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Association for Women in Science

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History

AWIS was founded in 1971 at the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), after a series of champagne brunches organized by an informal women's caucus. After establishing an executive director and an office in Washington, DC, chapters were organized across the country for individual members. Its founding co-presidents were Neena Schwartz and Judith Pool. Along with other women in science associations, an early AWIS action involved initiating a class action lawsuit against the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in response to poor representation on NIH grant review committees. The lawsuit was dropped after representatives of the groups, including Schwartz, met with Robert Marsten, then head of the NIH, who solicited recommendations and committed to appointing more women. Early projects include the creation of the AWIS Educational Foundation (now known as the Educational Awards) to receive donations and award fellowships. In 1997, AWIS won the Presidents Mentoring Award.

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