C. Megan Urry, Peering Into Universe, Spots Bias on the Ground

"C. Megan Urry is a former president of the American Astronomical Society and the first woman to head the physics department at Yale University. Recently inducted to the National Academy of Sciences, she has published pioneering studies on the role of black holes in the formation of galaxies.

More than 20 years ago, Dr. Urry helped organize 200 scientists who issued the Baltimore Charter for Women in Astronomy, which declared that “women should not have to be clones of male astronomers in order to participate in mainstream astronomical research.”

More recently, she announced that scientists with a record of sexual harassment would no longer be welcome at the astronomical society’s meetings. We spoke at her New Haven, Conn., office. A condensed and edited version of the conversation follows."