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Dr. FO. Nwaokorie,
International President
Dr. Julie B. Ealy, President
(United States)
Message from the Desk of Iota Nu Presidents
Dear sisters in science, the last two months have been busy for our
officers who are putting forth every effort to balance the demands from
the work, of family and spiritual life, mentoring and learning, and other
social responsibilities. We are sure it is the same for everyone. No matter
what we still had time to package our e-bulletin to reach out to our
sisters. This edition features the minutes of our online meeting and
financial update. You should enjoy reading the story of one of our
members from Indonesia, about Francisca’s visit to California in the
United States, and the pictures of Susan Fetics and Julie Ealy when Susan
presented her research to Julie’s Bio439 class, bioinformatics, and
returned to learn from Julie. And most especially, the pictures of baby
Melvis and a visit by our members to the happy family. In the United
States Spring has arrived, flowers have blossomed, and the buds of the
trees have opened with many beautiful colors.
Francisca and Julie
- Message from the
Desk of Iota Nu
Presidents ----------1
• - Chapter news -----2
• - Special report ----4
• Opportunity for
members------------5
• -Iota Nu member of
the month ----------6
• -This is what a
scientist looks like
outside the lab----10
Dr. FO. Nwaokorie,
International President
Dr. Julie B. Ealy, President
(United States)
C O N T E N T
IOTA NU BULLETIN
Volume 3,No. 2,
May, 2015
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Attendance: Francisca Nwaokorie, Susan Fetics, Sherly Diana da Costa, Helen Nwaba, Monica
Natalia Gonzales Perez, Julie Ealy, Chidi Nosiri, Emelda Chukwu, Tsiory Andrianavalona, Zaidat
Musa, Judy Artley
Opening Remarks from Francisca and Julie
Introductions of members that called in:
Sherly – Germany, working on her PhD
Helen - Nigeria, working on her PhD
Susan - USA, Post-doctoral candidate
Monica - USA, a PhD student preparing for her defense
Zaidat - Nigeria, just completed her PhD
Emelda – Nigeria, Doctoral candidate
National Committee announcement has been added to the Iota Nu web site with details
Funding for members:
- Members interested in funding opportunities were advised to visit previous bulletins and
the Iota Nu website.
- Susan is actively applying for international funding.
- Iota Nu sent a request for funding to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation but the
application was not approved.
Iota Nu Skype Meeting
Saturday March 14, 2015. Start time 5pm GMT (London)
Chapter News
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Sherly learned about Iota Nu via a web search "international women in science"
Susan created a message board on the Iota Nu web site
Helen and Zaidat discussed challenges encountered in publishing scientific paper in reputable
journals especially the high cost of publication fees.
Francisca, on behalf of Iota Nu congratulated Emelda on the arrival of her new baby
The next meeting was scheduled in 3 month’s time.
Since the GWIS National Meeting is in June, members agreed to hold the next Iota Nu
meeting after that in order to discuss the issues raised at the National Meeting.
$1000 has been allocated for chapter development and would be utilized to implement related
activities. We have $1179 in our bank account.
Iota Nu has its own LinkedIn page! Follow this link and send a request
so you will be added onto our group page: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Iota-Nu-international-chapter-GWIS-8286332?home=&gid=8286332
Treasurer's Report
By Robin Woo, Iota Nu treasurer
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Between the last week of March and first week of April 2015, I had a 10-day visit to the USA to attend the 12th Annual DNA Technical Workshop organized by Bode Cellmark Forensics USA, at Coronado Island Marriott Resort & Spa, California. I had the opportunity to deliver a paper titled "Status of Forensic Laboratories Services in Nigeria, Challenges and Prospects". Participants were trained on the latest technology of sample collection, processing equipment for Human DNA analysis, and next generation sequencing and bioinformatics. Highlights of the workshop were lessons learned from forensic experts on:
Next generation sequencing and Forensics
Ethics in the discipline of forensic DNA
DNA phenotyping: predicting the physical appearance and bio-geographic ancestry from crime scene DNA and unidentified remains
Next generation sequencing and future legal challenges
DNA analysis in 45 minutes
I took time to enjoy being under the Colorado sun and a boat ride at the ferry landing.
