Janet Hering

What we’ve learned from two years of celebrating senior women leaders in STEMM — epistimi In honor of the 50 th post in this blog series, we take a moment to review what we’ve learned thus far and to ponder the evolving role of senior women leaders in STEMM.

Patricia Maurice and I are delighted to have reached the milestone of publishing our 50th post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog! We provide an overview of our many profiles, book reviews, and topical postsPlease repost widely! www.epistimi.org/blog/what-we...

Leading through the joys and hazards of scientific field work — epistimi There are few aspects of scientific research and teaching more exciting than getting out into ‘the field’. Good leaders need to ensure safe and appropriate behavior whenever faculty, students and staf...

Our latest post in the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog series provides insights into the excitement of scientific fieldwork and how to deal responsibly with potential hazards. www.epistimi.org/blog/leading...

U.S. community colleges provide entry to STEMM education for first-generation, low income, and underrepresented students — epistimi Michael Pullin, Dean for Academic Initiatives at Queensborough Community College in New York, highlights the importance of community colleges for STEMM education in the U.S. He reminds us of the impor...

Michael Pullin describes the role of US community colleges in opening doors to STEM education for first-generation, low income, and underrepresented students. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/us-comm...

Ilene Sheffer and the power of women in academia to do good in the world — epistimi In “Watching Over Rwandans,” author Ilene Sheffer describes her efforts to help save students from Rwanda during the 1994 genocide and relates the personal stories of seven Rwandan international stude...

Read Ilene Sheffer’s inspiring story of helping Rwandan students at Southwestern Michigan University. In her post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog, her message is “When you feel you can right a wrong — don’t hesitate. To save one life is to save mankind!" www.epistimi.org/blog/ilene-s...

This is an appalling travesty and a clear violation of academic freedom.

The dangers of favoritism in STEMM academics — epistimi Favoritism can occur in any workplace.  It can be especially pernicious in STEMM academics, where it undermines meritocratic ideals.  As senior women leaders, we should promote fair and equi...

We like to think of #STEMM as a meritocracy, but it can be poisoned by favoritism. Read the post by Patricia Maurice and me on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/the-dan...

A very important topic at a meeting of the European Women Rectors Association #EWORA

Laura Bassi: 18th century Scientist and Academician Extraordinaire — epistimi On a recent trip to Milan, we stumbled upon a street named for 18 th century female scientist Laura Bassi, reminding us that women have been accomplishing extraordinary things in STEMM for hundreds o...

It is inspiring to learn about the accomplishments of women in STEMM throughout history. Patricia Maurice and I briefly tell the story of the 18th century Italian physics professor Laura Bassi in our post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog:
www.epistimi.org/blog/laura-b...

Welcome to ROZ: the “Rosalind Franklin Forum for Female Scientists, Open to All” — epistimi Here, we introduce our readers to ROZ, an interactive career advisory platform that offers a global network of mentors and other tools to help advance scientists’ careers and promote diversity.

Read the post by @paolalaurino.bsky.social on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog about @rozforum.bsky.social, which offers great tools for professional development and diversity. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/welcome...

Our students are our greatest gifts and our proudest legacies — epistimi At a time when universities (at least in the USA) are under fire, let’s take a moment to remind ourselves how fortunate we are to be educators.

Read aboutthe rewards of teaching and advising in our recent post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog: www.epistimi.org/blog/our-stu...

Understanding leadership development leads to better programs for women — epistimi Understanding the dynamics by which leadership emerges, including the relationships within groups, can help us design and choose the leadership training program that best serves our needs.

Thanks to Angeliki Rigos (Diane), founder of @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social, for her guest post on leadership training. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/underst...

Engagement and the ability to work effectively in a diverse world — epistimi More than ever, STEMM practitioners are needed to identify and solve problems and to provide the innovation that drives economic growth.  Engagement is crucial to ensuring that colleagues can ‘fl...

Science #STEM needs to engage talent broadly to find solutions for all members of society. Read our blog on @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social www.epistimi.org/blog/engagem...

“What being a leader means is to inspire and empower others around you”: Reflections of a social scientist — epistimi Prof. Charmain Levy, an eminent scholar of international development studies, feminist studies and social sciences from the Université du Québec en Outaouais, shares her thoughts on successful strateg...

