AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN PHYSICS and AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS WORKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE THE STATUS OF PHYSICS DR PINA DALL'ARMI-STOKS and DR MANJU DEVI SHARMA

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AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN PHYSICSandAUSTRALIAN
INSTITUTE OF PHYSICSWORKING TOGETHER TO
IMPROVE THE STATUS OF PHYSICSDR PINA
DALL'ARMI-STOKS and DR MANJU DEVI SHARMA
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STATUS OF WOMEN IN PHYSICS IN AUSTRALIA

• THE GENDER RATIO OF WOMEN TO MEN DOING PHYSICS IN
  AUSTRALIA OVERALL IS QUITE SOMBRE.
• THE PROPORTION OF FEMALES DOING YEAR 12 PHYSICS
  IN AUSTRALIAN HIGH SCHOOLS HAS SHOWN LITTLE
  VARIATION OVER THE PAST DECADE. THE AVERAGE BEING
  APPROXIMATELY 29, WHILST THE AVERAGE OF FEMALES
  DOING YEAR 12 CHEMISTRY IS 48.8, OVER THE SAME
  PERIOD 1.
• THE PROPORTION OF FEMALES UNDERTAKING HIGHER
  DEGREE STUDIES IN PHYSICS HAS STEADILY INCREASED
  FROM 12 IN 1991 TO 19 IN 1999 2.
• THE OVERALL TREND OF PHYSICS ENROLMENTS AT
  AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES IS ON THE DECLINE AND THE
  GENDER RATIO IN PHYSICS IS STILL LOW FOR WOMEN,
  GIVEN THAT THE OVERALL LEVEL OF STUDENT
  ENROLMENTS IN AUSTRALIAN UNIVERSITIES HAS
  INCREASED.

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THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS (AIP) and
WOMEN IN PHYSICS (WIP)

• THE AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN PHYSICS GROUP IS ONE OF
  THE FORMALLY INCORPORATED GROUPS OF THE
  AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS. THE BENEFITS OF
  THIS ARRANGEMENT ARE,
• THE WIP GROUP HAS A BIENNIAL GENERAL MEETING AS
  PART OF THE AIP CONGRESS.
• THE CONGRESS COMPRISES PARALLEL MEETINGS OF THE
  INCORPORATED GROUPS. THIS ALLOWSMANY MORE
  INDIVIDUALS TO PARTICIPATE.
• AIP MEMBERS MAY ELECT TO BE MEMBERS OF WIP AS
  PART OF THE RE SUBSCRIPTIVE PROCESS
• WIP MEMBERSHIP AND ACTIVITIES ARE OPEN TO ALL
  INDIVIDUALS INTERESTED IN PHYSICS.
• WIP REPORTS TO AIP COUNCIL MEETINGS AND THE CHAIR
  OF WIP IS AN AUTOMATIC MEMBER OF THE SCIENCE
  POLICY COMMITTEE.
• AIP IS A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FUNDS AND SUPPORT.

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THE AIP WOMEN IN PHYSICS INTERNATIONAL LECTURE
TOUR

• AN INITIATIVE OF THE SA BRANCH WIP GROUP SINCE
  1997 IN COLLABORATION WITH THE AIP.
• THE MAIN PURPOSE IS TO RECOGNISE WOMEN PHYSICISTS
  AND THE CONTRIBUTION THAT THEY HAVE MADE TO THE
  SCIENCE.
• INCREASE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF PHYSICS AND TO
  PROMOTE WOMEN IN PHYSICS.
• ALTERNATE BETWEEN INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL
  CANDIDATE.
• NOW ORGANISED BY THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE WIP
  GROUP.

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SOME OF OUR SUCCESSFUL AIP WOMEN IN PHYSICS
LECTURE TOUR RECIPIENTS
1999 PROF. JOCELYN BELL BURNELL OPEN
UNIVERSITY UNITED KINGDOM
1997 DR. RACHEL WEBSTER UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
AUSTRALIA
1998 DR. CHRISTINE DAVIES UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
SCOTLAND
2001 DR. GABRIELA GONZALEZ PENNSYLVANIA STATE
UNIVERSITY UNITED STATES OF AMERCIA
2000 DR. MICHELLE SIMMONS UNIVERSITY OF NEW
SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA
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AN EVENT PRIOR TO THE WOMEN IN PHYSICS LECTURE OF
2002

• THE WOMEN IN PHYSICS LECTURE WILL OCCUR IN AUGUST
  OF 2002 COINCIDING WITH THEAUSTRALIAN NATIONAL
  SCIENCE WEEK. SCHOOL CHILDREN AND TEACHERS ARE
  ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN ACTIVITIES PROMOTING SCIENCE
  DURING THIS WEEK.
• WIP WILL BE RUNNING A COMPETITION YAWIPP YOUNG
  AUSTRALIAN WOMEN IN PHYSICS PROGRAMME.
• SECONDARY SCHOOL SCIENCE STUDENTS WILL BE INVITED
  TO PREPARE AND SUBMIT A TEN MINUTE PRESENTATION
  ON A SCIENTIFIC TOPIC (OF THEIR CHOICE) SUITABLE
  FOR PRESENTATION TO A GENERAL AUDIENCE PRIOR TO
  THE WIP LECTURE TOUR PRESENTATION.
• ONE WINNER AND ONE RUNNER-UP WILL BE AWARDED
  PROVIDED A SUITABLE STANDARD IS REACHED. THE
  MATERIAL CAN DESCRIBE
• CURRENT WORK IN ANY SCIENTIFIC FIELD RELATED TO
  PHYSICS
• SCIENTIFIC WORK BY A WOMEN PHYSICIST, NOT
  NECESSARILY AUSTRALIAN
• ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVOUR BY THE STUDENT
  UNDERTAKEN IN AUSTRALIA.
• THE WORK WILL BE ASSESSED ON THE BASIS OF
• SCIENTIFIC INTEREST
• PRESENTATION
• APPEAL TO A WIDE AUDIENCE.

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WIP YEAR 10 GIRLS WORKSHOP

• INITIATIVE OF THE WIP SA BRANCH IN 1992 AND 1993.
  
• 1-DAY WORKSHOP INVOLVED LABORATORY WORK AND
  DISCUSSIONS.
• TARGETTED YEAR 10 GIRLS FROM CITY AND COUNTRY
  SCHOOLS.
• ORGANISED BY THE WIP SOUTH AUSTRALIAN (S.A.)
  BRANCH.
• SPONSORED PARTIALLY BY AIP AND LOCAL UNIVERSITY.
• SOME MEMBERS OF THE WIP S.A. GROUP WERE
  RECOGNISED BY A LOCAL UNIVERSITY FOR THEIR WORK
  IN ORGANISING THIS WORKSHOP AND PROMOTING PHYSICS
  IN LOCAL AND COUNTRY HIGH SCHOOLS.

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FIRST WIP EXECUTIVE FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA WIP
GROUP

• THE INAUGURAL NATIONAL EXECUTIVE OF THE AIP WOMEN
  IN PHYSICS GROUP WAS HELD IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA AND
  WAS CHAIRED BY DR JUDITH POLLARD FROM THE
  UNIVERSITY OF ADELAIDE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA.

FIRST WIP EXECUTIVE FROM SOUTH AUSTRALIA WIP
GROUP

• THE CURRENT NATIONAL EXECUTIVE OF THE AIP WOMEN
  IN PHYSICS GROUP IS BASED IN SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH
  WALES. TOGETHER WITH NORMAL DUTIES, THE CURRENT
  EXECUTIVE HAS UNDERTAKEN TO
• UPDATE THE WEB PAGE
• INCORPORATE EQUAL OPPORTUNITY GUIDELINES INTO
  AIP POLICY DOCUMENTS
• SET UP A MECHANISM TO ENSURE ADEQUATE FEMALE
  REPRESENTATION IN KEYNOTE AND PLENARY ADDRESSES
  AT THE AIP CONGRESS
• ORGANISE A CURTAIN RAISER EVENT FOR THE WIP
  LECTURE.

