Subscribe here to receive the WiE Monthly Newsletter.
The Center for Women in Engineering issues a monthly newsletter, which includes an introduction and overview from the Center's Director, Dr. Shelly Heller. Featured each month are events and initiatives developed by WiE, along with news about achievements by women engineers. Each newsletter ends with Dr. Heller's "What We Are Reading" - books, articles, reports that we hope will inspire you as well.
Below the current edition, you will find links to past editions.
WiE Newsletter - Current Edition (November 2022)
WiE Newsletter - Browse Past Editions
What We Are Reading:
Hiring recruiter sparks outrage after revealing she offered a candidate $45,000 less than the job salary. I am a member of the systers listserv and there has been a very interesting discussion addressing the question “What would you do if a (woman) job applicant asked for too little money?”
What We Are Reading:
Hiring recruiter sparks outrage after revealing she offered a candidate $45,000 less than the job salary. I am a member of the systers listserv and there has been a very interesting discussion addressing the question “What would you do if a (woman) job applicant asked for too little money?”
We have been celebrating WiE’s 3rd anniversary and I wanted to wait a bit so I could include the most recent news.
The news is our celebrations reached many audiences and were consistent with our mission of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging. ‘WiE’ seek to empower GW faculty, staff, students and alumni to become the best engineers they can be. ‘WiE’ works to build confidence and knowledge about technology, expand leadership and tech skills, and fully leverage technology in support of academic and professional excellence.
We hosted our “Meet Our Faculty” webinar on February 3 with a very interesting and timely presentation by Professor Leila Farhadi. Professor Farhadi took us through her work on how data is gathered on water and energy cycles and how these relate to climate and climate change. The challenge – her challenge – is to create models that reflect the impacts shown by the data. If you missed it and want to learn more you can watch the recording here. We are happy to have it posted on our website for those of you who missed her presentation.
What’s on the docket for this month? I am eagerly looking forward to our 2nd annual (almost annual, we had to skip last year due to COVid – aren’t you tired of hearing or reading that phrase?) Edible Car Contest.
What We Are Reading:
A recent book (November 2021) by Eugene Parker, Becoming a Diversity Leader on Campus: Navigating Identity and Situational Pressures, has been my focused reading for the last few weeks. Parker has compiled essays from a wide variety of scholars and practitioners as he addresses the realities, shifting sands and future for those of us who are champions on campus for diversity at all levels.
Welcome to the new year! Upcoming events - Faculty series webinar Leila Farhadi on Space-Based Observations; Apply to participate in the Edible Car Contest held during eWeek.
What We Are Reading:
"The Anomaly," by Herve Le Tellier. Chronicle of Higher Education published a very interesting article about the challenges to associate professors.
Welcoming new graduate students; GW female and minority faculty rank respectably in ASEE report; Alumna You Should Know: Ashley Kowalsky.
What We Are Reading:
Chronicle of Higher Education on analogy of women in STEM to the game Chutes and Ladders.
GW preparing to go back to in-person; Faculty You Should Know: Dr. Kinga Dobolyi; Yasemin Acar; Dr. Rachael Jonassen; Dr. Erica Gralla.
What We Are Reading:
Diversity Education, "Undergraduate Enrollment is Down, but Trends are Encouraging for Women in STEM."
Closing the Gap Video: Women Veterans Tell Their Stories; SEAS graduation celebration feaaturing Kendall Wheeler, B.S., Biomedical Engineering and Dr. Christine Darden; Faculty You Should Know: Prof. Emilia Entcheva. Recordings of past webinars.
What We Are Reading:
Zero Fail, by Carol D. Leonnig, outlining the creation of the secret service.
Closing the Gap Conference on Women Veterans' Re-Entry into Cybersecurity Careers - May 25; Prof. Ahmadi receive GW's 2021 George Washington Award; Aisha Mohammad receives Shelly & Steve Heller Award. Recordings of past webinars.
What We Are Reading:
NPR piece states "decades of underfunding, political interference and systemic race and gender bias have undercut trust among many government scientists and led to a disproportionately white, male workforce."