Read leadership insights from social scientist Charmain Levy on the latest post on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/what-be...

Anonymous billionaire pledges to support congressive STEMM — epistimi A departure from ‘science as usual’ would focus on society and community, emphasize interdependence and connection, and promote broader thinking. A new foundation will bring ‘congressive’ STEMM into t...

Are you looking for new ways to do science? See today's post by me and Patricia Maurice on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog. Inspired by Eugenia Cheng's book "X+Y". See: www.epistimi.org/blog/anonymo...

Universities should speak with a collective voice. Otherwise they will be picked off one by one. Concessions will not placate Trump. They will only embolden him. #FireElonMusk #FireMusk

“The solution was always inside us”: Life lessons from an engineer’s career in global development — epistimi Prof. Tracy Kijewski-Correa shares her experiences and insight on the important role that academic engineers can play in addressing poverty and the needs of at-risk populations across the globe.

Tracy Kijewski-Correa delivers a powerful message about how engineers can contribute to global development in her profile on the @epistimi-stemm.bsky.social blog. (Re-posting welcome.) See: www.epistimi.org/blog/the-sol...

Learning from our retirement experiences: timing and preparation — epistimi Like any other transition in life, retirement requires good navigation.  Here, we offer some of our own experiences and advice to help you prepare for a smooth and effective retirement.

Despite all the chaos in the world, we still have to plan for and attend to our personal transitions. Patricia Maurice and I discuss a big one, retirement, in our new post on the Epistimi blog. www.epistimi.org/blog/learnin...

Panel at the International Cooperation Forum 2025 with Solomzi Mokohliso, Elizabeth Tilley and Gnanli Landrou at ETH Zurich.

The Humanitarian New Normal: A World Without a Safety Net The withdrawal of funding for humanitarian work will affect everyone – in countries rich or poor – as the “global immune system” built by global aid falls apart.

Ready for Ebola in the USA? It’s much more likely without USAID-funded control programs. #FireElonMusk
knowledge.insead.edu/responsibili...

A Guide to Surviving and Transforming Academia for the Benefit of All  — epistimi Authors Roberta Hawkins and Leslie Kern discuss how they came to write their 2024 book Higher Expectations: How to Survive Academia, Make it Better for Others, and Transform the University an d how ...

A guest post by Robeta Hawkins and Leslie Klein on our Episitimi blog. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-guide...

Why STEMM leaders need to talk seriously about ethics — epistimi Are we, as academics, sufficiently willing to engage with our colleagues on issues of ethics and behavior?  As women leaders in STEMM, how does this affect us and what are our responsibilities? &...

Are academic institutions focusing on so-called excellence at the expense of ethics? Patricia Maurice and I encourage our peers to talk seriously about ethics in our new post on the Epistimi.org blog. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/why-ste...

Thank you for standing up for science. Where are the voices of other scientific societies?

Great work by Elena Gimmi in doctoral research conducted at @eawag.bsky.social

Bishop calls on Trump to ‘have mercy’ on migrants and LGBTQ people. This is an example of the courage we need now.

If you're a mom in STEMM academics (or might be one in the future), you can be inspired by Patricia Maurice. She shares her experiences in her post on the Epistimi blog. (Re-posting welcome). See: www.epistimi.org/blog/how-bec...

Please circulate widely.

Food Systems and Shaping a Sustainable World - Farming First Industrialised countries such as Switzerland need to transform their food systems to mitigate their impacts, locally and globally.

As co-chair of SDSN Switzerland, I wrote a short piece on the importance of transforming food systems in achieving the SDGs. You can read it at: farmingfirst.org/2025/01/food...

Dear Frances, You and all my former Caltech colleagues are in my thoughts. Stay safecand strong. Janet

A Trip to Paris and the Rights of Women in STEMM — epistimi During a meeting in Paris last fall, we were inspired to draft A Declaration of the Rights of Women and Girls in STEMM in hopes of building a modern system that uplifts everyone.

My co-author Patricia Maurice and I start off 2025 with a declaration of rights for women and girls. Re-posts welcome. See: www.epistimi.org/blog/a-trip-...

I think that a lot of women in academic leadership have the same experience. It‘s not about „thin air“. It’s about competition for resources and envy. Hope you will connect with me on LinkedIn.