to go before I consider our job done but it is time to pass on the baton to gain fresh ideas and direction for WOMEESA’s next chapter. So, I’m absolutely delighted that Superstar of STEM and of Geoscience, Melanie Finch is taking over the role as the next WOMEESA President. I honestly can’t think of a better person for the job! Melanie’s creative ideas, drive to make change, dedication to improving gender equity and women’s engagement in geoscience along with her impressive leadership, collaboration and communication skills mean that the network is in the best hands.
So before this turns into an essay rather than a note, all that’s left to say is a heartfelt thank you to all of you. It’s so amazing to see what WOMEESA has achieved in a relatively short space of time and its due to the passion and dedication of the WOMEESA Team and ALL OF YOU, our members, coming together to advocate for gender equity. I hope that many of you will consider joining the WOMEESA Team and nominating for a committee role this month. You Rock!!
Heather Handley
WOMEESA News
WOMEESA workshop on resilience
Over the last couple of years the concept of ‘resilience’ has been at the centre of our lives as we struggle through difficult and stressful circumstances brought about by the pandemic. But even in the absence of a pandemic, the resilience reserves of women are often tested as they try to navigate a system that wasn’t designed for them, whether that be in industry, government or academia. Building systems that help women increase their resilience is the theme of our November WOMEESA seminar. We have a brilliant panel of women to share their knowledge on what strategies we can all put in place to withstand difficulties and challenges including:
Dr Susan McGinty: Founder of Aya Leadership, expert in women's leadership and resilience, former Director in the Australian Department of Defence and PhD in chemistry.
Dr Jill Gabo-Ratio: Associate Professor at the University of the Philippines and board secretary of the Geological Society of the Philippines.
Dr Sandra McLaren, University of Melbourne, an award-winning academic, geologist and president of AUGEN
Dr Verity Normington: Geoscience Australia, GSA governing councillor, 2019-2021 Superstar of STEM and previously a geologist with the NT geological survey and a policy officer at the Attorney-General's Department.
The workshop is on 23 November at 12pm (Sydney time). It's free and you can register here.
Your chance to be part of changing the experience of women in Earth and Environmental science
The WOMEESA AGM is being held on November 23 at 1pm (Sydney time), straight after the fabulous workshop described above. Don’t stop reading! If you’re anything like me, you read “AGM” and then kept scrolling but the AGM is where we elect our WOMEESA committee, which means this is YOUR chance to become a changemaker in Australasian Earth and Environmental science. You don’t need special skills, you just need an hour a month and a commitment to making a difference. We are currently taking nominations for our committee, for both the four office bearer positions and the ordinary committee members. Please take a look at the role descriptions sent by email to WOMEESA members earlier this week and the nomination form and consider nominating yourself, or tapping someone else on the shoulder who you think would be perfect in one of these roles. Nominations are due 5pm 12 November 2021. If you have any questions, please contact us at womeesa.network@gmail.com.
Online Seminar Series
Each month we host a seminar via zoom from a WOMEESA member. Our seminar series aims to increase the visibility of women in science and provide inspiring role models. All are welcome, even non-members.
Details of upcoming seminars on posted the seminar webpage here, and past seminars are posted on our YouTube channel here. We’re also compiling a list of talks by women in earth and environmental sciences in the region which you can find on the seminars webpage.
The October WOMEESA seminar was presented by Dr Katelyn Johnson about reconstructing Holocene climate variability using the sedimentary record offshore Antarctica. You can watch it here.
Don’t miss the next WOMEESA Seminar:
Wednesday 10 November, 2pm AEDT (Sydney time/1:30pm Adelaide)
Emily Leyden
University of Adelaide
“The world beneath your feet: A journey to mature age PhD in Soil Science”
See our website for more information and registration
Future seminars:
Wednesday 8 December, 2pm AEDT (Sydney time/1:30pm Adelaide)
Associate Professor Caroline Tiddy, University of South Australia
Shut Up And Write #SUAW
On the last Friday of the month we hold an online Shut Up and Write #SUAW session via zoom. We get together and talk briefly about what we want to achieve in the session, then write for about 50 minutes.
It’s a great opportunity to connect with other members and get some uninterrupted writing done. Even if you don’t have anything to write, you can just come along and say hi.
Next event will be Friday 26 November, 12 pm (Sydney time) the zoom link will be emailed out to members.
