Alice Pawley is an assistant professor of 
SciWo is an assistant professor of geosciences. She blogs about the intersection of science and real life - primarily based on her first-hand experiences. Her older posts can be found Hello? - ello - ello - lo... Wow, this is a big sandbox. Can I come play?
My name is Alice. As in Wonderland. I'm a newbie faculty member in the super-cool School of Engineering Education at Purdue University. I've also been blogging 2 months shy of 2 years, but pseudonymously - that's the first time I've publicly blogged my name and job. It's true, blogging under your own name does sort of make you feel like you're naked in a crowd. At least, until I get used to it. ;-)
I'm an engineer. But a comparatively weird engineer: a feminist, radical, social justice-y engineer. In my research, I combine theoretical frameworks from women's studies, sociology, science and technology studies to apply to the study of engineering and engineering education - I like to think of my work as feminist engineering research. I look at how we define engineering, how we develop identities as engineers, and who gets to count as "we." For starters. I'm looking forward to talking more about my work on this blog, something I couldn't do easily under my pseudonym.
I'm also a local foodie, and a granola-y vegetarian cook and gardener trying to make a smaller carbon footprint. I'm a Mac person, a hiker and camper, a not-very-good sailor, and a not-very-good-but-at-least-in-tune singer. Oh yeah, and a photographer. I'll share snippets of this stuff amidst the "I'm trying to work out how to be a good faculty member and not compromise my feminist ideals" posts.
I've been... I'll say, pretty involved in the "women in science" blogs - I'm a Zuska fan, an FSP fan, and of course a ScienceWoman fan, and I was just so thrilled when she asked if I would like to co-blog with her.
While I don't have Zuska's skill at ranting, my anger at the persisting sexism, racism and classism in engineering is similarly scalding. So I'll just leave my first post with a few words from the inimitable Peggy Seeger: "But I'll fight them as a woman, not a lady / I'll fight them as an engineer."
See you 'round the sandbox!
Comments
Hi, Alice!
Posted by: PhysioProf | February 9, 2008 11:23 AM
Welcome, Alice! I was pleased to see the Peggy Seeger quote. She's an amazing woman and an incredible songwriter.
And, BTW, she'll be touring in the US this April, including a performance and radio show in Goshen, Indiana. See the Itinerary section of her website: http://www.pegseeger.com/
Posted by: chezjake | February 9, 2008 11:48 AM
Hola! I look forward to your posts.
Posted by: LM | February 9, 2008 11:54 AM
Welcome Alice. More physical science women bloggers are needed. And good luck with your position at Purdue.
Posted by: Lab Cat | February 9, 2008 11:55 AM
Feminist engineer! Hooray!
Soooooo looking forward to this! :-DDD
Posted by: Sanguinity | February 9, 2008 1:21 PM
*crowd goes wild* (ok, I'm a sucker for the Peggy Seeger quote too)
Huzzah!
Welcome! Looking forward to your posts!
Posted by: Becca | February 9, 2008 2:36 PM
"Those who can, do - those who can't, teach". Discuss.
Seriously, why "engineering education" and not "real" engineering research?
Posted by: Fizzle | February 9, 2008 5:48 PM
Welcome, Alice! How are you liking Wonderland so far?
Posted by: Mrs Whatsit | February 9, 2008 6:07 PM
Aloha Alice! I've been following your other blog and am happy to see you here with my other favorite ScienceWoman. I am an -ologist who works for an engineering firm. One of these days I'm going to drop you an email for some fresh perspective on my workplace (and how to just 'deal' with the fact that I'm the only woman in a group again and again and again).
Posted by: Carrie | February 9, 2008 6:44 PM
Peggy Seeger is one of the *extremely* small number of people in whose presence I became awe-struck. Partly because (no surprise given my name) Ewan MacColl is one of my favourite-ever folksong writers; but mostly because of her own singing, writing, and activism.
One of the highlight memories of my life was getting to be in the front row when Peggy played at the (very, very sadly defunct) Prism in Charlottesville. It turns out that one of my friends had her as a childhood piano teacher - boy was I jealous :). I think of her as a slightly older, more elegant if less hip, Annie Lennox, actually.
Sorry to hijack your welcome with such a diversional memory. But thanks for the prompt to my cortical storage :).
[And finally... looks very very likely that as of this coming autumn, I will also be in the first-year faculty club. I may even take up blogging rather than just posting elsewhere...]
Posted by: Ewan | February 9, 2008 7:10 PM
Welcome, Alice! Looking forward to learning more about you!
Posted by: sciencegirl | February 9, 2008 7:55 PM
*Purdue undergrad waves*
I'm a biochem major, so despite the fact that you're at Purdue I'll probably never see you... but it is still exciting to find a blogger so close to home. Looking forward to your posts.
Posted by: keely | February 9, 2008 7:57 PM
Welcome, Alice. The echo has more to do with the empty headedness of some of the locals (you know, the males). Fill the vacuum.
Posted by: John S. Wilkins | February 9, 2008 8:02 PM
Welcome Alice!
Posted by: Sandra Porter | February 9, 2008 10:37 PM
An engineer who doesn't rant? Weird...!
No, sorry, I misread: One who is not an accomplished ranter. Ah, good, that I can understand. Normal service has been restored.
Welcome.
Posted by: blf | February 10, 2008 8:51 AM
Welcome Alice. What a nice surprise to see you here. I'm looking forward to reading your posts and to see what you and sciencewoman work out together. Two of my favorite bloggers in the same space. This is going to be great.
Posted by: saxifraga | February 10, 2008 8:55 AM
excellent, alice! it's great to add another woman to the group!
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | February 10, 2008 2:08 PM
Thanks, y'all. I'm going to print out all these nice welcomes and stick them on my bulletin board for when I'm feeling lousy. Nice to see a Purdue undergrad too - hi keely. And some familiar names too. Yay!
Posted by: Alice | February 10, 2008 2:41 PM
Hello!
Posted by: ecogeofemme | February 10, 2008 3:38 PM
And those who can't teach go into administration...
Doing research into engineering education, huray! Looking forward to hearing more about this, also because we have a department that looks into some of those issues but I haven't heard anything from them regarding more feminist points of view.
Posted by: Nele | February 11, 2008 4:45 AM
This welcome is belated...but WELCOME! Many times over! Can't tell you how glad I am to have you on board. The co-blogging is going to rock out loud.
About that ranting: I think you know how to rant quite well, albeit in a different style than mine. The world needs more ranting feminist engineers just like you!
By the way, Fizzle is a moron. I puke in his/her general direction.
Love,
Zuska
Posted by: Zuska | February 11, 2008 2:43 PM