Skip to main content

Unconscious Bias Talk at JPL Oct 29


Science Division Seminar


Unconscious Bias in Hiring, Promotions, and Tenure

Presented by

Joan T. Schmelz
University of Memphis

Date:  Monday, October 29, 2012
Time:  12:00 p.m.
Location: von Karman Auditorium

Abstract:

We all have biases, and we are (for the most part) unaware of them. In general, men and women BOTH unconsciously devalue the contributions of women. This can have a detrimental effect on grant proposals, job applications, and performance reviews. Sociology is way ahead of astronomy in these studies. When evaluating identical application packages, for example, male and female University psychology professors preferred 2:1 to hire “Brian” over “Karen” as an assistant professor. When evaluating a more experienced record, at the point of promotion to tenure, reservations were expressed four times more often about Karen than about Brian. This unconscious bias has a repeated negative effect on Karen’s career (Steinpreis, Anders & Ritzke 1999, Sex Roles, 41, 509). In this talk, Joan will introduce the concept of unconscious bias and also give recommendations on how to address it using an example for a faculty search committee. The process of eliminating unconscious bias begins with awareness, then moves to policy and practice, and ends with accountability. For more information, please see the University of Michigan Advance STRIDE web site (http://sitemaker.umich.edu/advance/stride).

Bio:
Dr. Joan T. Schmelz received her Ph.D. from Penn State University in Astronomy in 1987. She then worked at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center where she was part of the operations team for the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite. She is currently a professor in the Physics Department at the University of Memphis. Her research involves the investigation of properties and dynamics of the solar atmosphere, including coronal heating, using X-ray and EUV spectroscopic and image data. She has published papers on a variety of astronomical subjects including stars, galaxies, interstellar matter, and the Sun. Schmelz has been a member of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy (CSWA) since 2004 and is currently serving her second term as committee chair. She was an editor of CSWA’s weekly e-mail newsletter, AASWOMEN, from 2005-12, and is the current Acquisitions Editor for CSWA’s semi-annual magazine, STATUS. She has spoken on a variety of CSWA-related topics including Workplace Bullying in Astronomy, Designing a 21st Century Astronomy Career Track, Unconscious Bias, and What Men Can Do to Help Women Succeed in Astronomy.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

A view from your shut down

The Daily Dish has been posting reader emails reporting on their " view from the shutdown ." If you think this doesn't affect you, or if you know all too well how bad this is, take a look at the growing collection of poignant stories. No one is in this alone except for the nutjobs in the House. I decided to email Andrew with my own view. I plan to send a similar letter to my congressperson. Dear Andrew, I am a professor of astronomy at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA). The CfA houses one of the largest, if not the largest collection of PhD astronomers in the United States, with over 300 professional astronomers and roughly 100 doctoral and predoctoral students on a small campus a few blocks west of Harvard Yard. Under the umbrella of the CfA are about 20 Harvard astronomy professors, and 50 tenure-track Smithsonian researchers. A large fraction of the latter are civil servants currently on furlough and unable to come to work. In total, 147 FTEs

The Long Con

Hiding in Plain Sight ESPN has a series of sports documentaries called 30 For 30. One of my favorites is called Broke  which is about how professional athletes often make tens of millions of dollars in their careers yet retire with nothing. One of the major "leaks" turns out to be con artists, who lure athletes into elaborate real estate schemes or business ventures. This naturally raises the question: In a tightly-knit social structure that is a sports team, how can con artists operate so effectively and extensively? The answer is quite simple: very few people taken in by con artists ever tell anyone what happened. Thus, con artists can operate out in the open with little fear of consequences because they are shielded by the collective silence of their victims. I can empathize with this. I've lost money in two different con schemes. One was when I was in college, and I received a phone call that I had won an all-expenses-paid trip to the Bahamas. All I needed to d

back-talk begins

me: "owen, come here. it's time to get a new diaper" him, sprinting down the hall with no pants on: "forget about it!" he's quoting benny the rabbit, a short-lived sesame street character who happens to be in his favorite "count with me" video. i'm turning my head, trying not to let him see me laugh, because his use and tone with the phrase are so spot-on.