[ccp4bb] Multiple Postdoctoral Fellowships available at the “Multiscale Research Institute for Complex Systems” at Fudan University of Shanghai

2020-07-23 Thread lyguo
The Multiscale Research Institute for Complex Systems (MRICS) at Fudan 
University is located at the Zhangjiang Campus of Fudan University and is 
supported by the Shanghai High-level Talents Program.  MRICS is strongly 
committed to the development of novel and effective multi-scale imaging 
technology that spans microscopic molecular structures all the way to 
macroscopic medical imaging, with the aim to provide unprecedented spatial and 
temporal insights into the structures and functions of living beings at all 
levels (molecules, cells, tissues, organs and even whole organisms).  
Specifically for structural biology, MRICS is equipped with a state-of-the-art 
cryo-EM facility that includes FEI Titan Krios with Volta phase plate, Glacios, 
Talos and Aquilos.  MRICS is also located next to Shanghai Synchrotron 
Radiation Facility for X-ray crystallography.
 
Our team includes Nobel laureate and international leading interdisciplinary 
experts.
 
We have new openings for multiple postdoctoral fellows in structural biology 
who will mainly study important biological systems by means of cryo-electron 
microscopy including single-particle and tomography. 
   
Requirements: 
 
The applicants should have a recent Ph.D. degree (within two years of 
graduation) or will have a Ph.D. degree within the next six months in biology 
or chemistry-related fields, be devoted to excellence in scientific research, 
have strong sense of responsibility, and be highly motivated and hardworking.  
For these positions, extensive experience in protein expression and 
purification is a must, while prior experience in X-ray crystallography or 
cryo-EM is a plus, but is not required.  
 
Compensation: 
 
1)We offer internationally competitive salary, fringe benefits and yearly 
bonus.  The level of salary will be determined according to the applicant's 
experience and qualification; 
2)Low-rent housing on campus is provided; 
3)There are ample opportunities to collaborate with world-renown 
laboratories;
4)We provide support for applying for funding opportunities whenever 
applicable.  
 
Shanghai is one of the most cosmopolitan cities in China with strong economy 
and vibrant scientific community. 
 
For interested applicants, please submit postdoctoral application packages (a 
combined pdf) including resumes, representative publications, phone numbers and 
email addresses of three academic referees to mrics...@fudan.edu.cn.
 
We look forward to your joining of our first-class team!



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Re: [ccp4bb] RES: [ccp4bb] Macromolecular Crystallography workshop in South America 2020

2020-07-23 Thread Stephen Curry
It has been on my mind to respond to this thread since I was made aware of it 
in late February. Not because I regard myself as any sort of sage on these 
matters, but because I received a phone call from someone asking me to speak 
out. This person did not want to give her name and or to go into specific 
details, but it was clear that the issue matters a great deal to her. 
Unfortunately, she called while I was in the midst of trying to do three other 
things, so I did not give our discussion all the attention it deserved and that 
is a matter of some regret. I hope I can make some small amends by contributing 
here.
First off, I make no pretence at expertise. And nor am I going to pick up on 
individual comments, I just want to make some general observations and 
suggestions.

It is good to see this discussion happening within the CCP4 community and to 
see so many people engage. The question of female representation in academic 
workshops and conferences is a live one and one where we as a community must do 
better. This is not simply a matter of suggesting that more women should step 
forward to volunteer their services. And nor would I suggest having women-only 
events, except perhaps as a provocative experiment to give those of us in the 
majority (i.e. white men) a little taste of what it feels like to be excluded.

To my mind the key here is to recognise the systemic biases and accept that we 
all have a responsibility to fix the system. We can’t simply leave ‘solving the 
problem’ to those in the under-represented groups (whether they be women, 
people of colour, disabled people etc). It is tiring for women (and other 
minoritized groups) to keep having to point out what is wrong;  that burden in 
itself is part of the structural bias. And nor should we ignore or silence 
their concerns because we have not seen or experienced them ourselves.

