Women of Applied Mathematics: Research and Leadership

WAMRL Panel Summaries

Panelists

Marsha Berger, Courant Institute (MJB)
Lori Frietag Diachin, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LFD)
Lisa Fauci, Tulane University (LJF)
Barbara Keyfitz, University of Houston (BLK)
Maria Klawe, Princeton University (MMK)
Rachel Kuske, University of British Columbia (RAK)
Deborah Lockhart, National Science Foundation (DFL)
Joyce McLaughlin, RPI (JRM)
Linda Petzold, University of California, Santa Barbara (LRP)
Cynthia Phillips, Sandia National Labs (CAP)
Charles Romine, Department of Energy (CHR)
Mary Wheeler, University of Texas, Austin (MFW)
Margaret Wright, Courant Institute (MHW)

Panel #1: Proposals and Teams

On Developing an Idea

Keep up-to-date on general science and technology trends by reading Science, Discover, and major newspapers. (LRP)
It pays to "do your homework" and stay apprised of the political landscape. In other words, find out what are the hot topics for the funding agencies. (CAP)
Develop a vision that requires major state-of-the-art research that will have an impact on science and society. (LRP)

On Building and Managing a Team

Team building is a life-long process. Once you develop enough contacts, others will approach you to be on their teams. (CAP)
One way to build a team at your institution is to sponsor a seminar series and invite different professors from various departments. (JRM)
Recruit the very best team members, independent of politics. "Your proposal is only as strong as the weakest person on it. You want to be the weakest person on it." (LRP)
Be sure to include domain experts on your team. (CAP)
Build team cohesiveness by having meetings of the senior researchers. Develop a common vision. (LRP)
Keep things on time. Be sure to assign tasks with short deadlines (e.g., end of this week) and get the final contributions from all participants at least two weeks before the deadline. You must be tough about enforcing deadlines. (LRP)

On Writing a Proposal

Know your program manager. Contact him or her by email or talk to him or her at meetings. Be persistent, but patient, about making contact. When you talk to your program manager, ask specific questions. If you have any questions about the reviews of your proposal, be sure to call your program manager to discuss them. (CHR, DFL)
In some cases, you can get a feel for whether or not your idea sounds like a good one for the agency: DOE accepts (and encourages) white papers, but NSF does not. (CHR, DFL)
Read the call for proposals announcement and make certain that your proposal matches the call. (LRP, CAP)
Further, the contents of your proposal should be appropriate for the funding agency you send it to. You should understand the mission of each funding agency. (CHR)
Investigate the average size award and don't put in a request that is too large. Also, account for extras such as overhead, books, copy charges, etc. Make sure that the budget is detailed and justified. (CAP, CHR)
The executive summary should be clear and compelling (i.e., something that a layperson can understand). (CHR, CAP)
The majority of the proposal should be on your new idea, not a rehash of the current state-of-the-art. (CHR)
Don't neglect referencing other related work -- you can't anticipate who will be reviewing your proposal! (CHR)
Be persistent. Don't give up if your proposal is rejected. (DFL)

Panel #2: Promotion

Panelists

Being Promoted from Assistant to Associate Professor

Influence and impact of research is more important than quantity. (MJB)
Research is the most important factor in promotion. It is necessary that you be an excellent researcher, though that alone is in no way sufficient. (LJF)
Pure math departments may not understand that most papers in applied math are co-authored. You have the choice of either writing single-authored papers or educating your department on the nature of publications in applied math. (LJF)
To prepare for tenure, you need to be sure you are making a name for yourself in some field. At the same time, you cannot be too narrow or else your research will not have a broad enough impact. (MJB)
Find a mentor within your department to help guide you through the tenure process. It helps if it's someone you can be completely candid with. (MJB, RAK)
You need to get to know senior researchers in your field (or, more importantly, get them to know you) because they will be asked to write tenure letters for you. Don't be shy! One idea is to organize a minisymposium and invite researchers that you want to meet or get to know better.
You must be recognized as a leader in your field. This is evidenced by being invited to give talks, serve on editorial boards, etc. A little secret: You can volunteer to do many of these types of things. (MJB)
Pick and choose your committee activities with care. Choose ones that are visible and interesting. (MJB, LJF)
Committee work can also be an avenue to connections across campus. (LJF)
Invest the major part of your time in writing grants and doing research, not mentoring and nurturing. For example, don't start a math club. (LJF)
Investigate the promotion process. Find out what happens at the department and dean levels. Talk to the person presenting your tenure case or talk to the members of the appointment committee. (RAK)
When creating a list of names of potential letter writers, leave some obvious candidates off the list. This is because the committee must solicit letters from several persons not named by you. This is another way to make the tenure committee's job easier. (Dianne O'Leary)
Make it as easy as possible for the promotion committee to do its job.
- For example, you can put detailed information about your professional service on your web site. This will make it easier for the committee to write a letter supporting your case. (Dianne O'Leary)
- Also, either submit a research summary or include it on your web page. (MJB)
- Be sure to post your papers on your web page --- especially those that have been submitted or accepted but not yet published. The papers should be in an easily readable format such as PDF. Also, include abstracts of the papers. (BLK, DFL, Dan Hitchcock)

Changes After Getting Tenure

Being able tow work on longer term projects. (MJB)
More willing to do service, advising, etc. (LJF)
Less worry. (MJB)

