Dear Colleagues, 

I am pleased to include another issue of RFS Briefings with some timely and encouraging updates on women in science.

Our annual year-end meeting is almost here

We are in the process of taping an impressive agenda which will showcase amazing leaders who you may not have heard from! We will again present an impressive panel of prestigious Award winners in science, and a panel to highlight the unique path of scientists From PhD to CEO. As in the past, you will also want to hear first-hand from major new appointments in the Federal government and the White House. We will also present a fascinating look back at Lost Women of Science.

These productions will be shared through broadcast on November 30th and December 1st, 12:00a.m. - 3:00p.m. (EST).

A link for registration will be posted soon. We know you will want to hear these presentations from prestigious scholars, authors, award winners, government leaders from NCI, ARPA-H, and the FDA. and a scientist's very personal story of insight and recovery.

Please continue to share important news and opportunities with us so that we may share it with you, and others who are committed to supporting the careers of exceptional women in science. 

Stay safe and sound

Karla Shepard Rubinger
Executive Director
Rosalind Franklin Society
www.rosalindfranklinsociety.org
 

M.I.T. Names a Duke Provost as Its New President.

M.I.T. announced a new president, Sally Kornbluth, a cell biologist and provost at Duke University. She will be the second female president of the university, and will join a long list of women in its top leadership ranks. The provost, chancellor, dean of science and chair of the M.I.T. Corporation, the school’s governing body, are all women. Read more. (Image: Jared Lazarus, Duke University, edited by MIT News)

The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth confirms Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams as new president.

Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams was the first Black woman to serve as Deputy Surgeon General of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps., then the first Black woman to rise to the level of Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health. “Dr. Sylvia Trent-Adams is an extraordinarily accomplished academic health care leader,” said Dr. Michael R. Williams, chancellor of the UNT System. Read more.

She’s made 1,750 Wikipedia bios for female scientists who haven’t gotten their due.

Jess Wade, 33, a British physicist, spends her spare time writing Wikipedia biographies for women and minority scientists. “Wikipedia is a really powerful way to give credit to people who, for a long time, have been written out of history,” she said. “Not only do we not have enough women in science, but we aren’t doing enough to celebrate the ones we have.” Read more. (Image: Jess Wade)

The Vilcek Foundation announces the recipients of the 2023 Vilcek Foundation Prizes.

Biyu J. He receives the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science for her leadership in the field of cognitive neuroscience, and for her groundbreaking discoveries on the biological bases of perceptual cognition and subjective experience. Read more.

Women researchers are cited less than men. Here’s why—and what can be done about it.
Women’s scientific contributions are often undervalued and cited less often than those of their male counterparts, including in neuroscience, astronomy, medicine—and, according to two new studies, physics. How can researchers and institutions address gender inequality in academia? Read more.

Obstetrics “giant” Beryl Benacerraf dies at 73.
Beryl Benacerraf, best known for discovering that congenital abnormalities such as Down syndrome could be diagnosed through prenatal ultrasound, died October 1 of late-stage cancer. She was a renowned radiologist and professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Read more.

On the lookout for viruses that could leap from animals into humans.
Sara Sawyer, a virologist at the BioFrontiers Institute of the University of Colorado, Boulder, spoke to Nature about what a virus must do to make the leap between species, and describes a worrying discovery her laboratory has made regarding a future threat. Read more.

A journey of joy and uncertainty in physics.
This article is part of a series of essays written by Black physicists and co-published with Physics Today as part of #BlackInPhysics week 2022, an event dedicated to celebrating Black physicists and their contributions to the scientific community. Read more. 


Marianna Limas, Social Media Manager
Nilda Rivera, Partnership and Events Manager