Greetings, dear friends – It’s been a while, and we’re thrilled to announce what we’ve been busy with – some science coaching programs!
Scientists, like any professional, face various challenges – including research strategy, communicating their work – in small meetings and on big occasions like a Ph.D. defense, and balancing career and life goals.
Our coaching supports individuals seeking clarity in times of confusion.
Your coach serves as thoughtful eyes, ears, cheerleader, and questioner every step of the way. Perhaps the best part – coaching is tailored for you and your situation.
You are unique and so is your situation, but you are not alone if you are feeling overwhelmed, ambivalent, or a little lost about working through it. Your coach partners with you to understand your situation and to help you work through the right decisions for your needs.
The Ph.D. How to Apply & Where to Go and Fortifying Your Defense packages are the most popular ways to work with us. The Ph.D. How to Apply & Where to Go package guides individuals through applying and decisions for graduate school; the Fortifying Your Defense package supports individuals getting ready to defend their degree – whether it is a Ph.D., master’s degree, or qualifying exam.
If science coaching sounds helpful to you or someone you know, please visit our Coaching for Scientists and Researchers to learn more!
What else is happening
GBO Hong Kong has a new host and we’re having lunch!
Join Jessica Chan and members of GBO Hong Kong, and Magnetar Asia this Thursday, August 18, for mingling and networking over delicious Middle Eastern food.
Bedu on Gough Street in Central
11:30 am - 2:00 pm
Learn more and RSVP at the event page!
What’s happening here and some other places
Something happened in the universe
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope keeps sending us images of billions to trillions of galaxies far far away. Fun facts - the telescope is the largest optical telescope in space, weighing over 6,161 kilograms (13,584 pounds) with a mirror that is 6.5 meters (21.3 feet) across made of 18 gold-plated hexagonal segments and a 5-layer sun shield the size of a tennis court, and made possible by thousands of people from 14 countries. In a 4-minute interview, astrophysicist Alex Filippenko comments on what’s special about the telescope and what we’re learning from these images, and the difference between James Webb and the Hubble Telescopes.
Something happened in Hong Kong
Figures released by the Hong Kong Census and Statistics Department showed that the gender imbalance in Hong Kong’s population has increased and the birth rate has declined, according to RTHK. In 2021, there were 910 males to every 1000 females, 15 fewer than recorded in the last census, in 2016. According to the census data, the number of births decreased by almost 40% between 2016 and 2021, and the median monthly income for women was $17000 HKD (~ $2,150 USD), $2500 HKD (~ $400 USD) less than that for men, $20000 HKD (~$2550 USD). These numbers excluded foreign domestic helpers.
Something happened in the United States
Congress passed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, CHIPS meaning Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors. According to the government’s 9-page Fact Sheet (also a 39-page summary) - over 54 billion USD will be provided for domestic innovations in semiconductors, citing that the “the US lacks capabilities to produce the most advanced chips at volume”. Bloomberg published an opinion voicing concerns - does the semiconductor industry have the highly skilled workforce needed to increase manufacturing? Second, how will this large injection of financial resources be managed such that it fuels innovation and not complacency? With ~40% of semiconductor workers in the US being born abroad, such innovation could require immigration reform to retain highly trained foreign individuals and education reform to increase domestic talent.
This week’s science post - online August 12, 2022
In a 2019 survey of >250,000 grade 8 students in 39 countries and 46 education systems, boys outperformed girls in math and science in only 6 (15%) countries. That means that in most countries, there were either no gender gaps or girls outperformed boys in these fields.
However, their career aspirations reflected a very different balance.
In 39 (87%) of the 46 education systems, more boys than girls wanted to pursue jobs that involve math. In 5 (11%) of the systems, there was no difference. Only in 1 (2%) country – Malaysia, did more girls than boys want to pursue jobs that involve math.
In 12 (27%) systems, more boys than girls wanted to pursue jobs that involve science. In 30 (67%) of countries, there was no difference. Only in 3 (6%) countries – Chile, Ireland, and Lithuania did more girls than boys want to pursue jobs that involve science.
WHY might that be? If girls are performing equally or better than boys in most countries, why would so many more boys than girls want jobs involving math or science than the other way around?
The same analysis examined boys’ and girls’ confidence in these subjects. The study then explored relationships between confidence, achievement, and career aspirations.
Generally, we tend to choose career fields we feel more confident in, and these data were consistent with that trend – more students with high confidence in these fields want jobs in these fields than students with low confidence.