Being Promoted from Associate to Full Professor

Keep your momentum in the face of more and more demands on your time. (MJB)
Why do you want to be a full professor? One must be a full professor in order to serve on the most influential and important committees (such as the promotion committee itself). (MJB)

Promotion in Research Labs

Different labs have different processes. Talk to people and learn what does and doesn't count at your institution. For example, Argonne has the equivalent of a tenure process and desires external impact. On the other hand, Sandia is more focused on internal impact. (LFD)
Promotion can be along two tracks: Technical or Managerial. (LFD)
Some things that help (LFD):
- Establishing a sound technical record.
- Choosing good collaborators.
- Contributing to team efforts.
- Determining your own core competencies and building on them.
Show interest in expanding your impact --- volunteer for committee work. Be an enthusiastic team player and contributor. (LFD)

Preparing for Administration

The "potential chair test" is something to think about with interview candidates. In other words, ask yourself if this is someone who may someday make a great department chair. This means that the person has interpersonal skills in addition to his or her research portfolio. (MJB)
You should be a full professor before considering being a department chair. (LJF)
Many universities have a "sink or swim" approach to leadership. There's no formal training. (JRM, MJB)
You can and should take advantage of leadership training opportunities. Books are good sources of information. Technical management and training courses are offered throughout the country. Many institutions offer training as well, or opportunities may be available through women's groups. (Carol Woodward, JRM)
A good mentor is invaluable. (LFD)

How to Become a Journal Editor

The most important thing to do if you want to be an editor is to be a conscientious referee. This means writing concise, well-substantiated reports and being more or less on time. (LJF)

Panel #3: Administration

Panelists

Pros of Being an Administrator

Learning how things work. (LJF, MJB)
Making policy that makes a difference. (MJB)
A chance to fight for resources for your department. (MJB)
Keeping a less desirable candidate from getting the job (and being your boss!).
"I want to change the world, or at least North American science and engineering." (MMK)

Cons of Being an Administrator

Learning too much about how things works. (LJF)
Personnel issues, space wars, and money wars can be difficult and unpleasant. (MJB)
There are many time sinks, such as meetings and staff issues. (LJF)
There is always someone griping about something. (LJF)
One cannot procrastinate and still do a good job. (LJF)

How to Prepare to be an Administrator

Serve on university committees to meet people and learn how things work. (LJF)
Learn not to shrink from unpleasant tasks, such as evaluating colleagues. (MHW)
Management training really helps, and universities generally do not provide it. (MMK)
Develop your personal style. (MHW) The "Mom" style works for some: you are on their side, wanting to help, and approachable and ready to listen. (MJB) "Fake authority," even when you lack self confidence. (MHW)
Remember that all jobs have unpleasant parts, so weigh the plusses and minuses. (MHW, MMK)
There is a lot less power to most jobs than you think. (MMK)
Being a center director is mostly 9-5. Some administration jobs require a lot of after-hours work. Know what you are getting into. (LJF)
"The only time you have bargaining power is before you say 'yes'." (MHW)
If you think, "I could do a better job than ...," you are probably right. (MMK)

General Advice to Administrators:

It is crucial to keep your options open so that if you don't like administration, or ever decide to resign from it, you have a way to reenter the research track. (MHW)
Be religious about protecting your research time. Aim for at least one uninterrupted day a week. Take occasional trips to work with colleagues. Work with graduate students. (MMK)

Panel #4: Professional Service

Panelists

Service versus Research and Teaching

While professional service is important to any career, research and teaching are much more so. Be sure to keep service subordinate to your other priorities. (BLK, JRM)
Selling a house depends on location, location, location; your career depends on research, research, research. (MFW)
That said, service is great for the resume. (MFW)

Some Types of Professional Service

Journal Editor
Society Officer
Society Committee Member
Conference Organizer or Organizing Committee Member
Minisymposium Organizer
NSF Term Rotator

On Being a Journal Editor

To become an editor, be a good referee. (BLK)
Need to be fgrep: an expert, general enough to handle papers that aren't precisely in your field, reliable, prompt, and fair. (MHW)
Benefit: Getting your name in front many people. (JRM)
Benefit: Editors can invite papers. (JRM)

Getting Involved With a Professional Society

Be sure to discover requirements; i.e., term length, work load, travel. (BLK)
There are many ways to get involved besides being elected. Can volunteer to be on committees. (MHW)
Benefit: Can develop workshops, etc. (JRM)
Benefit: Broader perspective. (MFW)
Benefit: There is opportunity to impact the recognition of research program contribution to science and engineering and to impact the financial health of the research programs.
Benefit: Impact and influence. (MFW)

Being a Term Rotator at NSF

Broadening scientific experience. (DFL)
Many rotators go on to be department chairs. (DFL)

Panel #5: Mentoring

Mentoring

A mentor can be defined in a number of ways: Research Mentor, Role Model, Proposal or Career Mentor. A mentor can even be someone you only talk to for 5 minutes! (DFL)
To be a mentor (DFL):
- Invite younger people to minisymposiums
- If asked, suggest the names of junior people to others as speakers, committee members, etc.
- Be constructive in reviews of papers or proposals by junior people
- Write good letters of recommendation
Mentoring students and postdocs (MFW):
- Find out what their ultimate goals are.
- Give advice that helps them meet their goals, while preserving flexibility in case the goals change.
- Postdocs need to broaden their research interests.
Women should be careful not to take on too much mentoring responsibility. Men make great mentors too! (LRP)

Questions? tgkolda@sandia.gov or oleary@cs.umd.edu