I am deeply committed to increasing the participation and retention of underrepresented groups in astronomy, physics and the sciences. I have been active in promoting awareness of these issues as well as recruiting and retaining women and minorities over my entire career.

I am a member of the American Astronomical Society’s Committee for the Status of Women in Astronomy and the Committee for the Status of Minorities in Astronomy.

Recent Talks and Conference Sessions

• Chair and organizer of special session on Indigenous Knowledge in 21st Century Science at AAS Meeting, Denver, CO, June 2018
• Speaker on including indigenous knowledge in science and academia at Teaching For Equity workshop, SF State, San Francisco, Sept. 2017
• Panelist and session workshop leader at Women in Astronomy IV: The Many Faces of Women Astronomers, Austin, TX, June 2017
• Keynote speaker at USF’s Womyn of Color Conference (theme: (Re)Producing a Village) organized by the Cultural Centers, in collaboration with the Presidents Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (PACSW), Jan. 2016
• Panelist in the 2015 iWise (Indigenous Worldviews in Informal Science Education) Conference organized by the Imiloa Astronomy Center of Hawai’i and the Indigenous Education Institute, Albuquerque, NM, Sept. 2015

Outreach Activities Targeting Women and/or Minorities in STEM:

• Presentations on astronomy topics several times a year in the pre-K and elementary school system in San Francisco, 2006-present
• Service on numerous panels and committees that seek to increase the representation of women and minorities in the sciences, including, most recently, serving on the Physical Sciences and Mathematics Panel at the Northern California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education at San Francisco State University in Nov. 2012
• Instructor, University of Colorado Upward Bound Programs, Boulder, CO, Summers 2002, 2003 and 2005: taught and mentored Native American high school students from over 20 reservations as part of a college preparation program
• Volunteer judge and moderator for the 2003 Native American Science Bowl, Colorado Springs, CO
• Volunteer Assistant, Center for Astrophysical Research in Antarctica (CARA) at The University of Chicago, 1996-1997, for outreach courses designed for local high school students

Talks and Articles on Broadening Participation of Women and/or Minorities in Astronomy and Physics:

– The Night Sky and Native American Worldviews, American Astronomical Society Meeting, Denver, CO, June 2004

– Women in Astronomy: Successes and Challenges, joint talk with Jessica Rosenberg, sponsored by the LEAP (Leadership Education for Advancement and Promotion) program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 2003

– Panelist at CSWA report and discussion of the IUPAP 2002 International Conference on Women in Physics, American Astronomical Society Meeting, Albuquerque, NM, June 2002

– The Status of Women in Physics — An International Perspective (Colloquium sponsored by the ORNL Committee for Women, Association for Women in Science, and Women in Science), Oak Ridge National Lab, Oak Ridge, TN, 2002

– Complete list of press and articles involving myself and/or the US delegation to the 2002 IUPAP meeting on Women in Physics: Please visit this web page, maintained courtesy of Kristine Lang.

– The Status of Women in Physics – What, Why and How to Change, A. Venkatesan & C. M. Urry 2002, STATUS (a publication of the AAS Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy), June 2002 issue. Article available here. Also printed in the 2002 Fall issue of the CSWP Gazette, and the APS Forum on Physics and Society newsletter.

– Physics: For Women, the Last Frontier, S. Tobias, C. M. Urry & A. Venkatesan 2002, Science, 296, 1201; article available here. Reprinted in the Journal of Science Education and Technology.

– Women in Physics in the United States, C. M. Urry et al. 2002, proceedings of the IUPAP 2002 International Conference on Women in Physics.

Meetings and Resources for Women and Minorities in Astronomy/Physics:

– Women in Astronomy II: Ten Years After

Caltech, Pasadena, CA; June 27-28, 2003. A follow-up meeting held approximately 10 years after the Baltimore charter was created in the historic first conference in 1992 on women in astronomy.

– IUPAP 2002 International Conference on Women in Physics

UNESCO headquarters, Paris, France; March 7-9, 2002. More than 300 participants in delegations from about 70 countries; I was on the US delegation, which was led by Meg Urry (Yale University). 

This conference has been held every 3 years amongst various countries; the 5^th IUPAP International Conference on Women in Physics will be held in Waterloo, Canada, Aug. 5-8, 2014.

– Consider applying for an NSF ADVANCE grant, and adding your name to the APS women physicists speakers list HERE, or the equivalent list for minorities HERE.

– The American Astronomical Society’s CSWA and CSMA. See also the Women in Astronomy blog.

– The American Institute of Physics’ website on Women in Physics, Astronomy and Related Disciplines