AWIS-SD Newsletter
November/December 2009
Volume 17 Issue 6
Dear AWIS members
This is my last letter to you as chapter President, as my term comes to an end this year. It has been an honor to lead such a wonderful and enthusiastic group of people and I have enjoyed it immensely. I would like to thank all of you for your support during the past two years. In particular, I’d like to thank my fellow board members for being such a wonderful team, for always voicing your opinions and making sure that we made good decisions. It has also been a pleasure to work with the committee chairs and the committees, and I’d like to thank all of them, both current and past, for their efforts and hard work for the chapter.
This year, many people have worked hard to introduce new member benefits, such as Coffee Clubs. Introduction of a new program always takes some time to grow and we feel that we have achieved a good position for the Coffee Clubs. We have two ongoing Coffee Clubs for Mid-Career and Working Moms, while other ideas have surfaced and not yet taken hold. This is part of the development of a new program and helps us to establish where the needs are. The LinkedIn group has had some lively discussions, as well as being a forum to network with people, find out about jobs and also what’s going on in AWIS. We hope that both of these programs will grow from strength to strength in 2010.
Next year will start off with a really exciting event. The National Board will be holding their meeting in San Diego, along with the AWIS Fellows Reception, from February 18-21. They have planned an exciting workshop on Work/Life Balance, which is a relevant subject to all of us in the workforce. Many consider work/life balance to be a parenting issue, but this workshop is aimed at everyone and we hope that you will be able to join in and make use of this exciting opportunity provided by our national organization.
I wish you all the best for the upcoming holiday season and success for the New Year.
As usual, if anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to contact me at .
Best wishes,
Jenny
AWIS Open House
By Kerri Hebard-Massey
On October 15th, nearly 200 people gathered for the annual AWIS San Diego Open House. The event was a chance to showcase the benefits of AWIS to attract potential new members and to network. The new location at Veralliance Campus Pointe featured a wall of curved glass. Attendees easily wandered the spacious rooms, stopping at tables for each committee to gather more information. Many people were interested in networking and many business cards traded hands. To all the new newsletter readers, Welcome!
The Open House is also a chance to recognize our volunteers and to present the Career Development Awards. AWIS San Diego and the AWIS Newsletter extend a big thank you in recognition of the following years of service:
- 20 years: Patricia Shaffer.
- 15 years: Margery Johnstone and GraceNakayama.
- 10 years: Janice Payne, Victoria Cagle, Melanie Nelson, Wendy Freedman, and Elizabeth Orr.
- 5 years: Robin Rosenfeld, PaulaSoto, Min Zhou, Cayenne Carlo, Geetha Srikrishna, Shauna McGillivray, Peggy Wallace, and Jenny Chaplin.
AWIS-San Diego would not be able to put on these events without the tireless efforts of our volunteers. Several volunteers were recognized for extraordinary service:
- Achievement in Innovation: Corine Lau and Laurence Fougeard
- Rookie of the Year: Erin Dunn
- Leadership: Erica Stone and Anita Iyer
- Outreach/Community Service: Shauna McGillivray
- Outstanding Volunteer: Grace Nakayama and Dody Sears
- President's Award: Barbara Preston
Finally, AWIS-San Diego was able to issue two career advancement awards this year. Congratulations to Irene Chen and Judy French. Irene is a postdoctoral fellow in the Hedrick lab at UCSD who is planning to transition into a career in Regulatory Affairs. Judy has over 20 years of experience in the Biotech and pharmaceutical industry in San Diego in Exploratory Research and Bioanalytical Development and is planning to transition to a career in Clinical Research.
An Interview with San Diego’s Established Science Writer Lynne Friedmann
By Erin Dunn
What does it mean to be a science writer? What is the future of science writing careers? These are some of the questions I posed to established science writer and long-time AWIS member, Lynne Friedmann. Friedmannn is a pioneer in public relations for the bioscience industry and basic research and has served as an advisor to government panels. She is recognized as a dedicated leader and mentor in her field and was recently elected to the College of Fellows of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), an honor based on lifetime achievement and contributions. She is one of 11 PRSA members nationwide who will be inducted on November 7th at the PRSA 2009 International Conference in San Diego. She credits part of this recognition to her involvement with AWIS. Friedmann is a fellow of AWIS, AAAS, and PRSA. She teaches a science writing course through UCSD Extension.
E: How did you establish your consulting firm "Friedmann Communications"?
L: [When I moved to San Diego, in 1987] all of the PR agencies in town were content with tourism, contracting and real estate clients. They knew there was local science technology business, but they weren’t interested in pursuing it. I knew if I wanted to continue in the science writing field, I had to stay in the loop. Editors are constantly changing, and you have to know to whom to pitch stories. That is when I decided to start my own PR consulting business. It took about two years to get off the ground. My first job was as a media consultant to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS). They needed someone to report on water quality issues on the west coast and to train scientists for a major press conference.
E: Who are the typical employers of science writers?
L: News gathering organizations, universities, research organizations, technology or bioscience companies, government agencies, non-profits, environmental agencies, science education, museums, editors in the publishing industry. Science writing often requires wearing many hats. You may not write about science all the time. For example, I once wrote for a veterinary association about business aspects of veterinary medicine and ways to enhance a practice.
It is a good idea to get involved in journalism societies like the National Association of Science Writers (NASW); be a board member and give back to the profession. Moving in different circles elevates your profile. Freelancing is also a good way to learn.
E: What advice do you have for someone who wants to start freelance writing?
L: Save up some money to cover living expenses before writing checks start coming in or start small by writing on the side. I knew a newspaper writer who took a six month leave from work in order to pursue freelance writing. She had a concrete plan that included specific publications she wanted to write for and financial goals to reach. She was highly successful, but had she not reached those goals she had the safety net of going back to the newspaper. Therefore, have a plan but it shouldn’t be static; re-evaluate and regroup periodically. Publication websites will let you know if they are freelance or staff written and will offer submission guidelines. Look at the back of magazines. Often there are one page essays and this can be a good way to break in. Often beginning freelancers pitch big publications, like the NY Times, get turned down, and become discouraged. Start with small, local publications. Write for science associations or non-profits such as the National Cancer Society or National Diabetes Association. Time management is also important when you freelance. You need to be looking for future work at the same time you are writing, drafting and working on current assignments.
E: More and more information is going on-line. How is that affecting science writers?
L: Newspapers are consolidating and/or going out of business. Magazines have fewer pages to fill due to falling ad revenue. Web fees for articles are far less than for traditional media. Displaced reporters are starting to apply their skills in new ways such as getting into government policy, as investigative reporters for watchdog groups, and embracing new kinds of media.
E: What are the fun things about science writing?
You are paid to learn; it’s a constant education. But it’s the opposite of being trained as a scientist: instead of a specific area of interest, you know a little bit about a lot of things. You are invited into different fields, to accompany scientists and to meet incredible people. I once spent a week with Jane Goodall when she was in Los Angeles to accept an environmental prize. I also do a lot of wilderness travel and sometimes sell stories about that, too.
E: What type of person makes a good reporter or writer?
L: Curiosity with a high degree of skepticism. As a journalist, your responsibility is to the public. You can’t be biased, and must present both sides of an issue. Your stories may not please everyone, so you need a thick skin. If you’re a science writer for a university or nonprofit, your style is slightly different in presenting a positive light on your institution but the same ethical standards for truthfulness and accuracy still apply.
E: Any other words of advice or encouragement?
L: Go into the profession because you love to write. Write every day. Think of writing like a sport: Are you going to get a daily workout perfecting you skills or be a weekend warrior and suffer a lot of sore muscles? When you wake up in the morning and say to yourself, ‘I get to create something today,’ that’s when you know you are a writer.
AWIS Star Party
By Cynthia Shuman
On the afternoon of August 22nd, AWIS members, friends and families came together at Rosemary’s beautiful Mount Laguna home to share good food and lively conversation, followed by an evening of star-gazing at the Mount Laguna Observatory. The grill was constantly fired up as attendees enjoyed sampling the impressive selection of culinary delights. There was no shortage of fantastic food brought for the potluck, including appetizers, fruit, salads, Spanish rice, vegan chili, chicken, sausages, desserts, and many other dishes representing a wide variety of cuisines. Invariably, as soon as one dish was depleted, there was another amazing dish to replace it. The delicious dinner was complemented by pleasant socializing and everyone enjoyed a great view from Rosemary’s porch. There was plenty of exploring to be done, and the younger affiliates of AWIS especially enjoyed meeting their new buddies, the inquisitive alpacas, and investigating a colorful group of chickens and roosters.
By 6:30pm, the sun was descending, everyone was well sated and it was time to head out to the observatory to enjoy the stars. There we were treated to a lecture on the observatory, telescopes and the kinds of observations that are made from this site. Our tour included a special viewing of the telescopes and ended with stargazing from the Reginald Buller 21-inch Visitors' Telescope. Three SDSU graduate students joined us at the telescope on the surrounding deck to answer all sorts of questions about stars, constellations and the night sky. As we wrapped up the evening, the truly dedicated returned to Rosemary’s home for a camp out with S’mores and more star viewing.
