This edition of the journal has been put together by the WISENET team in Wollongong. We hope this has given a well-earned break to the usual editorial group, lead by Diana Temple, following their involvement with the very successful "Science Futures" magazine which came out earlier this year. We are very grateful to Diana who has still been kept busy emailing articles, and giving assistance and support, which kept us at it, despite heavy time pressures of teaching and research. We would also like to thank Judy Mackinolty and Jean Weber for selected sub-editing.
The Wollongong link team is based at the University of Wollongong, and was set up several years ago by Toni O’Neill. The group has operated as a discussion group, but has taken on a couple of projects. These included fund-raising organised by Toni in 1995 in which money was raised to assist in the funding of postgraduate scholarships for Vietnamese women scientists at the University of Hanoi; and this journal edition.
We are also using the group as a means of peer-assessing grant applications, and for general mentoring. The group copes with the usual problem that women scientists, especially in senior positions, have precious little spare time for meetings, so we see some of our members only occasionally. We are lucky, however, in having members from outside the Science Faculty, including members from Administration, Careers and Counselling, Science and Technology Studies and Nursing. These include interested male colleagues.
Based on this experience, I would recommend that WISENET groups advertise quite widely on campuses, etc, as people in a range of areas have an interest in these issues. We would like to take the opportunity to encourage people from other institutions in Wollongong who are interested in Women’s participation in Science to contact us and get involved.
To give this edition Wollongong flavour, we have included several articles from women scientists here, including Sharon Robinson, who tells of her exploits on the frozen continent, and Margaret Shiel, a very successful researcher at UoW who shares some of the secrets of her success. We have also included a Science Futures case study of Jenny Atchison, a postgraduate student here in Wollongong.
In the changing political climate of Australian higher education, we also look at some tough issues for women in science. A report by Julie Wells from the NTEU looks at the effects of recent cutbacks on women’s participation in universities, and what role the new Industrial Relations Commission ruling on contracts is likely to play. We also have an article from an anonymous author indicating that pockets of overt prejudice still remain in the university system. We also profile Pamela Parker, who has gone outside the establishment, and used her science to tackle ecologically sustainable development in setting up a Biosphere Reserve. As this journal goes to print, I will be attending the Winds of Change Conference at UTS in Sydney, an international conference looking at the present culture for women in universities. A report on that conference will appear in the next edition.
I would personally like to thank the editorial group, comprising Renate Griffiths, Sharon Robinson and Suchandra Balachandran for their contributions and company; and Toni O’Neill for her enthusiasm and courage.
Wendy Russell
Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong