Once upon a time Dr. Isis kept a humble little science blog over at Blogspot. Then, after a few months of shenanigans, Dr. Isis was approached by ScienceBlogs to join their motley crew. As an academic scientist I have been lucky enough to have a tremendously fulfilling career and I recognized that the much more visible platform ScienceBlogs provides could offer the opportunity to do something positive for other scientists who are trying to establish their careers. It also occured to me that ScienceBlogs provides a community that allows women in science to interact and support each other in a way that is difficult in the current academic environment. For this reason, the decision to join them was easy.
It is with all of this in mind that I come to you, my lovely little readers, to ask for your help in rewarding a junior scientist who has done excellent work. Since joining ScienceBlogs I have been in contact and discussion with the executive director of the American Physiological Society, discussing ways I might use my blog powers for good instead of solely evil. The APS has very kindly agreed to allow us (hang tight, I'm not asking for money, seriously) to fund an award at this year's Experimental Biology meeting for the undergraduate woman who submits the best abstract. Each year the APS awards seven David Bruce Awards for undergraduate research excellence and, within the structure of this program, the APS will be adding an eighth award specifically from me and my lovely readers (but I'm not asking for money. I promise). I really loved the idea of using my blog to encourage and reward a more junior scientist who had done excellent work and visiting these undergraduate poster presentations are really a highlight for me each year. So how can you help?
So, it's really quite simple. I am asking you to help reward an undergraduate scientist for research excellence by clicking on my blog and asking others to click too. If you click once a day, come by twice a day. Each time you do, the proceeds generated will go to fund this award.
I am really proud to be able to partner with my favorite scientific society to use my blog to provide positive opportunities for others. I promise to keep trying to bring you these opportunities to make a difference with nothing more than a click (or two or three). So, get to work!
Besides, you're coming by for the hot shoes and hot science anyway.
Education & Careers
Life Science
Comments
So those of us who get your feed through a reader should come straight to your website for the next month to get our Dr. Isis fix?
Posted by: Sara | March 19, 2009 10:15 AM
YES!!!
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | March 19, 2009 10:40 AM
What a great idea! And congrats to you for this! I will visit as often as I can (I didn't know one got paid for number of hits - I guess that makes sense!).
Posted by: MCH | March 19, 2009 11:01 AM
I am trying to automate a way to come here every 20 minutes, but am too much of a techie doofos for that ;-)
Also, posted a link on Twitter and Friendfeed....
Posted by: Coturnix | March 19, 2009 11:06 AM
Does that mean the the shoe postings may go up to a pair every (gasp) week?
yay!
Automating sounds like a fun project ;-)
Posted by: Dr Curiosity | March 19, 2009 11:50 AM
Does that mean the the shoe postings may go up to a pair every (gasp) week?
yay!
Automating sounds like a fun project ;-)
Posted by: Dr Curiosity | March 19, 2009 11:50 AM
but I'm not asking for money. I promise
Okay, you're not asking. But what if we want to give??
For those of us with carpal tunnel syndrome from already clicking on your blog many times a day just to hear what wisdom you care to impart with us, could we just write you a check or ask you to set up a PayPal button so we can make direct donations? I'm rather motivated to support your effort in a more substantive fashion and I suspect that others may be as well.
Congratulations on the recognition by the APS. I admire you for your commitment to put your money where your mouth is in recognizing outstanding junior women scientists.
Posted by: Abel Pharmboy | March 19, 2009 12:00 PM
Does it need to be from a different IP address each time -- ie, different people visiting or just number of hits?
Posted by: gnuma | March 19, 2009 12:00 PM
This is such a fabulous idea! Is there any way that we could track the number of hits you're getting per day (to see how we're doing in our recruiting)? :)
Posted by: Katie 2.0 | March 19, 2009 12:10 PM
Where are the rest of PZ's pharyngulinions when you need them? If you could make a few polls for us {{er}} THEM to crash..........
