=================================================================================== NOVEMBER 1996 LOS ALAMOS WOMEN IN SCIENCE NEWSLETTER =================================================================================== CONTENTS: --------- 1) ELECTION RESULTS: NEW FACES, OLD PLACES 2) PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 3) NEWS FROM THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR 4) LAWIS HOME PAGE; ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER 5) 1997 EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS PROGRAM: EYH REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS 6) ALEXIS TOUR FOR LAWIS MEMBERS OFFERED BY SANDRA FLETCHER 7) REGULAR LAWIS LUNCHES? 8) PEOPLE LOOKING FOR JOBS 9) NEWS FROM THE NMNWSE MEETING: FORTH-FIVE ENJOY ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SANTE FE 10) REMEMBERING GEORGIA FRITZ ------------- Errors are the sole fault of the editor, J. Tinka Gammel, who can be contacted to complain at 667-9149, or jtg@lanl.gov. "I believe in an open mind, but not so open your mind falls out" -- Arthur Hays Sulzberger ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ELECTION RESULTS: NEW FACES, OLD PLACES --------------------------------------- Thank you to all the members for promptly returning your ballots for this fall's election of the LAWIS board. We sometimes have trouble getting enough ballots back, especially when the candidates run unopposed. We held our first board meeting at Wendee Brunish's house on October 15th. Both old members and new members were in attendance. At this meeting, the following board positions were assigned to the new 1996-97 LAWIS board members. The * indicates a new board member. President - Karen Schultz Paige (through 2/97 only), ksp@lanl.gov Vice President - Margo Clark *, jmclark@lanl.gov Secretary - Ginger Young, ginger@kc.trail.com Treasurer - Trish Wright, pwright@lanl.gov Newsletter Editor - Tinka Gammel *, jtg@lanl.gov EYH Chair - Joyce Guzik, joy@lanl.gov Membership - Carol LaDelfe*, cladelfe@lanl.gov Members-at-large - Diane Albert, dalbert@lanl.gov Amy Anderson*, aeanderson@lanl.gov Libby Jones*, jones_elizabeth_a@lanl.gov Sincerely, Karen Schultz Paige President ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE ------------------- Autumn has arrived and with it, a brand new crop of LAWIS Board members. The new board members are Tinka Gammel, Amy Andersen, Margo Clark, and Carol LaDelfe. Libby Jones has graciously accepted another two year position on the board. I would like to thank the outgoing members for all their contributions in the last two years: Wendee Brunish, Deborah Kubicek, Bonnie Yantis, and Shirley Herrera. I am hopeful that these dynamic women will continue their active association with LA Women in Science. Autumn has also brought with it a flurry of activities associated with the end of our LAWIS calendar: our local annual meeting and the state NMNWSE annual meeting, held in Santa Fe this year. Both meetings were quite enjoyable. The state NMNWSE annual meeting had a large number of presenters from LANL due to the proximity to Santa Fe. It was great to meet local people as well as members of other chapters. I hope that many of our members will attend next year's state annual meeting because it is a great way to meet interesting women in science. Now that LAWIS is starting a new year, I hope that you will get involved with the luncheons, socials, and outreach activities we have planned. LAWIS provides an opportunity to reconnect with women you haven't seen recently and meet new members and younger women starting their technical careers. Sincerely, Karen Schultz Paige President Mon, 4 Nov 1996 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS FROM THE MEMBERSHIP CHAIR ------------------------------ Our NMNWSE and LAWIS Membership Year is defined as from October 1 to September 30. Wyona Turner, Membership Chair of NMNWSE, sent out renewal notices to be returned in September, but new members may not have received one or may not have realized that the membership dues for LAWIS are collected by NMNWSE. Our chapter dues are rebated from the State organization, so no separate dues are collected from LAWIS members. If you have not sent in your renewal to NMNWSE (or paid it at the Annual Meeting in Santa Fe), please send it as soon as you can. If you have lost (or didn't receive) your membership form, there is a copy available from the web page (in Adobe Acrobat format) at http://ladmac.lanl.gov/nmnwse/ in the "Membership in NMNWSE" section or, if you are unable to access that one, send me a message and I can put one in the mail for you. (If you are not planning to renew your membership at this time, please let us know why, if possible.) Carol LaDelfe, LAWIS Membership Chair cladelfe@lanl.gov 667-8474 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- LAWIS HOME PAGE; ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER -------------------------------------- LAWIS has a home page for anything people want to