Listening has to be a central part of the process, or ‘people talking to 
people’ as Atul Gawande puts it in an insightful piece about how to get people 
to see things from a different perspective 
(https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/slow-ideas). This isn’t always 
going to be easy, but if we are really committed to including all people of 
talent within the scientific community and enjoy the intellectual fruits (and 
justice…) of diversity, we need to be prepared for what Margaret Heffernan 
(another of my favourites) might call ‘creative conflict’ 
(https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree?language=en).

Of course, tools and processes will also help. I agree with those who suggest 
that we should be proactive about seeking out women and other under-represented 
folks when looking for workshop tutors or conference speakers (or new people to 
hire). To that end, at Imperial we have introduce a new conference policy 
(which others are free to copy – that is in part how we constructed it 
ourselves - 
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/equality/governance/policies/conference-policy/). 
This sets out not only a code of conduct but also guidance on how to ensure 
better representation among speakers and panellists at workshops and 
conferences. Those of us in the majority who are accustomed to receiving 
invitations to speak have a crucial role to play here in testing the 
organisers’ commitment to diversity. I have a personal policy of not appearing 
on all-male panels or line-ups of speakers. I am now also trying to apply that 
to promote other aspects of diversity.

I could go on. The problem of gender inequality is long-standing. Progress has 
been made but only slowly. The Athena SWAN charter rightly has its critics in 
the UK, but it is starting to move the numbers (in those depts and institutions 
where engagement is strongest), and it has normalised the discussion. One 
further suggestion from the thread that I would support is inserting 
discussions about the issues of equality and diversity within regular academic 
conferences; if you have a dedicated meeting, usually only the converted show 
up. Better to ambush the unwary.

 With best wishes,

 Stephen


Stephen Curry PhD
Assistant Provost (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion)
Professor of Structural Biology
Department of Life Sciences, Room 404A, Sir Ernst Chain Building
Imperial College, London SW7 2AZ, UK





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[ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

2020-07-23 Thread Reza Khayat
Hi,


Can folks suggest programs for objectively docking ATP/ADP molecules into 
density? Our density is not so good, probably because of occupancy, and we'd 
like a less subjecting approach for modeling. Thanks.


Best wishes,
Reza


Reza Khayat, PhD
Assistant Professor
City College of New York
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
New York, NY 10031



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Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

2020-07-23 Thread Jon Cooper
Hello, do you have any homologues in the PDB with ATP, etc, bound as a guide? 
Coot is pretty good at fitting known ligands, and unknown ones, too!

 Original Message 
On 23 Jul 2020, 17:53, Reza Khayat wrote:

> Hi,
>
> Can folks suggest programs for objectively docking ATP/ADP molecules into 
> density? Our density is not so good, probably because of occupancy, and we'd 
> like a less subjecting approach for modeling. Thanks.
>
> Best wishes,
> Reza
>
> Reza Khayat, PhD
> Assistant Professor
> City College of New York
> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
> New York, NY 10031
>
> ---
>
> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
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Re: [ccp4bb] [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

2020-07-23 Thread Reza Khayat
Tried the homologues thing. There are homologues and I've done the fitting, but 
this is what I consider to be subjective. I'm certain the referee will ask: 
Given the quality of density for the nucleotide, how certain are the authors 
that a different fit is not possible? Have other fit poses been considered?


Reza


Reza Khayat, PhD
Assistant Professor
City College of New York
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
New York, NY 10031

From: CCP4 bulletin board  on behalf of Jon Cooper 
<488a26d62010-dmarc-requ...@jiscmail.ac.uk>
Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2020 1:07 PM
To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

Hello, do you have any homologues in the PDB with ATP, etc, bound as a guide? 
Coot is pretty good at fitting known ligands, and unknown ones, too!


 Original Message 
On 23 Jul 2020, 17:53, Reza Khayat < rkha...@ccny.cuny.edu> wrote:


Hi,


Can folks suggest programs for objectively docking ATP/ADP molecules into 
density? Our density is not so good, probably because of occupancy, and we'd 
like a less subjecting approach for modeling. Thanks.


