In the 1970s, Gloria Steinem was the symbol of the women’s movement. It wasn’t so much a movement in those days as a rebellion. Steinem replied to critics of the women’s movement, “People don’t belong to people. I’d never put anyone in a cage.” We’ve come a long way, baby. Today’s women believe that gender does not determine who has more right to be equal. Equal is equal! Injustices forced a level playing field so the question now is: Does full equality always empower women to achieve real success? Minority thinking is out; labels are out. Both limit personal success. Joan says “Stand on your head! Be bold! Step out of your comfort zone and turn feminism upside down.” The key to sustaining women’s equality is to create an interdependent environment with conscious commitment. It is no longer viable for women to give their power to people who hold them down in the workplace.

Registration and Networking followed by Seminar and Q&A

2 Locations and Dates
UCLA: Jan 27, 4-6 pm

UC Santa Barbara: Feb 15, 7-9 pm,

Given the work environments and expectations for women in science, and the fact that a career in science is very often a way of life and far more than a job, work-life balance satisfaction can be elusive. While advocating for change in policies and systems continues to be important, women must find the personal work-life balance strategies that work for them within the systems in which they work. As a benefit to AWIS chapter members and in partnership with the Elsevier Foundation, this interactive program and follow-up web-based materials and resources will help participants:


Define for themselves what work-life satisfaction is and is not
Understand how incongruence between priorities and actions can drain energy and negatively impact work-life satisfaction
Examine how their current choices impact work-life balance and identify changes that will have the biggest impact on personal and professional satisfaction
Identify 7 keys to achieving and maintaining work-life satisfaction
Craft a personalized plan to improve work-life balance satisfaction

Take a break from the bustle of life to learn mindfulness techniques from Dr. Marvin Belzer of UCLA’s renowned Mindfulness Awareness Research Center (MARC).



Thursday, April 28 – 7 pm

UCLA, Semel/NPI Building

Panel Discussion featuring:

Richard Hamilton, CEO and President, Ceres, Inc
Julissa Sosa, Scientist, Ceres, Inc
Yan Poon, Ph.D., Section Leader and co-founder, Sapphire Energy
Tracy Duong, Scientist, Sapphire Energy

This panel discussion was sponsored by the AWIS Los Angeles-Ventura County Chapter. Local scientists/industry leaders from Ceres, Inc and Sapphire Energy discussed the science behind biofuels and its implementation to create green energy, as well as careers in this exciting field of discovery! Ceres Inc. is an energy crop company that develops and markets non-food grasses for biofuel production. Sapphire Energy creates renewable “green crude” oil to from algae production.


Ceres, Inc. Auditorium
1535 Rancho Conejo Blvd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91320

More early career scientists are considering a wider range of careers in and out of science, but feel ill-prepared and uninformed about their options. Some young scientists feel their Ph.D. training has led them to a dead-end. This workshop, with participatory exercises, will present a thorough and practical overview of the process of career planning and job hunting in today’s job market, from the perspective of a Ph.D. scientist. Fiske covered specific steps that young scientists can take to broaden their horizons, strengthen their skills, and present their best face to potential employers. The concept and value of “transferable skills” was a key theme.

About the presenter:

Peter S. Fiske received his Ph.D. in Geological and Environmental Sciences in 1994 from Stanford University and an MBA from U.C. Berkeley in 2002. Fiske is the author of 22 technical articles and two books, a former member of the technical staff of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and currently Chief Executive Officer of a scientific company.

Peter S. Fiske, Ph.D., is author of "To Boldly Go: A Practical Career Guide for Scientists" and its second edition: "Put Your Science to Work: A Take-Charge Career Guide for Scientists" both published by AGU. From 1997 to 2000 he was the co-author of the biweekly column Tooling Up on AAAS's Career website NextWave (www.nextwave.com) and is presently writing a monthly column on career development and entrepreneurship called Opportunities on the AAAS career website ScienceCareers.org. He has organized and lead panel discussions and workshops on alternative careers and career development for scientists at national and international meetings, universities, and national laboratories. He has been featured on NPR's Talk of the Nation - Science Friday.

Workshops were held on the USC Health Sciences Campus, Caltech, and UCLA.


This regional event is CO-sponsored by AWIS LA-Ventura County Chapter, Caltech Postdoctoral Association, the UCLA Office of Graduate Students and Post-doctoral Scholars, and the USC Keck Postdoctoral Association/KSOM Office of Research Advancement