post: http://www.lanl.gov:8010/subject/wis Deborah Kubicek has previously been maintaining it, putting board meeting minutes, EYH minutes, and the LAWIS bylaws on it, as well as a link to the NMNWSE home page. We need someone to take over this, and put it on their own web server (Nb: it has LANL approval from the old Club 1663 days). Any Volunteers? Also, is there any interest in getting the newsletter electronically, either through the LAWIS home page, or through a listserver site, or just a list of email addresses kept by the Newsletter Editor (=me)? I have made preliminary inquiries into getting a LANL listserver alias. It does seem to be possible, but I have not pursued it to the end. For now, if you prefer to get a copy electronically please send me an email, jtg@lanl.gov, and I'll add you to my local LAWIS alias for the next Newsletter, or any intermediate updates. Tinka Gammel, LAWIS Newsletter Editor jtg@lanl.gov, 667-9149 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1997 EXPANDING YOUR HORIZONS PROGRAM: EYH REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS ---------------------------------------------------------------- LAWIS will once again sponsor the Expanding Your Horizons Program for 8th-10th grade girls. Last year we had about 100 girls from throughout northern New Mexico come to the lab to hear speakers and participate in hands-on workshops with women scientists/engineers so that they could experience first-hand what it would be like to have a career in science or engineering. Our next EYH program will be held Wednesday, March 19, 1997. We welcome your help as a workshop presenter or speaker, help on the organizing committee (recruiting, publicity, fund-raising, transportation, etc.) and on the day of the conference, and your suggestions for speakers, activities, and workshop leaders. Please call Joyce Guzik (667-8927) or send E-mail to joy@lanl.gov, if you would like to volunteer to help with EYH (no experience necessary!) We will have bi-weekly lunchtime meetings starting in December to brainstorm and coordinate preparations. Joyce Guzik Expanding Your Horizons 1997 Chair ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ALEXIS TOUR FOR LAWIS MEMBERS OFFERED BY SANDRA FLETCHER -------------------------------------------------------- LAWIS member Sandra Fletcher has offered to give us an inside tour of the ALEXIS X-ray satellite control room as ALEXIS passes overhead. The ALEXIS project demonstrated that small satellites could be launched, built, and operated very inexpensively, and return worthwhile state-of-the-art scientific results. Sandy has an exciting video showing the launch of ALEXIS from a Pegasus rocket on the wing of a B-52, April 25, 1991. The video shows how one of ALEXIS' solar panels became damaged during launch, causing it to spin out of control. Contact with the satellite was lost until June 2 when the satellite moved into position for the Sun to illuminate its solar panels and recharge its batteries. The ALEXIS team was able to figure out the motion of the satellite and where it's X-ray telescope is pointed, and thereby compensate for the complex motion in their image analysis. ALEXIS has been able to complete all of its scientific objectives, and has outlived its expected lifetime. Sandy will also tell us about the scientific goals of ALEXIS, including understanding outbursts from cataclysmic binary stars, and the nature of mysterious gamma-ray bursts. Please "sign up" for tours by sending E-mail to Sandy at sfletche@nis.lanl.gov, or call her at 667-0509. Sandy can accommodate about 10 people per tour. The tour will take approximately an hour, including video. Meet in the Moon Room (Physics building, TA-3, SM-40, room N-125, near NIS-2 group office) Potential tour times are: * Friday, November 22 10:20 am (ALEXIS passes over at 10:38 am) * Monday, November 25 10:30 am (ALEXIS passes over at 10:48 am) * Tuesday, November 26 10:00 am (ALEXIS passes over at 10:18 am) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REGULAR LAWIS LUNCHES? ---------------------- In order to increase member participation in LAWIS, and simply to help us get to know one another, I propose that LAWIS start a series of regularly scheduled lunches. To increase the odds that it will actually get off the ground, I'd like this to be as informal as possible: no scheduled speakers, no advance reservations, conveniently located for a large number of members, guests and random drop-ins welcome, etc: just a regular chance to meet and eat! [Everybody has to take time to eat anyway, -- at least once in a while -- right?] If people feel that they would like a bit more of an agenda, I can see about trying to line up a few people willing to talk 15-30 minutes about their research or other topics they'd like to share. What do people think of trying to get, eg, one of the side room cafeterias at the lab reserved on a monthly basis? Or should we be even more informal and just say, eg, "LAWIS members will tend to eat at 12:30 on Mondays