ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Unintended effects of gender-neutral tenure policies

Policies that allow for pauses in the tenure clock have been discussed as a potential solution to the gender disparities observed in faculty promotion, such as those which have become more evident during the pandemic. But what evidence do we have that these policies produce desirable outcomes? A 2018 study using aggregated economics department data . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: A taboo topic

Attending to intersectional differences also includes listening for what is not being discussed. For example, by their mid-40’s and early 50’s, many faculty cisgender women are in mid-career or senior positions but few are willing to talk about the impact of menopause on their careers. This week we highlight a recent synopsis in the Endocrinologist . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: When question-asking becomes harassing

In certain fields, women dread presenting seminars because of the aggressive questioning they experience. This type of questioning goes well beyond questions that arise from intellectual curiosity about a topic. Patronizing and hostile questioning is a type of harassment. This New York Times article describes a study published in the National Bureau of Economic Research . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Shunning stereotypes-nice guys do finish last

This week’s ADVANCE weekly roundup article describes how the failure of a man to demonstrate masculine stereotypes such as self-promotion and self-interest impacts how both men and women rated his workplace competence.  These “agreeable” men earn less money in prime earning years and may be overlooked for advancement.  Deviating from the stereotype of masculinity can . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Largest-ever survey exposes career obstacles for LGBTQ scientists

LGBTQ scientists experience career-damaging harassment according to the largest-ever survey recently published in AAAS’s Science Advances and featured in Nature.  The study of thousands of US-based researchers finds that those from sexual and gender minorities are more likely to experience workplace prejudice and harassment, fewer career opportunities and fewer resources.  Further, LGBTQ individuals experience greater . . .

Presentation Winners: Graduate Research Colloquium 2021

by Graduate Student Government This year’s Graduate Research Colloquium organized by the Graduate Student Government was hosted virtually due to COVID restrictions. There were in total 48 presentations — 17 poster presenters and 31 oral presenters. Poster presentations took place in a pre-recorded video style and the oral sessions were hosted live via Zoom. You . . .

ADVANCE Weekly Roundup: Programs to Diversify Role Models in STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine)

An engineer friend once told my wife that my daughter, who was considering majors in college, was not the right type to be an engineer. Too often, we develop preconceived ideas of what a scientist, engineer, or artist is expected to look like. We use such stereotypes to simplify the complex world around us. This . . .

A&A Session for Chairs/Unit Leaders

During Academic Forum on Wednesday, it was mentioned that the ombudsperson talks to ~2 faculty per week.  This rate is consistent with results from Michigan Tech’s Work, Live, Learn Survey which found that 31.6% of women disagreed or strongly disagreed with the statement that they felt supported and mentored during the tenure-track years or the 22.4% who . . .