Committee for Professional Opportunities for Women (CPOW)

Committee Members

Rajini Rao, Chair (201)
Nathan Baker (2013)
Tharin Blumenschein (2014)
Danielle Dalafave (2015)
Maurits de Planque (2013)
Susan Gillmor (2015)
Teresa Giraldez (2013)
Aldrin Gomes (2013)
Dorit Hanein (2015)

Samantha Harris (2015)
Megan Yi-Ping Ho (2013)
Yu Li (2013)
Joe Mindell (2013)
Thao Nguyen (2015)
Gabriela Popescu (2013)
Akansha Saxena (2015)
Yuhua Song (2015)
Lipi Thukral (2014)

The CPOW is charged with increasing recognition and opportunities for women biophysicists in the Biophysical Society and in scientific professions. The CPOW also seeks to encourage and support young women interested in biophysics and to mentor their professional development. Each year, the CPOW sponsors Annual Meeting activities and hosts panel discussions on various topics, which are open to all attendees. The CPOW also provides a list of resources to support scientists at all stages of their careers.

The mission of CPOW is:

To promote science education for girls and women
To promote the advancement and retention of women and minorities in biophysics
To raise awareness of the scientific contributions of women in biophysics
To recognize the importance of balancing a career and family
To promote fair and equitable treatment and improve the climate for women in biophysics at all stages of their careers

CPOW Resources

Networking

Submit your information to be included in our Speakers Bureau

Education and Awareness

A National Analysis of Diversity in Science and Engineering (2005): A comprehensive and informative report by Dr. Donna Nelson on the under representation of women in science and engineering at the nation's top 50 universities.
Women's Participation in Science has Increased, but Agencies Need to Do More to Ensure Compliance with Title IX: An informative report from the Government Accountability Office detailing how Title IX applies to discrimination of women in the academic sciences and detailing deficiencies in federal agency oversight.
Women, Minorities and Persons with Disabilities: A dynamic web-based information source published by the NSF that is updated as data become available. Designed as a starting point to gather information about participation of women and minorities. Data are presented in graphs, tables and spreadsheets and are available for downloading and powerpoint presentations.
Women in the Sciences: Left Out, Left Behind: A website posted by the National Women's Law Center that allows you to find out how many women are teaching at your school and to take action by notifying schools and the government accountability office.