STATUS OF WOMEN IN PHYSICS IN AUSTRALIA

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

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

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

6. 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 YAWIPPYOUNG 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.

10. 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.

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

12. REFERENCES • “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. • “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 DALL’ARMI-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.

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