This award supports the United States delegation to the Fourth International Conference of Women in Physics in Stellenbosch, South Africa in April 2011. The purpose of the Stellenbosch conference (ICWIP 2011) is three-fold: (i) to provide an opportunity to view and analyze the current status of and progress in promoting women in physics in each country and internationally; (ii) to provide an arena for women in physics to share their scientific accomplishments and create international scientific collaborations; and (iii) to build capacity in each participating country to design and implement changes that improve the participation and advancement of women in physics. In collaboration with conference organizer Dr. Igle Gledhill at the Center for Science and Industry Research in Pretoria, South Africa, the U.S. delegation will provide support for the conference as well as continue the advancement of women and girls in the U.S. physics enterprise. The series of international conferences on women in physics is proving to be an effective mechanism for sharing best practices internationally, empowering action in numerous countries and regions including the US, nucleating networking in research, strengthening accountability through the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics(IUPAP), and increasing the numbers and advancement of women in the field. The U.S. delegates will be able learn about and take advantage of successful initiatives piloted in ~70 other countries. This award is co-funded by the Division of Physics, the Division of Astronomical Sciences, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities within the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and by the Office of International Science and Engineering.
Women are greatly underrepresented in physics and in other disciplines that rely on physics understanding. To understand the situation and help increase participation, the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP) chartered its Working Group on Women in Physics in 1999. The Working Group has organized three highly successful international conferences on women in physics (2002, 2005, and 2008). The fourth one took place in Stellenbosch, South Africa in April 2011. The purpose of the Stellenbosch conference (ICWIP 2011) was three-fold: (i) to provide an opportunity to view and analyze the current status of and progress in promoting women in physics in each country and internationally; (ii) to provide an arena for women in physics to share their scientific accomplishments and create international scientific collaborations; and (iii) to build capacity in each participating country to design and implement changes that improve the participation and advancement of women in physics. The U.S. delegation provided support for the conference as well as discussed ways to continue the advancement of women and girls in the U.S. physics enterprise. Approximately 300 individuals attended (15% to 20% men) in minimum three-member country teams from ~70 countries. About one-third of participants were students, post-docs, or early in their careers. The total cost of the conference was around $1,000,000, shared by numerous sponsors around the world. This project used NSF funding for (i) travel support for 11 participants of a diverse, 24-person delegation from the United States; (ii) travel support for 15 participants from developing countries in Latin America and Africa; (iii) support for the conference proceedings (available for free download at http://proceedings.aip.org/resource/2/apcpcs/1517/1?isAuthorized=no); (iv) dissemination and follow up in the United States; and (v) evaluation of the impact of the conference on U.S. participants and the U.S. physics enterprise. Intellectual Merit. The series of international conferences on women in physics is proving to be an effective mechanism for sharing best practices internationally, empowering action in numerous countries and regions including the US, nucleating networking in research, strengthening accountability through IUPAP, and increasing the numbers and advancement of women in the field. We were able to learn about and take advantage of successful initiatives piloted in ~70 other countries. By including non-physicists in the U.S. delegation, moreover, we catalyze the transfer of this model to other fields where similar strategies could improve women's participation. Broader Impacts. The U.S. delegation broadened participation through its diversity: in gender, race/ethnicity, disability status, research specialty (in physics and beyond), career phase and path, employment sector and institution type, and geographic location. The project seeded international research and educational partnerships. The strategies and insights have been useful in other fields where women are severely under-represented. Outreach and dissemination, through the proceedings, follow-up sessions at numerous U.S. conferences, and via papers, talks, and networking by the delegates maximized the benefit of ICWIP 2011 in the United States. By recruiting and including in our delegation at least two members from other fields where women are scarce (e.g. engineering, computer science), we laid the groundwork for those fields to benefit from a similar international endeavor, should they choose to do so. By helping to support full international participation, including from economically disadvantaged countries in Africa and Latin America, this project maximized the value and the networking and international collaboration opportunities for our delegation. Specific outcomes as determined from the project evaluation (a survey distributed to all participants of the conference) showed that 78% of participants agree that the greatest value of the conference was having the opportunity to meet scholars from other countries. Many mentioned that networking and meeting physicists with whom they can pursue collaborations with was the most valuable aspect of the conference. Approximately 50% of respondents have maintained contact with one or two delegates from other countries and 44% have kept in contact with three or more. Over 40% of all the participants have collaborated with delegates from other countries specifically on women in science issues since the 2011 conference. Similarly, 36% have not collaborated at all with delegates since the conference. Many of the international collaborations that have occurred since the conference have been within the same region between individuals from countries that speak the same language. The overall effectiveness of the International Conference on Women in Physics was substantial. A large majority (91%) of participants called the event "very positive" or "positive" overall.
