Gender Equity

“The Predictive Brain: How Past Memories Influence Future Decisions” with
Alison R. Preston, PhD, Assistant Professor, Center for Learning & Memory,
Departments of Psychology & Neurobiology, The University of Texas at
Austin

WHAT: The Austin Forum on Science, Technology & Society

WHEN: Tuesday, January 10, 2012
5:45-6:30pm Networking Reception
6:30-7:30pm Presentation and Q&A

WHERE: AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center, 1900 University,
Amphitheater (Room 204)

COST: Free and open to the public

WEBSITE: www.austinforum.org

RSVP:  info at austinforum.org

Our memories are the essence of who we are. But memories are not merely a
record of our past experiences; rather, our memories are intrinsically
prospective, serving as a guide to both the present and the future. Our
memories establish expectations for current events and help us anticipate
the future. In doing so, our memories influence how we learn new things,
the decisions we make in the present, and goals to which we aspire in the
future. In this talk, Dr. Alison Preston will discuss her work combining
brain imaging techniques with advanced computational methods to visualize
how the brain builds predictive memories.

Dr. Alison Preston is an assistant professor in the Department of
Psychology and Section of Neurobiology at The University of Texas and a
member of the UT Center for Learning and Memory. Dr. Preston’s research
focuses on understanding how memory is implemented in the human brain
using functional brain imaging techniques. She has published several
articles in peer review scientific journals describing her research
efforts. She also teaches courses on the growing field of cognitive
neuroscience and its impact in the media and society. Dr. Preston is a
recipient of Young Investigator Awards from the National Alliance for
Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (NARSAD) and the Department of
Defense as well as a recipient of the National Science Foundation’s CAREER
Award, recognizing her as one of the leading young teacher-scholars in the
country.

For more information, contact:
Rosalia Arellano
Community Outreach Coordinator
Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC)
The University of Texas at Austin
(512) 471-6785
 http://www.tacc.utexas.edu

 http://www.facebook.com/tacc.utexas

2011 Gender Equity Salary Report Card

This post is another in a series of follow-up reports to campus on salary equity. The original report by the Gender Equity Task Force (GETF; http://www.utexas.edu/provost/research/) found, using 2007 salary data, a statistically significant gender salary gap at the full professor rank. Salaries for males and females at the assistant and associate ranks were not significantly different. Since 2007, there have been only two opportunities for permanent merit raises, one in the spring of 2010 and one in the fall of 2011. You can find the report for 2010 salaries at http://blogs.utexas.edu/provost/2010/12/20/salary-gap-2010/, http://blogs.utexas.edu/provost/2011/03/31/salary-gap-2/, and http://blogs.utexas.edu/provost/2011/04/15/salary-gap-3-analysis-of-total-compensation/. In this report, we focus on 2011 academic rate (9-month salaries); subsequent reports will look at total compensation (academic rate plus endowment supplements) for 2011.

Salary Gap Change from 2007-2011[1]

The analyses revealed a pay gap at the full professor rank of 4.5% in 2007 that was reduced to 3.4% in 2010 and was further reduced to 1.9% in 2011. Put a different way, in 2007, women full professor academic rates were 95.5% of male full professor academic rates. In 2010, women full professor academic rates were 96.6% of male professor’s.  And now, in 2011, the academic rates of female professors are on average 98.1% of the academic rates of male professors.

Thus, between 2007 and 2011, the academic rate gender gap for full professors was reduced by a considerable amount given only two raise opportunities and given the relatively small amount of raise money available. For assistant and associate professors, no analysis, regardless of control variables or the type of data (transformed or non-transformed) showed a gender-based academic rate gap for 2007, 2010, or 2011.

Cautions

None of the analyses (both those reported here and those reported in the GETF report) take into account measures of faculty productivity and are based solely on demographic and descriptive variables such as field, rank, years since highest degree, etc. The total number of women full professors is relatively small: 80% of full professors are male. Thus, there is a relatively small sample size of women full professors that may be problematic in interpreting the results. Finally, analyses are based on institution-wide data and do not preclude the possibility of gender gaps in salaries in individual units.