-Rusty
Posted by: minusRusty | March 19, 2009 12:10 PM
what an awesome idea! I will click often.
Posted by: ScientistMother | March 19, 2009 12:37 PM
Abel, I will look into a PayPal button this afternoon!
And Katie and gnuma, you don't need a new IP address each time. Our counter tracks the number of views, even if they come from a single source. I am not allowed to divulge the number of hits SB or my blog gets a day (issues with proprietary stuff, and what-not), but I can report to you on how much money this effort has raised. Perhaps if you all are very good little clickers, we can exceed our goal.
Abel, since you have access to the hit count info, would you be willing to be an independent verifier of the amount of money raised?
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | March 19, 2009 12:42 PM
Wow, this is a wonderful idea. Click. click. click.
Posted by: fia | March 19, 2009 1:55 PM
Time for another religious discussion? =)
Posted by: abb3w | March 19, 2009 2:28 PM
Wow. What a wonderful thing to do.
Posted by: Kim | March 19, 2009 4:02 PM
HA HA HA! Do you think if I said "You are all going to hell unless you accept Jesus as your savior" it would increase my traffic to fund this award?
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | March 19, 2009 4:05 PM
So I finally found a use for the "reloadEvery" extension for firefox.
Posted by: Maschinenbäuerin | March 19, 2009 4:15 PM
This is totally hot, Dr. Isis! I'm happy to click!
Posted by: bioprof | March 19, 2009 6:36 PM
Whilst I'm all for additional scholarships and the like I have got to wonder about yet another award specifically aimed at women. In some scientific fields they are completely warranted. Physiology however...
The David Bruce awards went to 7 people in 2008. 4 were women.
6 people in 2007. 2 or 3 were women (Casey I think could be either)
4 people in 2006. 3 were women.
Having said that one additional scholarhsip to women is much much better than no scholarship to anybody at all. I will be clicking back as often as I can.
Posted by: anon | March 19, 2009 7:19 PM
Keep clicking and maybe we'll have enough left over for a boy ;)
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | March 19, 2009 9:08 PM
iGoddess, I would be delighted to be the official objective viewer and reporter of the hit count. Just let me know if we are starting officially on 19 March at 12:01 am EDT (the ScienceBlogs time is expressed in Eastern Time, or GMT-5, regardless of where the blogger lives. Makes things a pain for our Australian and Indonesian colleagues, though).
What would y'all like? A daily comment, perhaps?
Posted by: Abel Pharmboy | March 19, 2009 9:18 PM
WHATABOUTTHEMENZZZZZZZZZ????!?!?!??!?!?
Why is it that when a woman creates a scholarship for a woman, some Solnut cries INEQUALITY!!! with a lame-ass justification that it's not warranted because women are kicking ass for the past three years with men in the mix. The outcry WATM? really means there's something wrong when women get ahead, and HO-LEE-SHIT, back up the bus to re-achieve "equality" (read: men are ahead).
Posted by: jc | March 19, 2009 10:11 PM
Uhm, so would it be rude to be able to see how much you've collected thus far? Like one of those United Way temperature thingies?
Posted by: Courtney | March 19, 2009 11:19 PM
Not at all! I can tell you that I received $25 today in direct donations after putting a PayPal button up in response to Abel's request. How about an updated total at the end of each week?
Posted by: Isis the Scientist | March 19, 2009 11:24 PM
jc
I call you a troll.
Take your 'comment' and reverse the genders on all words. Read it again and realise the ridiculousness of your utterance.
There is a massive problem up in science (and practically all other professions) where women cannot progress as easily as men. But the problem is not at undergraduate level where women now dominate, it's higher. Oddly enough it's right where I am- family stage. And it's likely to fuck my career unless it's fixed.
