Science Careers Blog

Women Scientists and Engineers Sound Off about Their Careers

The blog Scientiae, maintained by a group blog of women in the STEM professions, devoted its May monthly carnival -- a collection of contributions from each blogger -- to sharing experiences on the development of their careers. The comments, collected by blogger FlickaMawa, cover issues such as pressure to publish, balancing family and work, meeting expectations of parents and mentors, and hopes for the future.  Women reading this blog probably will find many familiar issues and concerns, and at least some men will find the post quite revealing.

FlickaMawa collected the contributions from the group and posted the comments as an extended essay, with many direct quotes from the contributors. Some of the bloggers were happy with where they ended up; as ScienceWoman says, "My job requires both teaching and research and expects me to be good at both. It’s not exactly what I planned, but I really think it’s where I was meant to be." Liberal Arts Lady, however, had to make some adjustments for the sake of her family.

I started out as a gung-ho, I’ll-suffer-anything-for-the-project undergrad, and although I’ve really enjoyed the majority of my field time, over the past few years I’ve become much more reluctant and resigned to field work as actual work that also takes me away from my home life.

The blogger Young Stellar Objects discovered an inconvenient truth about being a postdoc.

[I]t isn’t just about having good ideas. It’s as much about politics and networking and self-promotion and schmoozing as it is about writing papers and winning grants. My postdoc years have been a lot about becoming savvy about self-promotion and trying to get over being an introvert.

Hannah likewise learns that achieving success depends as much on others as well as herself.

When it comes time to apply for faculty positions and tenure and all that, it’s more about the impact of your research. This is where the networking comes in: you gotta give talks, go to conferences, talk important people up, promote your ideas, yadda yadda. You need to find people who will promote your ideas for you as well: advisors and mentors.

There's plenty more, from overcoming dyslexia to remembering one's favorite job.

My favorite job, bar none, was at the video store. I loved that store. I liked the coworkers, I adored and respected my boss, I liked (most of) the regular customers. I loved that I was getting paid to stand around talking about movies, watching movies (free tape!), repairing broken tapes, and, best of all, just interacting with people all day.

Hat tip: Ric Weibl, AAAS

 

After a death in the family ...

Marci Alboher, the New York Times careers columnist, posted an entry on her blog last week about the conflicts and guilt generated about trying to do one's work after a death in the family. A death occurred in Alboher's own family, and she reported on her own conflicts and guilt. For anyone who has lost a close family member recently -- and even if you haven't -- it is worth a read.

After a death in the family, your first responsibility is to other family members. But as Alboher notes, there are often times when not much is going on and you're tempted to check in with the work place, via telephone or e-mail. That's where the internal conflicts kick in.

For scientists in the a lab or engineers working on a tightly scheduled project, losing a family member can cause serious disruptions in work schedules, even where fellow lab or project partners pull together to help out a buddy in crisis.  While companies or institutions may have policies about taking time off for bereavement, it is difficult to predict how much time a person needs to reconnect with work. As Alboher says, "So here I am, physically back at work, and wondering when my mind will join me back in the office."

While Alboher's post is personal, perhaps part of her own grieving process, it's a reminder of the need to expect the unexpected and build connections with your colleagues for when the unexpected happens.

NSF Promises to Release Missing Doctorates Data

Last week, we reported on this blog that that National Science Foundation has stopped reporting data on numbers of minorities earning doctorates in some scientific specialties if those numbers fall below a certain threshold. NSF told us yesterday they plan to release the missing data, including those in its latest survey.

The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), an annual survey of doctoral awardees conducted for NSF and five other federal agencies by the National Opinion Research Center, no longer displayed data for table cells where NSF believes the reporting of small numbers in those cells may divulge personal or confidential information. We then asked NSF for its rationale for the decision. In response to our inquiry, Bobbie Mixon, a spokesperson for NSF, said ...

SRS [NSF's Division of Science Resources Statistics] has instructed the contractor to release all data collected for the Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), as in previous years.  There are privacy and confidentiality issues that must be addressed, particularly in the context of small data sets.  The question of how to aggregate the data in future years will be addressed with the data user community over the next few months and new tables will be used for the 2007 SED Summary Report.

Mixon subsequently said NSF would release the data in the latest (2006) report, noting that "The contractor will release all SED data collected for the 2006 SED."

NSF did not give us a timetable for any of these actions. However, we will monitor the SED and report when the missing data appear.

Earn 98K at FDA

       

Stuck in a postdoc? Economic times like these breed despondency, not hope, but even dark clouds have silver linings.

In response to a number of recent crises, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced plans to make 1317 new hires, including "hundreds with science and medical backgrounds." Many of the hires will be made at the postdoctoral level. According to a press release, the "critical need occupations are medical officers, consumer safety officers, chemists, nurse consultants, biologists, microbiologists, health/regulatory/general health scientists, mathematical statisticians, epidemiologists, pharmacologists, pharmacists, and veterinary medical officers."

Positions will be available throughout the agency, including the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (133 positions), the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (663 positions), the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (116 positions), the Center for Food Safety and Nutrition (104 positions), the Center for Veterinary Medicine (34 positions), the National Center for Toxicological Research (22 positions), the Office of the Commissioner, and the Office of Regulatory Affairs (245 positions). "Many of these positions are located in the Washington metropolitan area, as well as across the country in the FDA's five regions, 20 districts, more than 179 resident posts, and the newly created FDA offices overseas," according to the press release.

Kim Holden, FDA's assistant commissioner for management, says the majority of these posts will be in the DC area ("specifically Rockville, Silver Spring, and College Park, Maryland," she says) Exceptions are the Office of Regulatory Affairs, which is hiring for positions nationwide, and the National Center for Toxicological Research, which is located in Jefferson, Arkansas. According to Holden, many of these positions can be filled by people with a wide range of education and experience, from a bachelor's degree on up. But scientists with Ph.D.s will be competitive for most of the positions and can expect to earn a salary commensurate with their training and experience.

Specifically, Holden says that a scientist with an a relevant Ph.D. and (for example) 2 years postdoctoral experience probably would be hired at either the GS13 or the GS14 level on the government pay scale. Government scales vary by region; in the Washington, DC area, GS13 starts at about $83,000 while GS14 starts at $98,000 annually. Higher salaries can be negotiated in special circumstances. For scientists with clinical degrees, the "Title 38 medical officer" pay system applies, Holden says, which allows FDA to compete with the private sector when hiring people with medical credentials. The FDA also offers loan repayment programs, flexible schedules, a work-from-home program, and the ability to negotiate advanced credit toward annual leave. U.S. citizenship is required.

A working group at FDA "has prepared a strategy for recruiting the best talent available, through job fairs, conferences, etc. that focus on these disciplines," according to a backgrounder released by FDA.

FDA expects to fill its open positions during the current fiscal year, which ends on 30 September. The hiring is expected to continue in 2009.

U.S. Proposes Hike in Student Visa Fee

Tucked away in a news release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on 11 April is a notice that DHS has proposed doubling the fee for student visas from $100 to $200. The fee is required of all new applicants for visas to attend academic and vocational schools in the U.S., and is non-refundable. DHS wants to raise other fees as well, including a nearly five-fold increase in the fee to certify American schools to accept foreign students, from $350 to $1,700

The proposed regulations--fee increases are officially considered regulations--are open for public comments, which can be submitted online. The due date for comments is 20 June.

Hat tip: Boston Globe

Seeking Perspectives and Personal Stories

Science Careers seeks personal stories and perspectives on science and scientific careers for publication in our "In Person" series. We're interested in submissions from scientists and trainees at every level, from undergraduates to senior scientists, to government officials and policy makers. We want perspectives from industry, academia, and government, and from the whole range of scientific disciplines.

Submissions should be written well and in a personal voice. They should be lean, readable, to the point, free of unnecessary jargon, and shorter than 1000 words. Please email submissions to jaustin@aaas.org.

NSF Witholding Some Data on Ethnic Minority Doctorates

From Inside Higher Ed we learn that National Science Foundation has stopped reporting data on numbers of minorities earning doctorates in some scientific specialties, if those numbers fall below a certain threshold. The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED), an annual survey of doctoral awardees conducted for NSF and five other federal agencies by the National Opinion Research Center, no longer reports data for table cells where the reporting of small numbers in those cells may divulge personal or confidential information.

According to the most recent (2006) report (PDF), this non-reporting of data removes much of the data on Native American participation in the sciences. Likewise, data for African-Americans in several disciplines ...

- Earth, atmospheric, & marine sciences
- Physics & astronomy
- Aerospace/aeronautical engineering
- Industrial engineering
are gone as well. See the screen shot below; cells with "D" have the withheld data.

[Click on thumbnail for full-sized image.]

Inside Higher Ed quotes an e-mail from Jaqui C. Falkenheim, NSF's project manager who attributed the decision to a review by NSF's Division of Science Resources Statistics (SRS) that publishes this and other workforce statistical reports. She said, "The findings of that review revealed the need, given more restrictive rules/guidelines and heightened concerns about confidentiality/privacy, to tighten SRS procedures for releasing SED data to the public." Falkenheim adds that protection of confidentiality helps keep response rates high and protects "the reputation of NSF as a research partner with academe".

