RAS  Committee for Women in Astronomy and Geophysics

CWiAG Homepage

The Royal Astronomical Society Committee for Women in Astronomy and Geophysics (RAS CWiAG) supports and represents the interests of female astronomers and geophysicists to the RAS and other groups/organisations.

CWiAG is a standing committee of the RAS, with the particular remit of:

• supporting and representing  female RAS members and young female astronomers
• ensuring that women are  properly represented among speakers at RAS meetings
• representing the RAS at  'Women in Science, Engineering and Technology' meetings
• raising issues at and making  recommendations to RAS Council meetings
• raising the profile of women  in astronomy by liaising with the RAS publicity officer and Education  Committee
• taking note of efforts to  raise the profile of Women in Science both nationally and  internationally
• liaising with the OST  Development Unit and monitoring the implementation of official  recommendations on Women in Science
• ensuring that the RAS sets  an example of good practice
• following up the 1989, 1992,  1998 manpower surveys and the response of the RAS, together with liaising  on future surveys

Careers for Girls with a Vision - Astronomy and Geophysics
A Leaflet is available (709K to download). Copies are available from 'The Executive Secretary, Royal Astronomical Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, W1J 0BQ'. (issued September 2002, updated December 2004)

A brief history of the formation of CWiAG

Committee Membership

• Meet some Women astronomers in the RAS
• Meet some Women geophysicists in the RAS

Links to other relevant sites, and interesting articles:

• Women in Astronomy
• Women in Geophysics  (no page as yet...)
• Women in Science
• SET for Women web site from the DTI's Office of Science and Technology
• MentorSET a mentoring scheme for women in science, engineering and technology
• Report and recommendations from the IUPAP international conference on Women in Physics (March 2002)
• The Nature debate on 'Why are there so few women in science?'
• A summary of a  discussion from the UK Women in Astronomy meeting held in September  1998 can be found in A&G Volume 40 page 3.29 (June  1999).
• The RAS demographic  trends survey by Tadhunter (A&G Volume 41 page 2.19) contains  some statistics on women in UK astronomy and geophysics.

Link to the RAS homepage

Page maintained by Helen Walker

Suggestions for improvements, interesting links and webpages welcome.

Last modified: 10 September 2006