Member spotlights
Our member spotlights are helping increasing the visibility of women working in earth and environmental sciences in the region and share experiences. If you would like to feature on a member spotlight page or write an article for our blog page please get in touch with Jess (j.hillman@gns.cri.nz)
Take a look at the most recent spotlights here
Other WOMEESA News
The ultimate WOMEESA science cruise
Stunning imagery is being returned by the team on board RV Tangaroa offshore Taranaki New Zealand who, as you read this, are mapping parts of the seafloor for the first time. The beautiful, detailed images are revealing incredible submarine features in extraordinary detail. To keep up to date on what they are uncovering, what it means, and what dolphins look like on echosounders, follow these brilliant WOMEESA members: Jess Hillman (@hillman_jess), Suzanne Bull (@PelagicSooze), Hannah Power (@DrHannahPower) and Lorna Strachan (@NZSeds). Gosh, between that dream team and these images, who wouldn’t want to be a marine geoscientist!
Impacts of human activity on Antarctica
As part of Earth Science week, Steph McLennan from Geoscience Australia presented a seminar on how geoscience allows tracking of the human impact on Antarctica and why she is now obsessed with footprints. If you missed it you can watch it here.
Seminars on women in geoscience
This month WOMEESA members featured in two separate online seminars about women in geoscience. One was hosted by GeoHUG and featured Helen Degeling, Caroline Tiddy, Rick Valenta & Rachel Durdin, entitled “Is diversity in geosciences really a problem?” (spoiler alert: the answer is yes!). Each speaker explored a particular aspect of this problem based on their own experience and/or research. You can watch the recording on GeoHUGs website (at the time of writing it was not yet posted, but should be up soon).
The other seminar was part of the University of Queensland’s SMI JKMRC Friday seminar series, entitled ‘Why we lose women from geoscience: Evidence-based causes and solutions’, presented by Melanie Finch. This seminar looked at what research and evidence tells us about why women leave or are lost from our discipline, and what we need to change to stop it happening. If you are in an industry with FIFO work the last 10 minutes or so might be particularly relevant. You can watch that here.
Survey of Volcanic Hazards and Risk in Australia - Participants needed!
Heather Handley is conducting a survey to find out what Australians think about volcanic hazards and risk and is looking for members of the general public to complete a 10-12 minute, ethics approved, anonymous survey. So if you have family or friends that are over 18 and live in Australia, and have a bit of time to spare while taking public transport, waiting for the kettle to boil or that would just like to help out a research study for our Inaugural President, please send them to the survey link here or direct them to the QR code on the flyer below. The survey will be open until the end of the year. Thanks!
WOMEESA members on Avid Research Podcast
This month the Avid Research podcast spoke to Caroline Tiddy from the University of South Australia about her research in mineral exploration and diversity in geoscience. You can listen in here.
Coastal Wetlands Twitter conference
The Coastal Wetlands Twitter conference was this week, so if you’ve been noticing a lot of mangrove action in your twitter feed, that would be why. If you missed out and want to hear more you can visit @globalwetlands on twitter or check out the conference hashtag #CWTC21. One particularly cool initiative is the Mangrove Restoration Tracker Tool that aims to track the impact of mangrove restoration worldwide, which you can find out more about on twitter @Mangroves and if you’d like to contribute you can get in touch with @TAWorthington or @ThinkDeep.
Two new(ish) Australian science podcasts
Krystal De Napoli is a Gomeroi woman, scicomm superstar, astronomer and now the brilliant host of radio show and podcast Indigenuity. Indigenuity is a weekly radio show on RRR that showcases indigenous knowledge. You can listen live on RRR on Mondays at 12pm or to the recordings here.
Let's Talk SciComm is the brand new podcast of the University of Melbourne's scicomm department hosted by the wonderful Dr Jen Martin and her colleague Dr Michael Wheeler. They give advice and tips about how to communicate science in more effective and exciting ways. Subscribe on your podcast catcher of choice or listen here and you can follow them on twitter @LetsTalkSciComm for updates.
Opportunities
Thinking about a career outside academia? The Earth Science Women's Network is hosting a webinar on November 4th at 5pm UTC (this is 4am Sydney time)! Find out more and register here: https://forms.gle/pmXo8Cs5pKSmK8xS7
The Anne Kantor Young Women Environmentalists Fellowship offers training and mentoring to develop skills and experience in public policy and advocacy at both the Australia Institute and/or a partner organisation. (31 October)
Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program, Smithsonian (1 November)
Discovery Early Career Research Award, Australian Research Council (17 November)
The Women Who Lead STEM Mastermind is an intensive 6-month leadership development program for STEM women, developed to specifically address and negate the barriers to leadership experienced by women in STEM. It has been tailored for emerging and established STEM leaders to support them to reach their potential as experts and leaders. It combines formal, social and experiential learning through workshops and workplace activities, coaching, peer mentoring, networking, and two leadership diagnostic assessments. The program is facilitated by Aya Leadership, who are specialists in women's leadership education, with a career in STEM, and a strong focus on supporting STEM women to develop enduring leadership that creates impact. The program runs from 25 November to 27 May and will be delivered virtually. Visit Women in STEM | Female Leadership Program | Aya Leadership for full details and testimonials. For enquiries email susan@ayaleadership.com
Jobs:
The University of Newcastle Earth Science department has three continuing Level B positions!! One is in coastal and ocean geoscience, one is spatial information science and one in hydrogeology. If you want to find out more about working at UoN or living in Newcastle from a WOMEESA member, you can DM @DrHannahPower on twitter (8 November)
JCU Townsville have a postdoc available in the economic geology research unit, details available here (14 November).
The Teacher Earth Science Education Program (TESEP) are looking to employ geology-trained or environmental science-trained educators to assist in face-to-face delivery of the TESEP Teacher Earth Science Education Program in NSW, QLD and SA. The TESEP “The Challenging Earth’’ series of topics includes Climate Change, Groundwater, Our Place in Space, Energy Mix, Rocks & Mining. TESEP is happy to discuss variations and possibilities. For further information and to apply contact. Jill Stevens (Chairperson TESEP) Email: cp@tesep.org.au
NSW - Regional Coordinators for central NSW, NE NSW, SE – south coast NSW, north coast NSW, NW-north-central NSW (5 positions)
QLD - Possibly SE Qld-Brisbane-Sunshine Coast, Gladstone-Mackay-Rockhampton, Townsville-Cairns-Cloncurry (3 positions)
SA - Regional Coordinators for eastern SA, western SA (2 part-time, paid positions)
There is a job available at Uni Wollongong in School of Geography & Sustainable Communities for Indigenous lecturer, level A or B. PHD not necessary. For info DM on twitter: @DrNickGill @ACCESS_GEOG
Ion Microprobe Specialist at Curtin University, Western Australia (11 November)
ARC Australian Centre for Excellence in Antarctic Science is looking for an Antarctic paleoceanographer (23 November)
The Australian-Antarctic division is looking for a sea-ice data analyst (4 November)
3 year research associate position in Precambrian paleointensity at Curtin University, Perth (5 Nov)
PhD opportunities:
PhD project at JCU Townsville investigating novel stable isotope fractionations (Nd, Zn) in banded iron formations. This PhD project is part of larger ARC funded project on 'Linking continental emergence and climatic evolution on the Early Earth'. (30 November)
Five(!) PhD projects in computational geophysics at the University of Otago
PhD opportunities in the Earth dynamics research group at Curtin University, Perth (20 Nov)
Have an opportunity you’d like to share then let us know!
Upcoming Events
The WOMEESA monthly shut up and write session
The next #SUAW is this Friday 26 November at 12 pm AEDT (Sydney time), check your email for the zoom login details. We’d love to see you at the next SUAW, it’s always a great chance for a quick catch up and then some uninterrupted writing time.
WOMEESA virtual seminar series
The November seminar in our monthly series will be presented by Emily Leyden from the University of Adelaide on November 10 at 2 pm (AEDT, Sydney time, which is 1:30pm in Adelaide). To find out more and register to attend head over to our website. The WOMEESA seminars are the second Wednesday of every month at 2 pm (Sydney time). If you want to catch up on past WOMEESA seminars you can check them out on our YouTube channel.
WOMEESA local face-to-face bimonthly catch-ups
WOMEESA local catch-ups are usually bimonthly but have been on hold in locked down regions at the moment. If you are interested in organising a F2F in your own state or neighbourhood contact Heather Handley (heather.handley@mq.edu.au) to find out how.
Newsletter Editor-in-Chief
Melanie Finch
Melanie is a WOMEESA team member and geoscience lecturer at Monash University. Please contact Melanie if you see something to include in next month’s newsletter Melanie.Finch@monash.edu.
Newsletter Contributors
Heather Handley
Heather Handley is the Co-Founder and President of WOMEESA, Adjunct Assoc. Prof. at Monash University and Honorary Assoc. Prof. at Macquarie University.