Five Questions With: Meredith Hastings

Meredith Hastings is cofounder of the nonprofit Earth Science Women’s Network. She joined the faculty at Brown University in 2008, where as assistant professor she continues to pursue research interests in the biogeochemical record in ice cores and global connections between atmospheric chemistry and climate. Here she discusses ESWN’s new identity as a nonprofit.

PBN: You and co-founder Tracey Holloway turned the Earth Science Women’s Network, which already had a high profile, into a nonprofit in October. What will the status of nonprofit afford in terms of growing the network?
HASTINGS:
Over the years, the Earth Science Women’s Network has benefited from support from federal grants to host universities, but we have never had sustainable support for general activities. As of late 2013, we had no bank account, not even being able to provide for web maintenance or reserve a conference room.
With more than 2,000 members who rely on ESWN to have a working social media platform and host events at major meetings, we really needed a way to formalize our structure. Now, with a stable framework and autonomy in fund raising, we can ensure the success of our core activities such as online discussions and mentoring, and in-person networking events and professional development trainings.
The nonprofit status also allows us to develop new initiatives to support early-career women in science. We have identified a number of clear barriers to women’s advancement in science – from lack of support for childcare, to being nominated for awards at lower rates than male colleagues. Often these problems have solutions that just need a little targeted funding or effort – for example, support for new moms to bring a caregiver to a major meeting.
We have only just made this transition, so we are also asking our members for ideas and “wish list” items …. What do they see as barriers and solutions? Our aim is to build a diverse scientific workforce, helping early career scientists to succeed and continue along their career path.

PBN: Tell us about the mission and your audience.
HASTINGS:
The Earth Science Women’s Network is a peer-mentoring network of women in the earth sciences, many of whom are in the early stages of their careers. Founded in 2002, our mission is to promote career development, build community, provide opportunities for informal mentoring and support, and facilitate professional collaborations. Members work in more than 50 different countries. Most of our members are either Ph.D. students in earth science fields like geology, oceanography, and atmospheric sciences, or advanced-degree professionals working at universities, government agencies, and in the private sector.

PBN: How has the network helped your professional growth and what is its potential for others?
HASTINGS:
First and foremost, the community I am able to draw on for experience, advice, and strength has been outstanding. Secondly, the leadership experience as a board member has helped me to better navigate my own path as I progress in my career.
It’s interesting that when you begin a faculty position you basically become like an instant small business owner – you suddenly have responsibility in management, accounting, mentoring, advising, communication and teaching, in addition to doing cutting-edge research. The professional development trainings we have put together over the years have also helped me benefit personally in developing this range of skills needed to succeed.
The rapid and continued growth of the network by word of mouth attests to its value for its members. Based on information provided by our membership, we know that women in the network benefit from the knowledge and understanding that is shared, in addition to ideas, resources, and perspectives. Women feel in touch with a broader community, gain understanding of obstacles faced by others, and feel emotional support in facing those challenges.
The greatest gains reported by our members are from combining in-person experiences (such as through workshops or networking receptions) with those online. The online community of ESWN creates a safe, empowering, and collaborative community for women that collectively aims to support one another in career success.

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PBN: ESWN already networks effectively online and globally. What new goals do you intend to meet to expand your outreach even further?
HASTINGS:
One of our primary goals is to see more women succeeding in science, and being recognized for their career success. Whether in science or in business, the more women (or minorities) that are in leadership positions, the more even the playing field becomes and the less gender (or race) plays a role in determining the success of an individual.
Another major goal is promoting more visibility of women scientists in the public eye. This is important on a number of levels. I have two young daughters, and I want them to grow up with it being just as likely for them to see a female scientist on the news or a cover of a magazine as a male scientist. The women in our network are so excited about the science they are doing, and providing ways to better highlight that in the public eye is important to us.

PBN: Describe a new initiative you intend to launch as you get your bearings in the nonprofit world.
HASTINGS:
Scientists, in general, want to be communicative about the science they are doing – why it is exciting, why it matters, and how they are doing it. But our education and training are very focused on making us the best researchers we can be and we are most often communicating with only each other. We want to develop trainings to teach scientists broader communication skills, especially in communicating with the public. The more visible these fantastic women scientists become the more diverse our thinking about science becomes. For example, a prominent female scientist and president of a university once told me that when she tried to envision the best person for a job, she easily thinks of a best man and a best woman, giving her a broader pool from which to draw the best person for the job. Additionally, the more visible women scientists are, the more inspired young women can be to pursue careers in science and understand that there are women leading very exciting, fulfilling, and successful careers while also supporting their families.
Increasing the number of women going into science is critical for our future, and at the same time we really need to see more women being recognized for their career success. Time and time again women are underrepresented in winning major awards. One way we can help on this issue is to increase the number of women being nominated, therefore increasing the chances that successful women will be acknowledged and promoted.
Nominating someone for a major award is not as simple as checking their name on a ballot – you can easily spend something like 10 hours putting together a package that includes details of the person’s career, letters of support from prominent colleagues, and highlights of the nominee’s activities that make them worthy of recognition. But as a nominator you are not rewarded in any way for that effort. We would like to reach out to our community and better incentivize making the effort to get more women’s names in the game for consideration for major awards – for example, by affording the nominator a dinner out at their favorite Thai restaurant on a Friday night! Even something simple and low cost can make a difference in terms of encouraging someone to make that additional effort. And the whole community will benefit from that.

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