Special report
My journey in California
by Francisca Nwaokorie
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Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge
The 2015 challenge will launch on 1st June
The Elsevier Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge is open to individuals or organizations operating in
the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors from all countries. Projects can be in any field of Green or Sustainable
Chemistry so long as they are applicable for use in developing countries.
Projects which are within their early stage are preferred. The winning project in the Elsevier Green and
Sustainable Chemistry Challenge willreceive a single payment of € 50,000; the winner of the second prize will
receive a single payment of € 25,000.
Projects will be reviewed against the following criteria:
Be replicable, scalable and sustainable and set a benchmark for innovation
Have practical applicability
Reduce or eliminate the use or generation of one or more hazardous substance, or provide a more
sustainable method for using resources, during the design, manufacture or application of a chemical
product
Be suitable for use in developing countries
Judging
Applications will be reviewed against the Elsevier Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge criteria by the
Elsevier Green and Sustainable Chemistry Challenge advisory group, comprised of relevant internal and
external Green and Sustainable Chemistry specialists. Those in contention for the short list will be reviewed by
an expert panel of external judges.
The shortlist will be announced on 21 October, 2015. Shortlisted candidates will be given the opportunity to
refine and elaborate on their proposals. Five candidates selected from this shortlist will be invited to present
their proposals at the First International Green and Sustainable Chemistry Conference to be held in Berlin,
Germany, 4-6 April, 2016, where the winners will be announced.
Opportunities for members
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Inspiration:
I am passionate about
Environmental Science focusing on
Resilience and Disaster
Management, Community
Engagement, Risk and Policy, and
Education. In many countries, many
excellent ideas are written about
environmental protection in the
constitutions, policy acts, and the
educational systems, but there are no good
implementations yet. The process of achieving
a resilience is dependent on the integrity of the
solutions and there are a lot of approaches. The
process is the key to a golden step to develop
management of multi-cases that are happening
in many countries. In order to protect the
environment it is the responsibility of both the
government and the community.
Career Path:
I got my Bachelor Degree in
Education and Art focusing on
Conversation Analysis of Non-
Native Speakers and Native
Speaker of Canadian English in a
Catholic University, Kupang City of
East Nusa Tenggara Province,
Indonesia. My path of education has
moved to multidisciplinary studies
that focus on disaster management.
I was really concerned with
catastrophic disasters that happened on my
Island, East Nusa Tenggara. I did my MSc in
multidisciplinary studies, concentrating on
Geo-Information for Spatial Planning and
Disaster Risk Management, Environmental
Science, in the Faculty of Geography at Gadjah
Mada University, Yogyakarta Indonesia,
through an Achiever Scholarship from the
Ministry of the National Education, Republic
of Indonesia. I was the first and only student
from East Nusa Tenggara who concentrated
study on Geo-Information for Spatial Planning
Name: Apolonia Diana Sherly da Costa
MembershipType: Transitional
Member Since: 2015
Location: Jena, Thuringen Germany
Iota Nu member of the month
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and Disaster Risk Management. The MSc
program is connected with the University of
Twente, The Netherlands. It is the first MSc
Program on Disaster Management in Indonesia
and was designed by Gadjah Mada University.
My MSc thesis is “Resilience for the Flood
Event based on Community Perception in the
West-Malaka Sub district of Belu Regency,
East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia”. This
research is the leading research in the world as
there have not been any researchers who have
researched the topic of resilience and disaster
management in the affected area, the border
area between Indonesia and East Timor. While
I was working as a young researcher at the
Community Association for Disaster
Management in Kupang City of East Nusa
Tenggaa Province, Indonesia, my research
paper titled “Community Resilience for the
2011 Flood Disaster in Remote area of Eastern
Indonesia” was selected by the International
Institute for Applied Systems Analysis
(IIASA). I have been working as young
scientist for three months (June 1 to August 31
2014) in Risk, Policy and Vulnerability
Program (RPV) Laxenburg, Austria. It is based
on the selection of young scientists’ projects
from all over the world. Indonesia and
Australia joined the corporation with IIASA, as
the 20th members of the National Membership
Organisation (NMO) in 2013. NMO is
organized by the School of Business
Management (SBM) at the Institute of
Technology Bandung (ITB), Bandung,
Indonesia and the State Ministry of Research
and Technology, Jakarta, Indonesia. Based on
Presidential Decree No. 1, year 2013, I was the
sole and first young scientist from Indonesia
who worked at IIASA to support the vision and
mission of the President’s Delivery Unit for
Development Monitoring and Oversight of the
Republic of Indonesia through NMO. After
that, I was working as a researcher at the
Indonesian National Committee for Applied
Systems Analysis (INCASA), Indonesia. Prof.
