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For more information on these science news and feature story tips, please contact the public information officer at the end of each item at (703) 292-8070. Editor: Peter West Contents of this News Tip:
Women Close Gaps in Some, But Not All, Science and Engineering FieldsWomen and girls are making progress in scientific professions and in education, respectively, over the last two decades, but some of these gains have stalled or "eroded," in recent years, says a report by the National Council for Research on Women (NCRW) that was funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The NCRW studied a range of issues, statistics and ongoing programs to evaluate how women are being assimilated into scientific and engineering professions, and how young women are responding to educational opportunities. Its report, "Balancing the Equation: Where Are Women and Girls in Science, Engineering and Technology?" reveals that "despite over two decades of an expanding pipeline," the percentage of women holding scientific leadership positions in some fields is still in the single digits. "The report also shows us examples of efforts that have sparked enduring change, and reveals that a piecemeal approach doesn't work. We must change the system itself," said NSF director Rita Colwell. A new NSF program, ADVANCE, she said, focuses on core leadership issues that will support system-wide changes to provide a more positive climate for women to pursue academic careers in science and engineering. The Alfred P. Sloan and Patrina Foundations and the Prentice Hall School Division also provided funding for the council's report. [Bill Noxon] For excerpts of the report, see: http://www.ncrw.org/research/iqsci.htm Optical Device Promises Huge Data Storage Boost
NSF-funded researchers have developed a promising new optical data storage technique that has the potential for holding hundreds of times more data than is possible with current computer hardware. The device stores data in the form of luminescent erbium (Er) ions, which can be excited by infrared lasers to retrieve information. Developed by University of Cincinnati researchers Andrew Steckl and Fred Beyette, the new form of optical memory incorporates several innovations. First, the researchers store data on a gallium nitride (GaN) platform, which is more durable and allows denser storage than the polymer platforms currently used in devices such as compact disks and DVDs. Then, in the "write" process, they insert luminescent Er ions into the GaN material to represent data. Data can be "read" when the Er ions present at selected locations in the memory are excited by overlapping infrared lasers, producing visible light emission. This approach lends itself to building high-capacity three-dimensional optical memory. Steckl’s team describes its work in the July 20 issue of Applied Optics. NSF-supported researchers across the United States are developing an array of optical and photonic devices for information technology applications such as replacing electronic data storage and switching, pattern recognition for security systems, laser printing and scanning, and visual displays. [Amber Jones] Baboon Mothers Yield Status to Female Offspring
Using data from a 25-year study of wild baboons, a Princeton University evolutionary biologist and her student have shown that baboon mothers relinquish their social status to their daughters. The findings indicate that kinship and reproductive value are key determinants of status in primate societies. While some theories emphasize weakness and aging to explain how the primates' status changes over time, other scientists have also postulated that loss of status is random, or primarily the result of complex coalitions among female relatives or non-relatives. But in an article for the biology journal Proceedings of the Royal Society of London’s July 7 issue, Princeton professor Jeanne Altmann and Duke University graduate student Stephanie Combes show that female baboons confer social status to their mature daughters, who otherwise would maintain a dominance just below their mothers. NSF supported Altmann’s research. Combes worked on the project while an undergraduate, with funding from an NSF Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) grant. In many monkey societies, a maturing female's dominance status is determined by that of her mother and remains relatively stable throughout adulthood. "Without lifelong data from wild populations, however, scientists have continued to wonder how stable these relationships are, and which factors determine whether status changes during adulthood," says Altmann. "Despite a number of alternative mathematical models, the debate has continued for years." Her findings may lead to a consensus that, based on
reproductive prowess, younger female primates achieve
dominance over their mothers. The closer two female
baboons are related, the more likely they are to reverse
rank consensually. Older females without mature daughters
refuse to relinquish status to weakly related or unrelated
females beneath them. [Tom Garritano]
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