How large does the cell size need to be to allow release of data? According to Falkenheim and Inside Higher Ed, that's confidential as well.

Users of these data are both disappointed and mystified. "This hides information. It removes information," said Andreen Neukranz-Butler, human rights compliance officer for the University of Idaho. She also noted that even with small cell sizes, no names or institutions are revealed, thus the concerns about confidentiality don't add up.

One of the commenters on the InsideHigherEd site, a researcher at University of California-Berkeley remarked, "This latest move is utterly pointless, indeed counter productive. It seems yet another move intended to obscure the very slow growth of Ph.D. acquisition by ethnic minorities."

Science Careers asked Falkenheim to comment further; we will update this post with NSF's response.

Hat tip: Donna Scheidt, University of Michigan

 

From Now on, I'm the Boss

Being picked by your colleagues to become their boss is one of the toughest challenges you'll face in your career, writes Marie Peronnau in the French finance online magazine Capital.fr. "This indeed requires asserting your authority, changing your image, and adding some distance to emotional relationships that have now become burdensome," Peronnau continues. This is especially true for industry careers, but similar situations may occur in the academic world. I´m taking the liberty of translating and summarizing Peronnau's key points:

• "Assert your legitimity as quickly as possible." Inform your colleagues of your new position before they hear it in a formal announcement. Make new rules of the game, new targets, and other changes clear to your colleagues in department and one-to-one meetings.

• "Spot the jealous ones to prevent them from doing any harm." Manage disapointment, jealousy, and any other negative feelings openly before they damage the working atmosphere and productivity. Be diplomatic, and show your confidence in the competences of the people who resent your promotion. If hostility remains, ask for advice to your superiors, but only when you've tried everything else, as this may undermine your image as a leader.   

• "Don't feel shy about asserting your authority." Don't hesitate to give directives even if it means breaking your former relationship with the group. Don't rely on past friendships with colleagues as this may make it difficult for them to recognize your authority and may be viewed by others as favoritism.

• "Distance yourself from your team, but just enough." You must assert your authority, but this doesn't mean becoming authoritarian. Strive to find the right balance.

• "Accept the loneliness your position implies." Get used to the idea that you can't share your complains or doubts with your former colleagues, as this would now harm your credibility. Instead, find a coach or mentor within your department.

The article contains many more good pieces of advice. If you want to read the complete version in French, here it is.

New Meat Prize

(I love writing headlines like that.)

A new, $1 million science prize is available, on an unlikely topic and from an unlikely source. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an organization not known for promoting science, has announced a $1 million jackpot for the "first person to come up with a method to produce commercially viable quantities of in vitro meat at competitive prices by 2012."

A New York Times article by John Schwartz quotes PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk as saying that the proposal for the prize caused a "'near civil war'" at PETA because (quoting the article now and not Newkirk), "so many PETA members are repulsed by the thought of eating animal tissue, even if no animals are killed."

"Lisa Lange, a vice president of the organization, said she was part of the heated exchange. “My main concern is, as the largest animal rights organization in the world, it’s our job to introduce the philosophy and hammer it home that animals are not ours to eat.” Ms. Lange added, “I remember saying I would be much more comfortable promoting eating roadkill.”

Feedback for "Ph.Dollars"

Editor,

Thanks to Dr. Webb for voicing the predicament I and my colleagues face as recently graduated bioscience Ph.Ds.  Unfortunately, I have real-life proof that spending 6 years in graduate school does not make financial sense.  Like Laurie Earls, I too met my husband in graduate school, and like her and her husband, we are struggling to gain financial security.  Living in the Washington, DC, area, we face high rent and childcare costs while simultaneously repaying undergraduate student loans.  Both my husband and I have chosen to pursue non-traditional science careers, in large part because we simply cannot meet our financial obligations on postdoc salaries.  As new parents, we are unwilling to postpone further our ability to save money for a house and our child's education, and so we have both left the bench. 

I encourage policymakers to consider carefully the career prospects of PhD scientists.  In light of concerns that U.S. competitiveness is lagging in science and technology, perhaps efforts should be focused on employing, compensating and, hence, retaining the Ph.D.s we have.  If efforts are instead focused on recruiting even more doctoral candidates – and this is certainly the current trend – I fear that the United States will simply have an even greater number of Ph.D.s who literally cannot afford to be scientists.

Meg L Flanagan, Ph.D.

Alexandria, Virginia