| Dr. Rohini Godbole |
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I will like to present some numbers about women in science and technology mainly taken from the INSA report and updated using more recent information wherever available. In the Indian context number of girls studying science (physics) is not too small (about $30) and falls woefully when it comes to women in high position in science. One of the important issue in Indian context therefore seems to be then mentoring. This can take different forms:
- Women scientists who are mainly into science education at different levels would like to find avenues to increase their research opportunities.
- It is necessary to approach the young women students in science and make them aware of the possibilities of a science career in research, education and entrepreneurship.
- Creating awareness among women scientists about the possible support structures (Institutional as well as personal) that can help balance family and career. In fact, various initiatives have been started in India to address some of the issues above. I would summarise the action plans of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), as well as the DST Task Force for Women in Science and those of the Indian Academy Panel for Women in Science (WiS),and also identify steps that need to be taken in future.
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| Dr. Sumathi Rao |
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| There have been three International conferences on women in physics held in three different countries in the last ten years. At a basic level, we find that the situation in all the countries is the same, in that women are a minority in physics, and that there is a leaky pipeline - the percentages go down as we go up the ladder. But there are regional differences as well. I would like to discuss the impact these conferences have had in different countries. I would also like to discuss the various outcomes both in terms of international perception and in some specific countries. Finally, I would like to discuss how many of these ideas are relevant and can be used in the Indian context for attracting women students to science and technology and retaining them in the scientific work-force. |
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| Dr. Charusita Chakravarthy |
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| The statistical data are very clear that women are grossly under-represented in the IIT system in the student body, at the faculty level and are essentially absent in the higher levels of the administration. This situation is the joint outcome of sociological factors and the IIT system, and in my talk, I intend to address only what can be done about the latter. As a faculty member of IIT-Delhi for the last 15 years, I have some suggestions which I would like to discuss as to the possible points for action by IIT administration, faculty and alumni for creating a more inclusive and enabling academic environment. The size of the typical IIT, the organized administrative structure and the relatively homogeneous and highly motivated student body offer quite a special environment for testing how policy decisions in terms of student outreach and monitoring, faculty-student interactions, faculty development grants and endowments can create a more gender-sensitive and gender-neutral academic community. |
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| Dr. Sumathi Rao |
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 Ph.D. (1983, Stony Brook), FNASc, is currently a Professor of Physics at the Harish-Chandra Research Institute in Allahabad. Her research interests are condensed matter physics and quantum field theory.
Email: sumathi@mri.ernet.in
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| Dr. Charusita Chakravarthy |
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 Ph.D. (1990, Cambridge), FASc, A recipient of the Swarnajayanti Fellowship of the DST, the Bronze Medal of the Chemical Research Society of India, the B.M. Birla Science Award in Chemistry, and the INSA Medal for Young Scientists. She works in the areas of physical and theoretical chemistry, and chemical and computational physics.
Email: charus@chemistry.iitd.ernet.in
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| Dr. Rohini Godbole |
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 Ph.D. (1979, Stony Brook), FASc, FNA, FNASc, recipient of Sheel Memorial Lecture award (NASI), the distinguished Alumni award of IIT (Bombay), Meghnad Saha gold medal of Asiatic Society, J.C. Bose Fellowship of DST, Jawaharlal Nehru Birth Centenary Visiting Fellowship (INSA), etc., Member Scientific Advisory Committee to the Cabinet, Chairs Academy Panel for WiS. Her area of specialization is theoretical high energy physics.
Email: rohini@cts.iisc.ernet.in |
| Rama Govindarajan |
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 Ph. D. (1994, IISc), FNASc. She is a recipient of the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize and the CNR Rao Oration Award. She is an Associate Professor in the Engineering Mechanics Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore. Her research interest is in the area of fluid mechanics.
Email: rama@jncasr.ac.in |
| Prof. Neelima Gupte |
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 Ph.D. (1983, Stony Brook). She is a theoretical physicist and Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. She has been a member of the Editorial Board of Pramana and is a recipient of the Stree Shakti Science Samman award. Her areas of specialization are nonlinear dynamics and statistical mechanics.