Dr. Ir. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, MSIE., MSCE is
the head of the President’s Delivery Unit for
Development Monitoring and Oversight
Republic of Indonesia, NMO and Professor in
the School of Business Management (SBM) at
the Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB),
Bandung, Indonesia. After a couple weeks I
received a scholarship from Katolischer
Akademischer Auslander-Dienst (KAAD) to
continue my Doctoral Studies in Environmental
Science focusing on Disaster Management in
Germany. My doctoral thesis is titled “Building
Resilience for the Flood Disaster in Remote
Area of Eastern Indonesia”. I was the only and
first doctoral student in the Asian Department
of KAAD who is doing study and research in
Disaster Management. Actually, I have been
enrolled since May 2014 at the Institute of
Social Geography, University of Jena, but I
have been waiting for the result of the KAAD’
scholarship. Now, I am in the first year of my
Doctoral Study in the Institute of Social
Geography, Faculty of Chemistry and Earth
Science, University of Jena, Germany. KAAD
sponsors conferences in several countries in
Europe that can help the KAAD Scholars to be
well known in the development of their
scientific work and the Institutions who are
engaged with KAAD. Thus, my passion to be
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more seriously engaged in many scientific
programs has been increased. I was trying to
engage with more scientific programs by
searching the internet, and finally I found
Graduate Women in Science (GWIS). I would
like to be a member of this great scientific
program in the USA. I registered and became a
member of the Iota Nu Chapter. One of my
research ideas is based on my MSc fieldwork in
Flood Hazard Mapping Assessment. I improved
the methods of sampling by increasing the
number of households of those affected by
flooding and I added more affected areas, i.e.,
villages and subdistricts. I submitted this
research plan to GWIS. Through this research
topic, I would be able to conduct fieldwork in
East Nusa Tenggara Province, Indonesia.
While, the research paper is already on Flood
Hazard Mapping Assessment based on
Community Perception was submitted to the
Alltech Young Scientist Competition 2015 in
Lexington, Kentucky, USA. I am actively
involved in scientific activities such as a
conference speaker in other countries and I
attend workshops and participate in training
programs.
Future Goals:
My goal is to help affected communities due to
the flood disasters in the border area between
Indonesia and East Timor. It will be
accomplished by not only building an
International Institution on Building Resilience
and Disaster Management, but also building
cooperation between Indonesia and East Timor
to protect the environment in the border area.
The Benanain River which divides the two
countries is one of the sources of flood disaster
and it is impacted by new multi-case solutions
(anthropology, social, economic, education,
law or legal policy). I would like to become,
through my future career as a scientist and a
politician, someone who can contribute to
Indonesia development by improving the
environment and educational aspects of the
country.
Favorite Pastimes:
I love reading, writing, singing and playing
guitar, photography and travelling.
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This is what a Scientist looks like outside the lab!
Sisters in Sciences! Visit from Iota Nu Nigerian Sub-Chapter
From right: Zaidat Musa, Francisca Nwaokorie, Emelda Chukwu, Ebele Afocha
Hiking!
Patricia Silveyra : “Hiking the Tinker Cliffs in Mt Union, Virginia (USA). With me is my 8
year old dog, Mandy”
Mother !
From Nigeria: Emelda Chukwu and her “bundle of joy” Melvis Congratulations!!!
Magda BOU DAGHER-KHARRAT from
Lebanon :“My daughter Marie-Lou (8 years)
and I while exploring Iris pollinators during holidays. The photo is taken by my son Jeff (12 years) at the top left”
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“Iota Nu member of the Month” and
“Thisis what a Scientist looks like
outside the lab”are two sections designed
especially to enhance the visibility of all members.
If you are willing to be featured in the next Iota
Nu bimonthly bulletin, send your information to
the corresponding secretary at
Don’t hesitate, we would love to hear
from you!
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Subscribe to the FREE bimonthly electronic newsletter, Iota Nu e-Bulletin!
Send an email request to: Tsiory Andrianavalona
[email protected] Corresponding Secretary
Volume 3: No. ,May 2015