in the LANL main cafeteria towards the south wall" (just an example -- but I'm usually there then anyhow, and will try and remember to eat there then Mondays through the end of the year if you want to give me your opinion in person ...) If you would be interested in attending, please let me know: * the location you'd prefer * the frequency you'd like to meet (weekly, biweekly, monthly) * the day of the week you'd prefer (or staggered) * the time of the day you'd prefer (doesn't have to be lunch; if lunch, specify 11:30 or 12:30 to avoid the 12:00 crowd) Tinka Gammel, jtg@lanl.gov, 667-9149 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PEOPLE LOOKING FOR JOBS ----------------------- Ginger Young, computer programming: My specialty is low-level programming, drivers, diagnostics, and anything to do with getting hardware (any type) to work and function through code. I have experience writing processes to run across large multiple CPU systems utilizing the hardware to it's maximum efficiency and using simulation models. I have some experience in networks, system administration, creating test code, and quality assurance. I'm a very quick learner who loves new tasks, experiences, and problems. If you would like to see a copy of my latest resume please look at http:/trail.com/~ginger/resume/. I can also fax or e-mail a resume to anyone who is interested. Thanks for reading my little self-advertisement, - Ginger, ginger@kc.trail.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- NEWS FROM THE NMNWSE MEETING: FORTH-FIVE ENJOY ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN SANTE FE ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Northern Chapter of New Mexico Network of Women in Science and Engineering put on a highly successful Technical Symposium and Annual Meeting at the Ft. Marcy Compound in Santa Fe October 18, and 19. This year's conference was dedicated to long-time, enthusiastic NMNWSE supporter Georgia Fritz, who died in a hiking accident this summer. Forty women registered before the conference, and five more registered after the conference started. Two participants attended on scholarships. Winding up fine technical presentations on Friday afternoon, the first invited speaker, Charisse Sydoriak, Bandelier National Monument Resources Manager, gave us the first-ever public briefing on the consequences of the Dome Fire to cultural resources in the Monument. Sydoriak showed color slides; some gave heartbreaking glimpses of beautiful areas turned into a desert of stumps and ash. Other slides were shocking as they showed just how close the fire crept to the well-known caves close to the Monument Headquarters. On Saturday, amid more excellent presentations and following the Annual Meeting, Keynote Speaker State Senator Liz Stefanics gave us her "take" on women in politics (makes the guys clean up their act!) and urged us and our women friends to become active in the political process. As she talked, we enjoyed the first of our delicious catered meals. Following the afternoon session, participants and guests were treated to a fine dinner and the final invited speaker, Pearl Sunrise, a Navajo storyteller. Sunrise likened the different phases of her life to the houses she lived in, from her girlhood in a traditional hogan, to her room at boarding school, to her lecture halls at UNM, to her home in Albuquerque, where she and her husband raised their children. She also sang and answered questions from her audience. Watch for Sunrise as she tours around the state with "Knaa Kahidi Theater," an Alaskan/Native New Mexican group, sometime in the next four months. The following people gave technical presentations: Diane Albert, "Supervising a Metallography and Microscopy Laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory: Challenges and Rewards"; Kelly Bitner, "Application of Data Quality Objectives to Los Alamos National Laboratory Groundwater Protection"; Wendee Brunish, "Monitoring a Nuclear Test Ban Treaty"; Kieran Cloud, "Protein Transport into the Nucleus"; Kay P. Coddens, "Women Helping Women"; Sandra J. Fletcher, Small Satellite Operations as Experienced by the ALEXIS Team"; Dawn Hipsh, "Proposal Mining and Marketing on the World Wide Web"; Roberta Day Idzorek, "Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future"; Yolanda Jones King, "Congressional Experiences from My LEGIS Fellowship"; Lauren McCain, "Addressing Social Implications of Genetic Science and Technology: Women Take On the Challenge"; Amy E. McNeil, "Searching for EUV Counterparts to Gamma Ray Bursts with ALEXIS"; Angelique Neuman, "Fabrication and Properties of Erbium Oxide"; Jennifer L. W. Siders, "The Physics GRE and the Consequences of its Misuse"; Mary Ann Sweeney, "How to Manage without Being a Manager"; and Xin Miao Zhao, Lightning Control and Diversion with High Peak Power Laser Beams." The volunteer committee for the 1996 NMNWSE Annual Meeting included Wendee Brunish, Dede Collins, Deborah Kubicek (chair), Ann Mauzy, Alexine Salazar, Nancy Scheer, Nina