---

[1] Method. We followed closely the GETF method of data analysis to allow comparison of salaries over time. We used their strategy of multi-level linear regression to account for salary variance between fields (using the same unit groupings; GETF Report Appendix 3, Table 10, Page 159) and for individual level differences, such as years since highest degree. We replicated almost all of their control variables, with a few exceptions. Because we were interested in compensation for faculty, not administrators, we excluded faculty who are in upper administrative positions (the President, Provost, Vice Presidents, and all Deans). We also used years since highest degree as a continuous variable, rather than dividing the variable into four categorical variables by decade. Finally, instead of dollar amounts, we used log transformed salary data. There are two advantages to employing log transformations of salary data: First, it solves the problem of positively skewed data by making the distribution more normal. Second, it provides a proportional measurement of salary so the conclusion is meaningful at all salary levels (full professor salaries ranged from $56,580 to $366,45–excluding administrative positions–and a 5% difference in salary translates into very different dollar amounts at the low versus high end of the salary range).

Kristen Grauman, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, received the Marr Prize at the International Conference on Computer Vision for the paper “Relative Attributes.” She shared the prize with her co-author Devi Parikh of the Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago and a former visiting postdoc at UT Austin.

The Marr Prize is a best paper award in computer vision given by the committee of the ICCV every two years.

The Origin and Significance of Appearance-Based Stereotypes

RESEARCHER: Judith Langlois, professor, Department of Psychology, principal investigator
AGENCY: National Institutes of Health
AMOUNT: $1.45 million (five-year grant)

This research program examines the origins, consequences and significance of appearance-based stereotypes. One goal is to understand the cognitive mechanisms underlying the development of the universal preferences shown by infants, children and adults for attractive faces. Why do even young infants prefer to look at attractive rather than unattractive faces and when do stereotypical expectations become attached to these visual preferences? By what processes do infants come to associate attractiveness with positive attributes and to associate unattractiveness with negative attributes? Given infants as young as 12 months of age display differential treatment of attractive and unattractive individuals they may have some primitive knowledge of appearance-based stereotypes much earlier than previously assumed.

A second goal of the research is to form a better understanding of the consequences of appearance-based stereotypes. How do children behave toward others based on appearance? Do non-prototypical faces elicit negative affect from perceivers and, if so, how might this lead to stigmatization? What are the social, physical and mental health risks associated with appearance-based stereotypes? Because the intent of this research is to provide a full understanding of the mechanisms underlying the development of preferences, attitudes and stereotypes based on facial appearance, a multi- method, converging evidence approach, beginning in infancy is required. This project includes standard behavioral measures widely used in the developmental literature including infant looking behavior with physiological measures (EEG, ERP, & EMG). Physiological data (e.g. EEG recorded brain activity) will be correlated with a behavioral response and/or a measure of attitudes. The ultimate goal of this research will be to ameliorate the negative consequences associated with appearance-based stereotypes.

Below are the data for the last seven years for promotions from Associate to Full Professor. The average is the most reliable indicator.

Promoted Associate to Full
	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	Average
Female N	9	9	12	5	15	12	11
Female %	82%	100%	100%	100%	100%	86%	92%	94%
Male N	30	21	17	17	20	14	18
Male %	97%	95%	85%	81%	100%	88%	95%	92%
Total N	39	30	29	22	35	26	29
Total %	93%	97%	91%	85%	100%	87%	94%	92%
Not Promoted Associate to Full
	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Female N	2	0	0	0	0	2	1
Female %	18%	0%	0%	0%	0%	14%	8%
Male N	1	1	3	4	0	2	1
Male %	3%	5%	15%	19%	0%	12%	5%
Total N	3	1	3	4	0	4	2
Total %	7%	3%	9%	15%	0%	13%	6%
Note: Does not include Law School or other “special” circumstances

One of the recommendations of the Gender Equity Task Force  http://www.utexas.edu/provost/research/F…) was to compile and publish promotion and tenure statistics. Below are the data for promotions from Assistant to Associate Professor over the last seven years. Later in the week I will post data for promotions from Associate to Full Professor.