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A WIP MEETING IN SYDNEY 2002

• THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE OF PHYSICS HAS A
  BIENNIAL MEETING OF SEVERAL INCORPORATED GROUPS,
  INCLUDING THE WOMEN IN PHYSICS GROUP.
• THE NEXT MEETING IS FROM THE 8TH TO 11TH JULY
  2002 IN SYDNEY. THE WOMEN IN PHYSICS GROUP WILL
  HAVE A PANEL DISCUSSION, TALKS AND A GENERAL
  MEETING ON WEDNESDAY THE 10TH OF JULY.

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FUTURE DIRECTIONS

• THE WIP HAS BRANCHES IN THE DIFFERENT STATES OF
  AUSTRALIA.
• THERE IS THE POTENTIAL TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE
  BRANCHES AND FOR THE BRANCHES TO COMMUNICATE WITH
  EACH OTHER IN AN INFORMAL MANNER.
• AS YET, WE HAVE NOT DETERMINED A FORMAL STRUCTURE
  BY WHICH THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATES AND
  STAYS IN TOUCH WITH THE STATE BRANCHES. THIS IS
  AN AREA THAT NEEDS TO BE FORMALISED.
• A DRAFT STRUCTURE LINKING THE STATE BRANCHES AND
  ALLOWING FOR DISSEMINATION AND REPORTING IS SHOWN
  IN FIGURE 1.
• THE COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE WIP NATIONAL
  EXECUTIVE AND THE BRANCHES WOULD BE VIA MINUTES
  OF MEETINGS AND PROGRESS ON WIP LECTURE TOUR
  DETAILS.
• FEEDBACK FROM THE BRANCHES COULD BE A RESULT OF
  RECEIVING MINUTES, OTHER MATTERS OF CONCERN OR
  INTEREST AND INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN BY THE
  BRANCHES.
• THE EXECUTIVE COULD THEN COLLATE THESE AND
  CIRCULATE TO ALL BRANCHES.
• CURRENTLY STATE BRANCH CONTACTS ARE IDENTIFIED AT
  THE BIENNIAL MEETING BUT MINIMAL COMMUNICATION
  OCCURS IN BETWEEN MEETINGS.

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FIGURE 1 STRUCTURE LINKING WIP STATE BRANCHES
WITH THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE WIP AND THE AIP.
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REFERENCES

1. THE PHYSICIST VOLUME 38 NUMBER 4 JULY/AUGUST
   2001 PHYSICS ENROLMENTS IN AUSTRALIAN SECONDARY
   SCHOOLS AT THE END OF THE 20TH CENTURY DE LAETER
   J.R. AND DEKKERS J.
2. THE PHYSICIST VOLUME 37 NUMBER 1
   JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2000 PHYSICS ENROLMENTS IN
   AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITIES
   1994-1999 DE LAETER JOHN, JENNINGS PHILLIP AND
   PUTT GRAEME.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
DR MANJU SHARMA IS A LECTURER AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF SYDNEY AUSTRALIA IN THE SCHOOL OF PHYSICS. SHE
COMPLETED HER PHD IN 1999 ON THE USE OF OPTICAL
FIBRES IN MICROSCOPY AND CURRENTLY IS SECRETARY
OF THE NATIONAL EXECUTIVE WIP GROUP OF AUSTRALIA.
DR PINA DALLARMI-STOKS IS CURRENTLY A RESEARCH
SCIENTISIT AT DSTO. SHE COMPLETED HER PHD IN 1995
ON PULSED TOWNSEND GAS DISCHARGES FOR ATOMS AND
MOLECULES. SHE HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE WOMEN IN
PHYSICS SOUTH AUSTRALIA GROUP SINCE ITS
INITIATION IN 1992.
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SOME OF OUR SUCCESSFUL AIP WOMEN IN PHYSICS
LECTURE TOUR RECIPIENTS
1997 DR. RACHEL WEBSTER UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE
AUSTRALIA
1998 DR. CHRISTINE DAVIES UNIVERSITY OF GLASGOW
SCOTLAND
1999 PROF. JOCELYN BELL BURNELL OPEN
UNIVERSITY UNITED KINGDOM
2001 DR. GABRIELA GONZALEZ PENNSYLVANIA STATE
UNIVERSITY UNITED STATES OF AMERCIA
2000 DR. MICHELLE SIMMONS UNIVERSITY OF NEW
SOUTH WALES AUSTRALIA