Thayer, Lynda Towers, and Ginger Young. Ann Mauzy Writing and Editing Group, CIC-1, MS D418, LANL voice: (505) 667-5387 fax: (505) 665-5097 email: mauzy@lanl.gov ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- REMEMBERING GEORGIA FRITZ ------------------------- (Text of the Georgia Fritz memorial at the last LAWIS luncheon, by Elizabeth Aiello) It is indeed fitting that we take time today to remember Georgia Fritz. I strongly suspect that this is the first Annual Meeting of the Los Alamos Women in Science that has convened without Georgia Fritz being present. Had not fate and chance intervened, Georgia would indeed be here today. She would stride breathlessly through the door, excited and eager to share with us her adventures in Greece and Spain, the Smithsonian tour, booked in early spring, from which she would have recently returned. But fate and chance did intervene. Not in the hills of Athens Nor in the deep Aegean Sea Not in the Gardens of Granada Nor in the snow-covered Pyrenees But in the open palm of New Mexico's mountains Where Majestic crags loom And sacred waters flow Fate and chance laid Georgia down to sleep forever. Georgia's chair at board meetings, conferences, and social functions is now empty, but that empty chair is an honored place. More than one person will be needed to occupy it. The myriad tasks that had to be done, tasks that nobody else but Georgia would do, must now be undertaken by others. Oh, yes, the tasks will be done; but, to quote Rosemarie Fredrickson, "We will miss Georgia's boundless enthusiasm and energy." To me, Georgia was perpetual motion. She was always coming from some activity, and rushing on her way to another activity--frequently breathless, often feigning exhaustion that never seemed to materialize, forever totally exhilarated by the projects she had undertaken. Those projects became the foundation of Georgia's legacy for us, a legacy that boggles our minds and defies emulation. Georgia created this legacy through her unique devotion to three causes: Recognition for the significant contributions to science made by women, expansion of opportunities for careers in science for women, and support for the educational and equity programs sponsored by the American Association of University Women. In collaboration with Sandra Zink and an elite group of women scientists, Judy Gursky, Patsy Rivera, Lucy Carruthers, and Gloria Cordova among others, Georgia contributed organizational expertise, enthusiasm and tenacity to create a much-needed professional group for women and the Los Alamos National Laboratory. Tenacity was a hallmark for Georgia. At times it could drive one crazy, but often it was Georgia's tenacity that got a much-needed job done, and done thoroughly. The active presence of the Los Alamos Women in Science fostered a new awareness of the caliber and productivity of women scientists at the laboratory. But the organization needed a project, a focus. It found that focus in Reentry Women. Within a year, the group had a commitment from the Los Alamos branch of the University of New Mexico to support a science degree-granting program for reentry women as well as a commitment from the Los Alamos National Laboratory to supplement the education program with a paid internship program. Georgia was in the foreground of the preparation that went into securing those commitments. With characteristic thoroughness and dedication to pin-point accuracy (that tenacity factor again), Georgia researched the rules and regulations mandated to govern the program. She guided the group through the legal maze that an innovative program involving a university and a federally-funded laboratory would trail-blaze and then wrote the by-laws under which the reentry program would operate. Having logical, workable and productive rules, and abiding by those rules, was another hallmark for Georgia. When the University and the Laboratory had honored their commitments, and the reentry program was in place, Georgia remained a significant contributor to the program's decade of nationally-acclaimed successes. She served a s a member of the committee that interviewed and selected the participants in the pioneer class and in each subsequent class. Georgia remained an influential member of the reentry program's advisory committee throughout the life of the program. She volunteered tutor and mentor help for reentry students having difficulty with chemistry and other academic subjects. She was the instructor for a variety of segments in the professional development course that was the keystone of the reentry program. 