Best wishes,
Reza


Reza Khayat, PhD
Assistant Professor
City College of New York
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
New York, NY 10031



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[ccp4bb] Postdoc opportunity at SGC-Toronto

2020-07-23 Thread Levon Halabelian
Hi all,
The SGC-Toronto crystallography group is looking for a postdoctoral fellow.
Details can be found in the following link:
https://www.thesgc.org/careers/toronto/sgc-toronto-postdoctoral-position-structural-biology

Regards,
Levon



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[ccp4bb] Two scientist / software developer positions on neutron diffraction at RAL

2020-07-23 Thread David Waterman
Dear all,

The STFC Scientific Computing Department and ISIS neutron source are
looking for two programmer scientists, who will develop the next generation
of single-crystal neutron diffraction analysis software for the
time-of-flight technique. The software will extend the DIALS data
processing package and be made available within the Mantid framework.

The two positions are closely related, and indeed the successful candidates
will be expected to work together, and with others, in a cross-campus
collaboration at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. Broadly, the ISIS post
has a stronger focus on crystallographic algorithm development while the
SCD post emphasises implementation of the software, but there is much
overlap and a similar skillset is required. Those interested may prefer to
apply for both positions! The posts are initially for 18 months.

Please see here for further details and to apply:

https://www.topcareer.jobs/Vacancy/irc254133_10766.aspx (closes 2nd August)
https://www.topcareer.jobs/Vacancy/irc254236_10785.aspx (closes 9th August)

Please feel free to contact david.water...@stfc.ac.uk or
silvia.cape...@stfc.ac.uk if you have any questions.

Best wishes

-- David



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Re: [ccp4bb] [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

2020-07-23 Thread Andrew Leslie
Dear Reza,

  I would back Jon’s idea of looking at homologues, although 
this does depend on how close the homologue is. For example, if your protein 
has a “P” loop, with the Walker A sequence motif, then I think it would be very 
surprising if the nucleotide bound in different way to other P loop proteins. 
However, another objective way of fitting is to look at the stereochemical 
environment of the binding site. You might expect the phosphates to have 
several hydrogen bonds to the protein, very possibly involving basic side 
chains (Arg or Lys) and main chain amide groups. The adenine ring, on the other 
hand, typically sits in a more hydrophobic pocket, often with the adenine ring 
involved in a stacking interaction with a side chain.

The other objective test you can do is to try refining with different ways of 
modelling the nucleotide binding and see if the 2FoFc and difference maps look 
better for one binding mode than the others (and if the atomic B factors look 
more sensible). The phosphate groups are significantly more electron dense than 
the rest of the nucleotide. However if the density really is poor, it might be 
difficult to get an unambiguous answer, in which case you might have to rely on 
the stereochemical environment.

Good luck,

Andrew


> On 23 Jul 2020, at 18:12, Reza Khayat  wrote:
> 
> Tried the homologues thing. There are homologues and I've done the fitting, 
> but this is what I consider to be subjective. I'm certain the referee will 
> ask: Given the quality of density for the nucleotide, how certain are the 
> authors that a different fit is not possible? Have other fit poses been 
> considered?
> 
> Reza
> 
> Reza Khayat, PhD
> Assistant Professor 
> City College of New York
> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
> New York, NY 10031
> From: CCP4 bulletin board  on behalf of Jon Cooper 
> <488a26d62010-dmarc-requ...@jiscmail.ac.uk>
> Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2020 1:07 PM
> To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP
>  
> Hello, do you have any homologues in the PDB with ATP, etc, bound as a guide? 
> Coot is pretty good at fitting known ligands, and unknown ones, too!
> 
> 
>  Original Message 
> On 23 Jul 2020, 17:53, Reza Khayat < rkha...@ccny.cuny.edu> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> Can folks suggest programs for objectively docking ATP/ADP molecules into 
> density? Our density is not so good, probably because of occupancy, and we'd 
> like a less subjecting approach for modeling. Thanks.
> 
> Best wishes,
> Reza
> 
> Reza Khayat, PhD
> Assistant Professor 
> City College of New York
> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
> New York, NY 10031
> 
> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
> https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
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> 
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> 



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[ccp4bb] Power supply for a Phillips CM10 Electron Microscope?

2020-07-23 Thread Jan van Agthoven
Dear all,
We’re looking for a 24 h.t. and 24 fil. power supply for a Phillips CM10 
Electron Microscope. Does anyone know how to get such component separately? 
Used is fine too.
Thanks,
J.