Special thanks to Mount Laguna Observatory Director Paul Etzel and the talented grad students who assisted with this event. For those of you interested in visiting the observatory on your own, please find more information at:
A huge thank you to Rosemary for arranging the trip to the observatory and sharing her home for the potluck!
Mid Career Coffee Club
By Mindy I. Davis
I’ve never had a cup of coffee in my life, but that didn’t stop me from checking out AWIS-SD’s newest members-only monthly networking event. I was assured that anyone at a management level is welcome, so I joined six women for the mid career coffee club on Sept 17, 2009 and eleven women on a very brisk October 22, 2009. Coffee clubs (e.g. mid career and working moms groups) were developed this year as a way for women with similar backgrounds/experiences to meet informally.
There was no set topic for the September coffee club. We chatted about our experiences with networking events and on-line resources such as LinkedIn. Recently, the number of recruiters contacting people had increased, indicating that the job market may be loosening up a little bit. Several of the women were between jobs and we discussed different ways people were using this “time off.” One woman has been exploring some non-science product ideas and meeting with a Meetup group geared towards entrepreneurs. This product had been a dream of hers for years and she repurposed this time between jobs as an opportunity. I think that exploring one’s career aspirations is a great way of making lemonade when life hands you a lemon.
We discussed career prospects for someone who wants to stay at the bench at least part time and not be relegated to an office. Is there a “glass ceiling” that would prevent advancement and stifle your career? We decided that the answer to this was very dependent on the company, since amongst the six of us we had seen examples of both: companies where directors were still actively involved in lab work and companies where none of the directors were in the lab anymore. Finding a company with a compatible culture would be key to finding a managerial position where continued bench work is not just accepted but encouraged.
For the October coffee club we had a set topic: "How to motivate your group members." Several of the new attendees had learned about the coffee club at the Open House. What struck me about our discussion were the two sides to nearly every motivational idea. Having a good idea isn't enough; it needs to be executed thoughtfully to be successful. For example, some companies reward employees with small dollar awards or other recognition, but depending on how the awards are doled out, some felt neglected. As with most things in life, effective communication within the team is key. Clearly explaining the rationale for new projects or changes is important to keep people from just feeling like a pair of hands. Realizing that not everyone wants to keep moving up the ladder is important for managers to understand. Giving credit and a real feeling of ownership for the project to your team by letting team members present the work were also suggested.
Did the coffee club change my life? No… I still prefer a nice cup of Earl Grey to coffee! Seriously, I think this is a great way to get to know other AWIS-SD members better and to learn from each other as we seek to advance our careers. It was an opportunity for informal mentoring as well.
New coffee club ideas as well as topic ideas are always welcome. I encourage all members to check one out.
"Gisser job…I can do that"
by Bhawanjit Brar
I was a 12 year old at school in Slough (South East England), and our drama teacher made us watch a film about a guy that lived in Liverpool (Northern England) who lost his track in life and got deeper and deeper into a depression. My teacher was raving about the acting of Bernard Hill who played Yosser Hughes. The episode we had to watch ‘Yosser's Story’ was from the series ‘Boys from the Black Stuff (1982)’ that was written by Alan Bleasdale. The series followed a gang of men as they struggled to cope with long-term unemployment. We were told that as drama students we had to aim for that standard of acting. Like any school kid, I just took this film with a pinch of salt and did not really reflect on the message until recently.
“Yosser's Story” is still seen as a benchmark in television drama. In that episode the gang's most troubled character, Yosser Hughes, slowly loses everything he cares for - his pride, his home, his children and eventually his mind and that leads to an attempted suicide. Hill won a Bafta for the role, and Yosser's trademark lines - "Gisser job" "("give us [me] a job"), "I can do that" - became UK national catchphrases and Yosser became an icon of Thatcher’s Britain in the 1980s. The British working class Yosser asks any one on the street to give him a job by constantly ranting "Gisser job". Kids laugh at him thinking he is pretty crazy. I myself at times thought this man is stark raving mad. How did he get himself in that situation? I, like my fellow students, did not feel sympathy for him. I used to think everyone has the ability to control one's destiny, don’t they?
Back to the present. This is not rainy working class Liverpool, but sunny, affluent San Diego, a booming hi-tech, bio-tech city. Yet many people, like myself, find themselves in a similar predicament to Yosser. Now sixteen years later after first seeing "Yosser's Story" I can finally relate to it. I feel like going to every company in San Diego and handing in my resume and saying, "Gisser job, I can do that". I am without a job despite 19 years of education including a doctorate.