125 graduate of the program, ten of whom now have earned their ten-year service pins from the Laboratory, are living testimony to Georgia's success in helping the advancement of science education and well-paid job opportunities for women. The reentry program was not, however, the only "women in science" project that captured Georgia's interest and profited from her talents. She helped bring about the affiliation of the Los Alamos Women in Science with the New Mexico Women in Science, and served on the advisory board of the state organization several times. Needless to say, she continuously served as by-laws chairperson for both groups for over a decade. Georgia helped pioneer the "Expanding Your Horizons" programs sponsored by the Los Alamos Women in Science and supported by the Laboratory to acquaint high-school girls with the opportunities for careers in science. During the decade, the "Expanding Your Horizons" program has been in place, Georgia played an infinite number of roles: Coordinator, workshop presenter, facilities manager, treasurer, awards chairperson, speaker, recruiter... Where there was a need, Georgia was there to meet it, usually carrying out multiple tasks and tenaciously bringing each task to a productive end. The Los Alamos schools science fair committee found in Georgia a valuable resource in recruiting judges and establishing guidelines for awarding prizes. Georgia was equally active in her commitment to the American Association of University Women at all three levels of organization: Local, State, and National. She served continuously as by-laws chairperson at the local and state levels beginning in the 1970's and quickly became respected state-wide as "the by-laws expert". She was a productive member of local, state, and national AAUW advisory boards, and a principal participant at state and national conventions. At least once during every advisory board session, someone had valid reason to say, "Ask Georgia. She'll know!" or "I bet Georgia would be willing to handle that." And she did know, and she was willing to handle that, whatever that was! About six years ago, Georgia created the Cultural Affairs Study Group for Los Alamos AAUW members. She graciously and efficiently coordinated dining, musical, theatrical, educational, and historical events for members to attend. She will be prominent in our thoughts this weekend when the group attends two concerts for which Georgia made plans and purchased our tickets last spring. I'll miss that last-minute phone call from Georgia telling me breathlessly that she will be "5 or 10 minutes late" because she had just come in from a hike or an emergency trip to Albuquerque and hasn't showered yet! Unfortunately, in all of the roles Georgia played, there was no understudy. Recasting those roles is proving extremely difficult. Keep in mind that Georgia was involved in all of this activity simultaneously, not sequentially. Still, she found time to write and present significant papers at annual meetings of the America Chemical Society, the American Association for Testing Metals, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and even time to serve on the governing committees of these organizations. Georgia also found time for her family. She was the unifying force that strengthened the firm bonds of love and support, the glue that held the family together. Georgia's death brought to a halt research she was involved in to prepare a paper about the women scientists of the Manhattan project for presentation at the conference of the New Mexico Women in Science to be held in Santa Fe in October. I challenge one of you here today to take over that research and present that paper at the Santa Fe meeting as a special tribute to Georgia. Georgia's dedication and achievements did not go unrecognized. In 1986 and again in 1993 she received, along with eleven other women, the governor's award for outstanding New Mexico women. Her citation reads: "Georgia Fritz is honored as a woman who has actively worked to establish and maintain a science and technology base in New Mexico via her own professional achievements as an analytical chemist, and to enlarge this base by working energetically and successfully to encourage young women to embark upon science and technological careers." Both awards were definitely earned and truly well-deserved. Georgia's legacy, however, does not consist exclusively of deeds done and goals attained. She has also left us a legacy of friendship, love, and laughter. My own thirty year friendship with Georgia took on new meaning between the time we first traded Peter and David stories and the time we did our gay '90's routine from the stage of the old opera house on the outskirts of Silver City, such friendship cannot be set aside abruptly. I miss her impromptu phone calls diverting me from some mundane chore with an invitation to go with her to a lecture, a concert, or a play--often an event she had just discovered in the monitor and scheduled to begin within a few hours. I miss her dry humor that often brought laughter from a group on the verge of getting too frustrated by a difficult problem; but to paraphrase a line from a popular Barbara Streisand song, "It's the laughter I'll remember, whenever I remember, the way Georgia was." Elizabeth Aiello Los Alamos Women In Science Annual Meeting September 18, 1996 ===================================================================================