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Re: [ccp4bb] [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

2020-07-23 Thread LMB
One way of approaching such modelling uncertainties is to build explicitly a 
number of likely models, refine them and examine the difference maps carefully 
to see whether you can convince yourself that one model is clearly better than 
the others. At least then you will know whether the alternatives are 
distinguishable 
Phil

Sent from my iPad

> On 23 Jul 2020, at 18:12, Reza Khayat  wrote:
> 
> 
> Tried the homologues thing. There are homologues and I've done the fitting, 
> but this is what I consider to be subjective. I'm certain the referee will 
> ask: Given the quality of density for the nucleotide, how certain are the 
> authors that a different fit is not possible? Have other fit poses been 
> considered?
> 
> 
> 
> Reza
> 
> 
> 
> Reza Khayat, PhD
> Assistant Professor 
> City College of New York
> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
> New York, NY 10031
> From: CCP4 bulletin board  on behalf of Jon Cooper 
> <488a26d62010-dmarc-requ...@jiscmail.ac.uk>
> Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2020 1:07 PM
> To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP
>  
> Hello, do you have any homologues in the PDB with ATP, etc, bound as a guide? 
> Coot is pretty good at fitting known ligands, and unknown ones, too!
> 
> 
>  Original Message 
> On 23 Jul 2020, 17:53, Reza Khayat < rkha...@ccny.cuny.edu> wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> 
> 
> 
> Can folks suggest programs for objectively docking ATP/ADP molecules into 
> density? Our density is not so good, probably because of occupancy, and we'd 
> like a less subjecting approach for modeling. Thanks.
> 
> 
> 
> Best wishes,
> Reza
> 
> 
> 
> Reza Khayat, PhD
> Assistant Professor 
> City College of New York
> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
> New York, NY 10031
> 
> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
> https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1
> 
> 
> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
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> 
> 
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Re: [ccp4bb] [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP

2020-07-23 Thread LMB

... and don’t forget the Mg++ ion

Sent from my iPad

> On 23 Jul 2020, at 20:10, LMB  wrote:
> 
> One way of approaching such modelling uncertainties is to build explicitly a 
> number of likely models, refine them and examine the difference maps 
> carefully to see whether you can convince yourself that one model is clearly 
> better than the others. At least then you will know whether the alternatives 
> are distinguishable 
> Phil
> 
> Sent from my iPad
> 
>>> On 23 Jul 2020, at 18:12, Reza Khayat  wrote:
>>> 
>> 
>> Tried the homologues thing. There are homologues and I've done the fitting, 
>> but this is what I consider to be subjective. I'm certain the referee will 
>> ask: Given the quality of density for the nucleotide, how certain are the 
>> authors that a different fit is not possible? Have other fit poses been 
>> considered?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Reza
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Reza Khayat, PhD
>> Assistant Professor 
>> City College of New York
>> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
>> New York, NY 10031
>> From: CCP4 bulletin board  on behalf of Jon Cooper 
>> <488a26d62010-dmarc-requ...@jiscmail.ac.uk>
>> Sent: Thursday, July 23, 2020 1:07 PM
>> To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK
>> Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] Modeling ATP/ADP
>>  
>> Hello, do you have any homologues in the PDB with ATP, etc, bound as a 
>> guide? Coot is pretty good at fitting known ligands, and unknown ones, too!
>> 
>> 
>>  Original Message 
>> On 23 Jul 2020, 17:53, Reza Khayat < rkha...@ccny.cuny.edu> wrote:
>> 
>> Hi,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Can folks suggest programs for objectively docking ATP/ADP molecules into 
>> density? Our density is not so good, probably because of occupancy, and we'd 
>> like a less subjecting approach for modeling. Thanks.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Best wishes,
>> Reza
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Reza Khayat, PhD
>> Assistant Professor 
>> City College of New York
>> Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
>> New York, NY 10031
>> 
>> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
>> https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1
>> 
>> 
>> To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link:
>> https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/WA-JISC.exe?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1
>> 
>> 
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Re: [ccp4bb] RES: [ccp4bb] Macromolecular Crystallography workshop in South America 2020

2020-07-23 Thread Frank von Delft

Thanks Stephen for reminding me there's a point no-one raised at the time:

There are two sets of people that have agency in this:  1) the 
organisers, and 2) the ones that get the invites.


