USRA's Dr. Joan Schmelz Named Fellow of the American Astronomical Society
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Wednesday, February 8, 2023
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She was one of the first people in the astronomy community to talk and blog about topics that have become central to diversity -- unconscious bias, stereotype threat, and impostor syndrome. Her 2011 blog post, Coming Out of the Shadows, described her own experience with sexual harassment. As a result, young women from across the country began contacting her about their own situations. These conversations – which formed the basis of what is now called the whisper network – helped shine a light on the abusive behavior that had always hidden in the dark. Schmelz was honored in 2015 as one of Nature's Top Ten people who made a difference in science for her work fighting sexual harassment.
Key Points:
- WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Universities Space Research Association's Dr. Joan Schmelz has been elected Fellow of the American Astronomical Society (AAS), joining a distinguished group of professional astronomers and astronomy educators.
- This year, the AAS is honoring 22 members for extraordinary achievement and service by naming them AAS Fellows .
- She has served as director, astronomer, and diversity advocate at Universities Space Research Association (USRA).
- Before joining USRA, she was a program officer at NSF's Division of Astronomical Sciences (2013-15) and a professor at University of Memphis for over 20 years.