500 Women Scientists Explained

Formation:November 2016
Type:Nonprofit organization
Status:501(c)3
Purpose:Science advocacy
500 Women Scientists
Founder:Kelly Ramirez and Jane Zelikova
Website:http://500womenscientists.org

500 Women Scientists is a non-profit group dedicated to making science open, inclusive, and accessible.[1] [2] To achieve this mission, they work to increase scientific literacy through public engagement, advocate for science and equity, and provide self-identifying women with the tools and support they need to reach their full potential.[3] [4] The organization began with an open letter in November 2016 and was officially recognized as a 501(c)3 in May 2018.[5]

History

500 Women Scientists launched with an open letter signed by 500 women scientists after the United States 2016 presidential election.[6] [7] [8] [9] The letter pledged to speak out not only against policies that go against scientific evidence, but also against inequality, sexism, xenophobia, and other forms of discrimination against marginalized communities. Within two months, the pledge received over fifteen thousand signatures from women and allies in 109 countries.[10]

In concert with the 2017 Women's March, women scientists and supporters who signed the pledge organized themselves into groups to march together.[11] [12] [13] The local marches became the basis for forming local chapters, or "Pods", where local women scientists meet regularly. Pods function both as a support system and as a vehicle to focus on and organize around issues that resonate in their own communities, in line with 500 Women Scientists core mission and values.[14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

Programs and initiatives

Request a Woman Scientist

To increase representation of women on conference panels and in high-profile science journalism stories, 500 Women Scientists launched a Request a Woman Scientist database for self-identifying women with expertise in STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine) fields.[19] [20] [21] [22] The database currently contains over 6,000 women in 104 countries.[23]

Sci Mom Journey

500 Women Scientists launched the Sci Mom Journey campaign to share the journeys of parents in science, specifically mothers, who face institutional challenges when it comes to issues such as accessible lactation rooms and parental leave.[24]

Fellowship for the Future

In 2019, 500 Women Scientists launched the Fellowship for the Future program to recognize and support women of color who are leading initiatives in the STEM community that work towards promoting equity, inclusiveness, and accessibility in STEM in line with the organization's mission.[25]

Public engagement

500 Women Scientists often uses science writing as a means of communicating their expertise and values to the public at large, with pieces featured in outlets like Science, Scientific American, and The Seattle Times. The global leadership team has authored a number of opinion pieces on topics as varied as calling for evidence-based policy-making at the Environmental Protection Agency, recommending policy reforms to combat sexual harassment in academia, and encouraging journal editors to think carefully about fostering equity and inclusion in their editorial pages.[26] [27] [28] Local Pods have also written about issues facing their own communities, ranging from the effect of President Trump's border wall on California wildlife to the need to stop burning coal in the Puget Sound.[29] [30]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Science needs to be more inclusive and women are making it happen. Popular Science. 2018-06-16. en.
  2. News: Women Are Leading the Pro-Science Resistance. 2017-02-23. Vice. 2018-06-16. en-us.
  3. News: 500 Women Scientists: Taking action towards a more inclusive society. 2018-06-04. Research Features. 2018-06-18. en-US.
  4. Web site: Profile: 500 Women Scientists, the organisation that's building a more inclusive scientific society on a global scale -TechSPARK.co. techspark.co. en. 2018-06-18. 2018-03-08.
  5. Web site: Details about. apps.irs.gov. 2018-06-18.
  6. News: An Open Letter from and to Female Scientists. Ramirez. Kelly. Scientific American Blog Network. 2018-06-16. en.
  7. News: Women in science pledge to combat hate. Gill. Victoria. 2016-11-25. BBC News. 2018-06-16. en-GB.
  8. News: Scientists are really, really worried about Donald Trump. Kaplan. Sarah. 2016-11-30. Washington Post. 2018-06-16. en-US. 0190-8286.
  9. News: Over 9,000 Women In Science Rally To Fight Hate Given Voice Following US Election. IFLScience. 2018-06-16. en.
  10. News: Trump's anti-women and anti-science policies are pushing female scientists to action. Bagri. Neha Thirani. Quartz. 2018-06-18. en-US.
  11. News: A Day With the Women Scientists Protesting Trump. Meyer. Robinson. 2017-01-24. The Atlantic. 2018-06-16. en-US.
  12. Reardon. Sara. 2017-01-22. Scientists join massive protest against Trump. Nature. en. 10.1038/nature.2017.21345. 185791512. 1476-4687.
  13. News: Why Were Dozens Of People In White Lab Coats At The Women's March In DC?. Brueck. Hilary. Forbes. 2018-06-16. en.
  14. News: Local Women Scientists Getting Organized. Goldstone. Heather. 2018-06-16. en.
  15. News: Women scientists: "We're not backing down, and we're not going away". 2017-01-29. Grist. 2018-06-16. en-US.
  16. News: Women scientists meet: Local chapter of int'l group aims to promote science, diversity, community. Steve. Kent. The Herald Journal. 2018-06-16. en.
  17. News: This group of rad STEM ladies is trying to make change happen. Tucson. Angela Pittenger This Is. Arizona Daily Star. 2018-06-16. en.
  18. News: St. Louis women contribute to 500 Women Scientists, a global effort that promotes women in science. Hamdan. Lara. 2018-06-16. en.
  19. News: I Spent Two Years Trying to Fix the Gender Imbalance in My Stories. Yong. Ed. 2018-02-06. The Atlantic. 2018-06-16. en-US.
  20. News: How to Find a Woman Scientist. Nowak. Katarzyna. Scientific American Blog Network. 2018-06-16. en.
  21. News: There's No Excuse For Not Getting a Woman Scientist's Input Anymore. Kahn. Brian. Earther. 2018-06-16. en-US.
  22. News: Request a Woman Scientist Through 500 Women Scientists. New Learning Times. 2018-06-18. en-us. 2018-06-18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180618203815/https://newlearningtimes.com/cms/article/5324/request-a-woman-scientist-through-500-women. dead.
  23. Web site: Request a Scientist. 500 Women Scientists. en-US. 2018-06-18.
  24. Web site: Share Your Story. 500 Women Scientists. en-US. 2020-03-11.
  25. Web site: 500 Women Scientists' Fellowship for the Future www.ess.uci.edu. www.ess.uci.edu. 2020-03-11. 2021-04-28. https://web.archive.org/web/20210428005048/https://www.ess.uci.edu/node/12476. dead.
  26. News: Stories by 500 Women Scientists. Scientific American. 2018-06-16. en.
  27. Zaringhalam. Maryam. Vijayaraghavan. Rukmani. Simonis. Juniper. Ramirez. Kelly. Zelikova. Jane. Scientists. on behalf of 500 Women. 2018-04-13. Journal editors should not divide scientists. Science. en. 360. 6385. 163–164. 10.1126/science.aat6288. 0036-8075. 29650666. 2018Sci...360..163Z. free.
  28. News: As EPA head, Scott Pruitt must act on climate change. 2017-02-20. The Seattle Times. 2018-06-18. en-US.
  29. News: Trump's wall would harm unique and fragile wildlife on the California border. Trexler. Christa. Massive. 2018-06-18.
  30. News: Guest Editorial: Puget Sound Energy Needs to Stop Burning Coal in Montana. The Stranger. 2018-06-18. en.

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