Group 1 already have a tough job:  organising a meeting is a pile of 
work - so go easy on them.  (Or organise one yourself, and have fun.)



It's Group 2 that is by far the largest and most powerful:  we who are 
in it really do not need to accept /every/ /single /invitation; it is 
not only in our power but also our duty (on many levels) to send group 
members or collaborators instead - even just occasionally can already 
make a difference.


And then suddenly we discover all these female and minority and other 
under-priviledged speakers that lie in our gift to advance - and even 
better, we get to do some mentoring while we're at it, not least to 
teach that most insidious skill that we the priviledged were handed for 
free, namely how to wear our priviledge lightly by taking it for granted.


(I cannot of course claim this insight as my own, or even claim to be 
particularly consistent at it - so I must thank group members and 
colleagues and spouses for making the penny eventually drop by holding 
my toes to the fire.)



But yes, organisers:  you /can/ ask your invitees to help you, by 
reminding them that you're not in fact interested /in //them as 
speakers, /just in having their work presented at your meeting -- so 
could they please suggest someone suitable.


phx.













On 23/07/2020 10:21, Stephen Curry wrote:

It has been on my mind to respond to this thread since I was made aware of it 
in late February. Not because I regard myself as any sort of sage on these 
matters, but because I received a phone call from someone asking me to speak 
out. This person did not want to give her name and or to go into specific 
details, but it was clear that the issue matters a great deal to her. 
Unfortunately, she called while I was in the midst of trying to do three other 
things, so I did not give our discussion all the attention it deserved and that 
is a matter of some regret. I hope I can make some small amends by contributing 
here.
First off, I make no pretence at expertise. And nor am I going to pick up on 
individual comments, I just want to make some general observations and 
suggestions.

It is good to see this discussion happening within the CCP4 community and to 
see so many people engage. The question of female representation in academic 
workshops and conferences is a live one and one where we as a community must do 
better. This is not simply a matter of suggesting that more women should step 
forward to volunteer their services. And nor would I suggest having women-only 
events, except perhaps as a provocative experiment to give those of us in the 
majority (i.e. white men) a little taste of what it feels like to be excluded.

To my mind the key here is to recognise the systemic biases and accept that we 
all have a responsibility to fix the system. We can’t simply leave ‘solving the 
problem’ to those in the under-represented groups (whether they be women, 
people of colour, disabled people etc). It is tiring for women (and other 
minoritized groups) to keep having to point out what is wrong;  that burden in 
itself is part of the structural bias. And nor should we ignore or silence 
their concerns because we have not seen or experienced them ourselves.

Listening has to be a central part of the process, or ‘people talking to 
people’ as Atul Gawande puts it in an insightful piece about how to get people 
to see things from a different perspective 
(https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/slow-ideas). This isn’t always 
going to be easy, but if we are really committed to including all people of 
talent within the scientific community and enjoy the intellectual fruits (and 
justice…) of diversity, we need to be prepared for what Margaret Heffernan 
(another of my favourites) might call ‘creative conflict’ 
(https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree?language=en).

Of course, tools and processes will also help. I agree with those who suggest 
that we should be proactive about seeking out women and other under-represented 
folks when looking for workshop tutors or conference speakers (or new people to 
hire). To that end, at Imperial we have introduce a new conference policy 
(which others are free to copy – that is in part how we constructed it 
ourselves - 
https://www.imperial.ac.uk/equality/governance/policies/conference-policy/). 
This sets out not only a code of conduct but also guidance on how to ensure 
better representation among speakers and panellists at workshops and 
conferences. Those of us in the majority who are accustomed to receiving 
invitations to speak have a crucial role to play here in testing the 
organisers’ commitment to diversity. I have a personal policy of not appearing 
on all-male panels or line-ups of speakers. I am now also trying to app

Re: [ccp4bb] RES: [ccp4bb] Macromolecular Crystallography workshop in South America 2020

2020-07-23 Thread Marko Hyvönen
Very well said Frank.
And if the meeting really needs (why?) that regular dude to appear, they can 
give a 20 min intro (same slides as last year, no doubt) and share the lectern 
with a  student / postdoc who presents the new science.