Assistant to Associate Professor Promotions
2005-2011

Promoted Assistant to Associate
	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	Average
Female N	14	19	24	18	20	20	12
Female %	82%	73%	96%	86%	80%	87%	80%	83%
Male N	28	33	34	40	34	31	34
Male %	74%	82%	92%	85%	74%	82%	79%	81%
Total N	42	52	58	58	54	51	46
Total %	76%	79%	94%	85%	76%	84%	79%	82%
Not Promoted Assistant to Associate
	2011	2010	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005
Female N	3	7	1	3	5	3	3
Female %	18%	27%	4%	14%	20%	13%	20%
Male N	10	7	3	7	12	7	9
Male %	26%	18%	8%	15%	26%	18%	21%
Total N	13	14	4	10	17	10	12
Total %	24%	21%	6%	15%	24%	16%	21%
Note: Does not include Law School or other “special” circumstances

Dr. Lecia Barker, research associate professor in the School of Information at The University of Texas at Austin, received a grant of $442,000 from the National Science Foundation to identify new teaching methods in which college faculty can retain women in computing and information technology (IT) degrees and fields.
Women’s low participation in computing professions is a public concern, affecting the ability of the United States to remain globally competitive and to maintain its high standards in health, defense and national security.
The current post-secondary graduation rates in computing disciplines suggest American universities are only training enough students to fill one third of the projected 1.4 million technology and computing jobs available. The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of professional computing and information sciences jobs will grow at more than twice the rate of all engineering, life sciences, natural sciences and physical sciences combined through 2018.
At the same time, women’s participation in computing is lower than nearly all science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines: only 18 percent of all 2009 computing bachelor’s degrees were awarded to women.
“Women’s underrepresentation reduces national progress, both because women can expand the size of the workforce and because of the value of diversity,” said Barker. “Research demonstrates that innovation is improved by diversifying problem-solving among groups that invent and design products and services.”
Underutilizing the human capital of women and under-represented minorities in this critical workforce is damaging both to the nation and to these two segments of society, as their chances of entering one of the fastest-growing and highest-paying careers is minimal.
The National Research Council of the National Academies, an organization that supports government decision-making and public policy in matters involving science, engineering, technology and health, reports “the low participation of women in information technology development will put the U.S. at a dangerous disadvantage.”
“Despite widespread development and dissemination of research-based practices that can reverse the gender imbalance in computer science, typical faculty teaching methods make computing less inviting to women than to men and lead to women’s greater attrition,” said Barker. “For example, assignments and tests appeal more to male interests; lectures seldom place computing in context; and the communication climate can make it difficult for women to seek help or join peer study groups.”
The team’s research will include a study to identify the conditions that could influence computer science (CS) faculty members’ adoption of practices that improve gender diversity in CS. The project builds on research and theory to increase faculty adoption of new pedagogies and curriculum as well as instill diffusion in innovation.
Findings will be shared broadly in institutes of higher education, including offices of faculty professional developers, who can craft and test faculty development methods that result in gender inclusive teaching. Findings also will be disseminated among department chairs and deans.
The research team consists of Barker, who is the principal investigator, and Professor Joanne McGrath Cohoon and Dr. Leisa Thompson of the University of Virginia.
Barker serves as a senior research scientist for the National Center for Women & Information Technology (NCWIT), a consortium of more than 300 prominent corporations, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations. She conducts research and evaluation into under-representation of women and minorities in computing education as well as of the development and integration of educational technology resources in higher education.

From UT Public Affairs and Amy Crossette, School of Architecture, School of Information, 512-573-1078.

University of Texas at Austin educational psychologist Stephanie Cawthon has received $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Education to spearhead a nationwide effort to reduce dropout rates and improve postsecondary education and employment outcomes for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

Cawthon will use the grant money to oversee the research arm of a newly formed national Center for Results in Education and Employment for Deaf Students.

“I’ll be evaluating the resources, accommodations and policies that are in place now and determining what changes may be needed to help deaf and hard of hearing individuals successfully transition from high school to postsecondary education and then into jobs,” said Cawthon, an assistant professor in the College of Education’s Department of Educational Psychology. “Center activities will focus on evidence-based practices and will be developed from the most current scientific findings from interdisciplinary fields.”

Cawthon will spend the first year of the five-year grant conducting a national needs assessment and literature review to identify gaps in services for individuals who are deaf and hard of hearing.

“Many who are deaf may have unidentified issues such as learning disabilities and aren’t receiving help and resources for those needs,” said Cawthon. “Also, at the secondary level, education and transition needs often are left unaddressed. The needs assessment will give us a clearer picture of the current situation and help the center be more efficient and effective.”