Email: gupte@physics.iitm.ac.in |
| Dr. Chanda J Jog |
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 Ph.D. (1982, Stony Brook), FASc, is at the Department of Physics, IISc, Bangalore, and works on galactic dynamics, interstellar molecular clouds, and interacting galaxies.
Email: cjjog@physics.iisc.ernet.in |
| Dr. Shobhana Narasimhan |
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 Ph.D. (1991, Harvard). She is a recipient of Institute Silver Medal, IIT Bombay, Robert L. Wallace Prize Fellowship, Harvard University and the Materials Research Society of India Medal. She is at the Theoretical Sciences Unit, JNCASR, Bangalore having expertise in the areas of theoretical condensed matter physics and computational materials science.
Email: shobhana@jncasr.ac.in |
We plan to have a one day conference on 'Women in Science and Technology' at the PAN-IIT convention to be held at IIT Madras on December 20, 2008. This conference intends to address the issue of the serious underrepresentation of women at all levels of science and technology education and research. Given this underrepresentation of women, both as faculty and students in the IIT-s themselves, and the fact that the alumni of the Indian Institutes of Technology, both men and women, have gravitated towards leadership roles in their own science and technology communities, PANIIT 2008 is a natural forum to discuss these issues.
In the first part of the program, the speakers will discuss the reasons for the underrepresentation of women in science, as well as the reasons why this should be a cause for concern. Action plans that are underway at the national and international levels to address this lack of equitability will also be discussed.
The second part of the program, is part of the "Education" track of the main PANIIT 2008 program. Here, the first part of the session will have key-note talks by women who have managed to overcome gender barriers to become successful scientists and technologists. This will be followed by a panel discussion on attracting girls to science and technology.
A session specific to the host institute, IIT Madras, hopes to present views from different sections,women students, technical staff and faculty on their experiences in IIT over the years, and their aspirations for the future. Finally the day ends with a networking session for an hour.
Registration Details
Registration for the WIST conference is free. Please send a mail to the account wist@physics.iitm.ac.in to preregister. Registered participants of the WIST conference will be permitted to participate in the pre-lunch session (11:45 am - 1:15 p.m) of the "Education" track of the main panIIT on 20th December. IIT faculty and alumni are strongly encouraged to register for panIIT 2008 itself, so that they have free access to all the other sessions.
Programme
20th December 2008
Venue: Vishvesarayya Hall, Dept. of Civil Engineering (BSB)
| Time |
Main Event |
| 09:00 - 09:30 |
Inauguration |
| 09:30 - 10:00 |
Equity for Women in Science and Technology |
| 10:00 - 10:20 |
Tea |
| 10:20 - 10:50 |
Women in Physics |
| 10:50 - 11:20 |
Women in Science |
| 11:45 - 12:15 |
Women achievers speak |
| 12:15 - 1:15 |
Panel discussion on
Attracting Women Faculty and Students to Science and Technology |
| 1:15 - 2:30 |
Lunch |
| 2:30 - 4:00 |
The IIT Madras story |
| 4:00 - 5:30 |
Tea + Networking |
Speakers/ Panelists
| • |
 Dr. Rohini Godbole (IISc)
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| • |
 Dr. Rama Govindarajan (JNCASR)
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| • |
 Dr. Shobhana Narasimhan (JNCASR)
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| • |
 Dr. Sumathi Rao (HRI)
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| • |
 Dr. Charusita Chakravarty (IITD)
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| • |
 Dr. Chanda J. Jog (IISc)
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| • |
Dr. Meera Chandrasekhar (Missouri)
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| • |
Dr. Krishna Athreya (Iowa State University)
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Convenors
| • |
 Dr. Neelima Gupte (IITM)
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| • |
Dr. Prema Rajagopalan (IITM) |
| • |
Dr. Shobhana Narasimhan (JNCASR) |
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