Some Good News For Women in Science

[C. A. Stewart]

I know none of you would have expected this from me, but here is 
my exercise in positive thinking for the day:


	Good News For Women in Science...for a change

The National Science and Technology Council, formed by executive
order last November, consists of:

	John Gibbons, Pres. Science Advisor and chair.
	Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health
	Neal Lane, Dir. of NSF
	Hazel O'Leary, Secretary of Energy
	Federico Pena, Secretary of Transportation
	John Deutch,
	Carol Browner, 

Excluding the NSTC chair, the NSTC is 50% women.  

In addition to these members, at attendance at an important
meeting early this past July, where the Administration's Science
policy was approved, were also in attendance:

	Leon Panetta, Chief of Staff
	Alice Rivlin, Office of Management and Budget
	James Woolsey, DCI
	Laura Tyson, President's Economic Advisor
	Ruth Kirschenstein sitting in for Harold Varmus, Dir. NIH


Excluding the Vice President, who chaired the meeting, it looks
like still 50% women.  The NSTC Nature v. 370 7 Jul 94 reported 
on the meeting, saying "Apart from the white paper, the meeting
endorsed the need to enable and encourage more minorities and women
to enter scientific careers."

The two main reasons reported in Pathways I from Wellesley for 
women leaving scientific careers is (1) sexual harassment and 
(2) hostility toward women with families in the scientific workplace.  

So it would seem that rather than encouraging more women to enter
scientific careers, perhaps simply taking stronger measures to enforce 
existing laws against sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination  
might be an inexpensive and reasonable way to retain more women in 
scientific careers once they have entered them.   It would make more
sense than starting expensive new programs.  Just enforce the laws
we already have, guys!   It's not asking much, is it!

You can send paper mail to NSTC members at the Office of Science and 
Technology Policy, Washington DC 20506.  Their FAX number is (they
FAXed me the list of PCAST nominees, and OSTP is surprizingly easy
to reach and talk to)  (202) 456-6021.

August 3, 1994, the nominees were announced for the  President's 
Committe of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).  They are:

chairs:
	John H. Gibbons, Director, Office of Science and Technology Policy
	John. H. Young Former Pres. and CEO Hewlett Packard

members:
	Norman R. Augustine, CEO Martin Marietta
	Francisco Ayala, Prof. Bio. UC Irvine
	Murray Gell-Mann, Prof. Santa Fe Inst.
	David A. Hamburg, Pres. Carnegie Corp.
	John P. Holdren,  Prof. of Energy, UCB
	Diana MacArthur,  CEO, Dynamac Corp.
	Shirley Malcom,   Dir. Ed. and Human Res. AAAS
	Mario Molina, 	  Prof. Environmental Sci. MIT
	Peter Raven, 	  Dir. Missouri Botanical Garden
	Sally Ride,	  Prof. of Physics, UCSD
	Judith Rodin,	  President, Univ. PA
	Charles A. Sanders CEO Glaxo Inc.
	Philip A. Sharp,  Head, Bio Dept. MIT
	David E. Shaw,    CEO, D. E. Shaw and Co.
	Charles M. Vest	  President, MIT
 	Virginia V. Weldon, Senior VP for Public Policy, Monsanto
	Lilian Shiao-Yen Wu, Mem. of Research Staff, Watson Research IBM
	
Looks like at least 37% women.   I can put a bug in MGM's ear, but some 
of you out there might have access to some of these other PCAST members.  


-- 
Cheryl A. Stewart		after 1 September:
Santa Fe Institute 		430 Kelton Avenue #409
1399 Hyde Park Road		Los Angeles CA 90024
Santa Fe, NM  87501