Cawthon said it is not enough to make resources such as online chat forums and informational blogs available to professionals who work with deaf and hard of hearing students. It also is important to place those resources where a widely dispersed target population can easily find and access them.

Estimates vary, but recent federal statistics and research indicate that two to four of every 1,000 people in the U.S. are “functionally deaf” and anywhere from 37 to 140 of every 1,000 people are hard of hearing. The most recent data available from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Survey of Income and Program Participation suggest that about 0.38 percent of the population over 5 years of age is deaf.

“Many institutions, like universities, may only have two or three deaf students and may not have had anyone in place to administer tests in American Sign Language or help them with career counseling and placement,” said Cawthon. “The center will be able to help these institutions build capacity and tap into resources that may already exist somewhere else in the nation.”

Cawthon’s $1.3 million in funding is part of a total $20 million, five-year grant from the Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs. In addition to The University of Texas at Austin, the center also includes university partners California State University-Northridge, St. Paul College in Wisconsin, the University of Montana at Missoula and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

For more information, contact: Kay Randall, Office of the President, 512 232 3910.

As the new director of the Division of Statistics and Scientific Computation (SSC) at The University of Texas at Austin, Lauren Ancel Meyers hopes to recruit top faculty and continue a large string of initiatives geared toward students.

“As a young program unencumbered by institutional inertia in a rapidly evolving field, the SSC has a unique opportunity to become one of the most innovative statistics programs in the world,” said Meyers, who is also a professor in the Section of Integrative Biology. “As director, my highest priority is to transform quantitative education so that every UT undergraduate is equipped with the intuition and computational skills required for understanding, communicating and problem solving in today’s world.”

Meyers has been a pioneer in the field of mathematical epidemiology, with research ranging from tracking the influenza virus to tracing the spread of a virus in lions on the Serengeti.

“As massive volumes of complex data flood in from the Internet, satellites, science labs and beyond, modern statistics has become essential for progress in science, technology, public health and society,” she said. “The SSC’s world-class statistics faculty are developing powerful methods for handling complex data that have provided critical insights for cancer treatment, electric grids, traffic safety and financial markets.”

Meyers has designed network-based mathematical methods to study the complexity of disease transmission, human behavior and the evolution of dangerous microbes.

Before joining the Section of Integrative Biology at The University of Texas at Austin in 2003, Meyers was a National Science Foundation and Santa Fe Institute postdoctoral fellow. She was recently promoted to the rank of full professor and received a Donald D. Harrington Faculty Fellowship.

For more information contact: Lauren Ancel Meyers, director, director@ssc.utexas.edu, 512-471-7695. Article by Lee Clippard. http://web5.cns.utexas.edu/news/2011/10/meyers-director/

The HealthPoint Work-Life Balance & Wellness Program has partnered
with St. David’s Hospital to offer UT Mammogram Days on November 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 8th, and 9th at the St. David’s Breast Center.

University employees who make an appointment to have their annual screening mammogram during these five days will receive:

Priority scheduling and complimentary parking to get you in & out quickly
Access to the latest mammogram technology
Spanish speaking mammogram technician from 1pm-6pm on November 2nd, 3rd, and 9th.
UT Select Plan participants receive one routine screening mammogram with no co-pay and 100% coverage per plan year!*
Eligible for door prizes for putting your health first.
You can schedule your mammogram for any open appointment during the designated days but if you want to have even more fun, schedule your mammogram during our special Mammo Mixer times and receive “mocktails”, peripheral bone density screening and your choice of either a free chair massage or a mini-manicure! These additional activities are subject to availability and are not available during non-Mammo Mixer times.

November 2nd Mammo Mixer is from 11am-1pm

November 3rd Mammo Mixer is from 4pm-6pm

November 7th Mammo Mixer is from 11am-1pm

November 8th Mammo Mixer is from 4pm-6pm

November 9th Mammo Mixer is from 4pm-6pm

*The American Cancer Society recommends an annual screening mammogram for women age 40 and older. If you meet this requirement and haven’t already obtained your annual mammogram during this plan year, call today to schedule!

Call St. David’s at 544-8800 to schedule your appointment.
Don’t forget to mention you are a university employee!

For more information, please contact:
 HealthPoint.ohp at austin.utexas.edu