Interestingly,
- For students with low confidence in math and science, more boys than girls have aspired to careers involving these fields,
- AND For students with high confidence in math and science, more boys than girls aspired to careers involving these fields,
- AND more boys than girls with high confidence aspire to careers involving math and science,
- AND more high-achieving boys than high-achieving girls want jobs involving math and science.
These results suggest that interventions to equalize participation among the genders in these career fields according to individuals’ abilities and interests must speak to societal expectations, inequities, and other influences that feed differences in perception that affect career choices.
For low-achieving individuals in these fields, school counseling should encourage alternate career paths.
These data were collected in 2019 as part of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, which has
collected data on students' achievement in math and science in grade 4 and grade 8 every 4 years since 1995.
The 2022 report described here was published by the IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement) in partnership with UNESCO.
Check out the colorful infographics of the TIMSS study!
There’s a lot more to unpack – enjoy the graphs in the TIMSS study
Access the 2022 IEA 12-page report for free: APRIL 2022: MISSING OUT ON HALF OF THE WORLD’S POTENTIAL: FEWER FEMALE THAN MALE TOP ACHIEVERS IN MATHEMATICS AND SCIENCE WANT A CAREER IN THESE FIELDS.
Positive change is a long road. Hang in there! Thank you for your consistent support!
Human Resources – the most important resource in any enterprise
Teressa Siu – Hong Kong-based journalism-trained TV host passionate about holistic well-being, yoga instructor and Reiki master, lecturer, and consultant eager to listen and help. Born in Guangdong, China, the youngest of seven siblings of a Cantonese family that moved to the Los Angeles inland empire, Teressa grew up no stranger to self-advocacy. She created and runs the education, broadcasting, and consulting house LotusLifeTV, providing education and in-depth perspective on plant-based wellness, holistic health, and connection to earth and community. Check out her 2015 YouTube bio produced with childhood connections and ask her about TV make-up, strengthening friendships through healthy conflict, and LIVE eloquence.
Boroka Kopacz – Hong Kong-based playful professional artist and designer, dance enthusiast, and mother. Transylvanian by birth, international by life. She just launched her art studio – Dragonfly Studio, where she creates paintings as large as her life. She and her husband own the restaurant Gustaci Pizza Lounge and Gustaci Food Gallery. All of these businesses are located in the building known as PMQ. Ask Boroka about empathetic smart city design, the reality of science fiction, and honoring grief to heal psoriasis. Also, join her on August 27, 4-6 pm for the next monthly Soulful Expression art workshop - a 2-hour art creation workshop for anyone wanting to connect with their inner world through art, no art experience needed.
Special thanks - In the last issue of the Clear Water RoundUp #076, you met Angelina Wang, our intern. Deep thanks to Angelina for making this issue of the RoundUp and our updated Coaching for Scientists and Researchers materialize!
Interesting Reads
Getting Naked - Shedding the Three Fears that Sabotage Client Loyalty
Patrick Lencioni portrays two consulting companies with contrasting cultures to illustrate the three fears that sabotage client loyalty - fear of losing the business, fear of feeling embarrassed, and fear of feeling inferior. He illustrates naked service, a service mentality based on honesty and transparency that will nourish client loyalty and requires shedding these three fears.
Lencioni is the founder of The Table Group, and business and management consulting firm based in the San Francisco Bay area in the USA. Their clients include Chick-Fil-A and Southwest Airlines.
Dear Girls: Intimate Tales, Untold Secrets & Advice for Living Your Best Life
A book published in 2019. Stand-up comedian Ali Wong lays out, with graphic precision, her life, childhood, romances, motherhood, the experience of being Asian American and the child of immigrants in America, food, and more in letters addressed to her daughters that they will probably not read for a while. You might know about her NetFlix specials, Baby Cobra and Hard Knock Wife.
About
The Clear Water RoundUp is Clear Water Science Consulting’s regular newsletter – a collection of sharable business updates and insights, news from select locales, and features of interesting people and media.
Clear Water Science Consulting empowers science and scientists through effective communication. Our main activities are science communication (content creation, editing, technical review) and full-suite coaching for people scientists and researchers (communication and soft skills coaching, research coaching, career coaching) – one-on-one and workshops.
Our coaching services are personalized - we bring curiosity, inquiry, patience, and persistence to helping people help themselves become more empowered actors in their own lives.
Visit our website to learn more about our vision, services, portfolio, and reviews.
For our regular content, check out our updates and science posts, many of them about COVID, on LinkedIn.
Also available on Kolabtree, Upwork, and Fiverr.
We are also a member of GBO Hong Kong, a global network of entrepreneurial-minded people. We enjoy relaxed and interesting networking events online and in-person to build friendships, share knowledge, and identify opportunities.