Marko

On 24 Jul 2020, 07:17, at 07:17, Frank von Delft  
wrote:
>Thanks Stephen for reminding me there's a point no-one raised at the
>time:
>
>There are two sets of people that have agency in this:  1) the
>organisers, and 2) the ones that get the invites.
>
>Group 1 already have a tough job:  organising a meeting is a pile of
>work - so go easy on them.  (Or organise one yourself, and have fun.)
>
>
>It's Group 2 that is by far the largest and most powerful:  we who are
>in it really do not need to accept /every/ /single /invitation; it is
>not only in our power but also our duty (on many levels) to send group
>members or collaborators instead - even just occasionally can already
>make a difference.
>
>And then suddenly we discover all these female and minority and other
>under-priviledged speakers that lie in our gift to advance - and even
>better, we get to do some mentoring while we're at it, not least to
>teach that most insidious skill that we the priviledged were handed for
>
>free, namely how to wear our priviledge lightly by taking it for
>granted.
>
>(I cannot of course claim this insight as my own, or even claim to be
>particularly consistent at it - so I must thank group members and
>colleagues and spouses for making the penny eventually drop by holding
>my toes to the fire.)
>
>
>But yes, organisers:  you /can/ ask your invitees to help you, by
>reminding them that you're not in fact interested /in //them as
>speakers, /just in having their work presented at your meeting -- so
>could they please suggest someone suitable.
>
>phx.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>On 23/07/2020 10:21, Stephen Curry wrote:
>> It has been on my mind to respond to this thread since I was made
>aware of it in late February. Not because I regard myself as any sort
>of sage on these matters, but because I received a phone call from
>someone asking me to speak out. This person did not want to give her
>name and or to go into specific details, but it was clear that the
>issue matters a great deal to her. Unfortunately, she called while I
>was in the midst of trying to do three other things, so I did not give
>our discussion all the attention it deserved and that is a matter of
>some regret. I hope I can make some small amends by contributing here.
>> First off, I make no pretence at expertise. And nor am I going to
>pick up on individual comments, I just want to make some general
>observations and suggestions.
>>
>> It is good to see this discussion happening within the CCP4 community
>and to see so many people engage. The question of female representation
>in academic workshops and conferences is a live one and one where we as
>a community must do better. This is not simply a matter of suggesting
>that more women should step forward to volunteer their services. And
>nor would I suggest having women-only events, except perhaps as a
>provocative experiment to give those of us in the majority (i.e. white
>men) a little taste of what it feels like to be excluded.
>>
>> To my mind the key here is to recognise the systemic biases and
>accept that we all have a responsibility to fix the system. We can’t
>simply leave ‘solving the problem’ to those in the under-represented
>groups (whether they be women, people of colour, disabled people etc).
>It is tiring for women (and other minoritized groups) to keep having to
>point out what is wrong;  that burden in itself is part of the
>structural bias. And nor should we ignore or silence their concerns
>because we have not seen or experienced them ourselves.
>>
>> Listening has to be a central part of the process, or ‘people talking
>to people’ as Atul Gawande puts it in an insightful piece about how to
>get people to see things from a different perspective
>(https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/29/slow-ideas). This isn’t
>always going to be easy, but if we are really committed to including
>all people of talent within the scientific community and enjoy the
>intellectual fruits (and justice…) of diversity, we need to be prepared
>for what Margaret Heffernan (another of my favourites) might call
>‘creative conflict’
>(https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_dare_to_disagree?language=en).
>>
>> Of course, tools and processes will also help. I agree with those who
>suggest that we should be proactive about seeking out women and other
>under-represented folks when looking for workshop tutors or conference
>speakers (or new people to hire). To that end, at Imperial we have
>introduce a new conference policy (which others are free to copy – that
>is in part how we constructed it ourselves -
>https://www.imperial.ac.uk/equality/governance/policies/conference-policy/).
>This sets out not only a code of conduct but also guidance on how to
>ensure better