Posted by: anon | March 19, 2009 11:53 PM
I *love* this idea!! Dr. Isis, you continue to amaze and inspire. :)
Posted by: postdoc | March 20, 2009 7:39 AM
"But the problem is not at undergraduate level where women now dominate, it's higher. Oddly enough it's right where I am- family stage. And it's likely to fuck my career unless it's fixed." I considered commenting on this. But then I remembered how many bagels $500 would buy an undergraduate, and how much daycare $500 would buy now (hint: less than a month). *shrug* You does what you cans.
Posted by: becca | March 20, 2009 11:00 AM
While I admire any help that can be given to help with college costs (a main drag on our economy that no one ever talks about or deals with) and child care costs (the burden of child care is still on women), the special attention to the stereotyped behavior and interests of women is detrimental (such as shoes and goddesses and the like). It is as if professional women have to justify that they are also feminine.
Let's work towards a less-stereotyped and more integrated professional world. Where the women are recognized and helped, but are not constantly pointed to for "being female," not segregated into "women's brown-bag lunch groups" (such as at Fermi). Some might say because of this that we are in need of "special" help (because we are not smart or serious, etc.). I welcome comments.
Posted by: sisterofphysicsbrothers | March 20, 2009 11:19 AM
This is a great idea!!
Posted by: GREAT! | March 20, 2009 3:28 PM
This is such a cool idea! Its a bummer I didn't know what EB was until recently... too bad my research isn't applicable :-(.
Posted by: Eugenie | March 20, 2009 7:34 PM
Good luck. This is an interesting idea.I'll try to visit often.
Posted by: Angel | March 20, 2009 9:50 PM
Awesome idea, way to encourage my goddess fascination.
Posted by: Academic | March 21, 2009 8:37 AM
I have a DaVinci woman if you would like it for your masthead! Keep up the good work!
Posted by: Barb | March 21, 2009 9:14 AM
What if we just click F5 over and over again?
Posted by: Martha Farag | March 21, 2009 11:44 AM
Sister: Women who "fit the stereotypes" of women are just as capable in professional fields as those who don't. That seems to be part of The Point here. Wearing sexy shoes != incompetence.
Also this award is awesome, and I'm pointing ppl to it from my own blag (which has not been updated recently, at all...).
Posted by: Muse142 | March 21, 2009 1:30 PM
Frankly, our interests do not overlap much; but this is a Great idea and I've bookmarked your site.
Posted by: Joe | March 22, 2009 1:38 PM
Isis,
You are the greatest! APS greatly appreciates your offer of support and assistance in recognizing the bright young scientists working in our labs. To help those who want to donate directly to the APS, we have added the David S. Bruce/ISIS Award to the Society's donation page at ">https://www.the-aps.org/Cgi-bin/ecom/donation/Donation_list.cgi.
APS has a long standing interest in diversity, supporting the education and training of underrepresented minority students and women. As one commenter noted, the key is to get these young people from the undergraduate labs into the ranks of professional scientists so they too can serve as role models. To accomplish that goal, we all need to work together, encouraging male and female students to develop an interest in science. We all must be life-long learners of science, from K - adulthood. Let's join together to make science education our mission. Visit a classroom and share your knowledge of science with young people.
Marty
Posted by: Marty | March 23, 2009 9:45 AM
Dear Isis et al,
Thank you for this additional support. As a mentor of 3 Bruce Award Finalists (one an inaugural winner) I love seeing the scientific community support undergraduate students!!
Posted by: Thanks | March 25, 2009 9:21 PM
Love this!
Posted by: Sheril R. Kirshenbaum | March 27, 2009 11:07 AM
Helping your cause a donation has been made through Paypal.
Posted by: Danimal | March 28, 2009 9:26 AM
You're the cats meow, Dr. I. We love you over here at the Society. Just made a donation to your fund through the APS site. Keep up the good work...
Posted by: Hannah (APS Past-Pres) | March 28, 2009 12:18 PM
Still clicking....
Posted by: PalMD | March 28, 2009 2:25 PM