Promoting SEAS Faculty series webinar with Dr. Mona Zaghloul discussing the History of Female Engineers and Nanostructure for Sensors in Chemical and Biological Systems. Recordings of past webinars. Closing the Gap Conference on Women Veterans' Re-Entry into Cybersecurity Careers; CybHERsecurity: Women in Cyberspace - GW Security Policy Studies Program.
What We are Reading:
NY Times: "Rethink Your Notion of Female Role Models: ASEE podcast series "A Day in the Life of an Engineer"; American Economic Association "Inventor Gender and the Direction of Invention,"
Commemorating National Women's Month! Highlighting "Our Stories" webinar with SEAS minority and female students discussing their experiences. Promoting SEAS Faculty series webinar with Dr. Megan Leftwich discussing The Biomechanics of Human Birth; meeting with "sister" academic women engineering and computing centers; recording of Dr. Poorvi Vora's webinar On Securing Elections; Blockchain Capabilities for Risk Reduction Management.
What We Are Reading:
Inside Higher Ed "Keeping COVID-10 from Sidelining Equity"; Cell Magazine "Fund Black Scientists"
GW ranks high in U.S. News & World Report; Join webinar with Dr. Poorvi Vora on Securing Elections; WiE Mentorship Program featured in GW Hatchet; Dr. Shahrokh Ahmadi at forefront of team assembling "personal lab" kit for student during pandemic.
What We Are Reading:
Journal Cell article on funding Black scientists; "The Half Life of Marie Curie"; "The Women Who Smashed Codes" on PBS; podcast: "The Science of Effective Mentoring in STEMM."
WiE Inclusivity Resources Collection; 2021 WiE Events; Closing the Gap Women Vets in Cybersecurity Conference Resources; Women You Should Know: Erica Gralla; Dr. Rachael Jonassen.
What We Are Reading:
AAUP Study highlighting salary and rank disparity for women and faculty of color compared to their male counterparts.
ADVANCE Journal essays by and for women faculty across "race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, national origin, ability, age, and other forms of social difference." Includes "Studying Abroad during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Experiences of Three African Women PhD Students."
Video: What To Do After Graduating; GWIC Cookie Contest; Women You Should Know: Lijie Grace Zhang (BME); Dr. Lorena Barba (MAE); Saniya LeBlanc; Pathways to Science Paid Summer Research Programs and Funded STEM Graduate Programs.
What We Are Reading:
Marina Koren, The Atlantic: NASA and women's bathroom hygiene in space; WiE Resources
NJ.com report on Princeton University pay differences; One-pager with tips from CVP-WiE Panel on Leadership; Planning begins for WiE/CSPRI/DoD Conference on Closing the Gap - ReEntry for Women Vets into Cybersecurity Careers; WiE Webinar on What To Do After Graduating; People You Should Know: Dr. Emilia Entcheva and Dr. Zhenyu Li
What We Are Reading:
McKinsey-LeanIn.org report on Women in the Workplace; Inside Higher Education report "Women Are Falling Behind"
RIP RBG! Picture a Scientist documentary; CSPRI and WiE Win DoD Grant: Conference on Re-Entry for Women Veterans into Cybersecurity Careers; Scholarships; Women You Should Know: Dr. Vesna Zderic (BMA) and Dr. Mona Zaghloul (ECE).
What We Are Reading:
womENcourage 2020; NY Times article on pandemic impact for working mothers.
The move to virtual; Black Lives Matter movement; WiE Mentorship Program; Job Search Resources; Celebrating Dr. Rumana Riffat (CEE) and Dr. Erica Gralla (EMSE); upcoming CVP-GW Webinar on Women in Engineering: Charting the Path to Leadership.
What We Are Reading:
The Soul of America; Report on impact of pandemic on women
Women are breaking glass ceilings, walls and slippers! A COVID-19 detection smartphone app; machine learning to increase efficiency in thermoelectric devices; AI project to convert implicit associations to explicit knowledge; Upcoming event "Lead like a Woman"; Title IX webinar; report on Privacy and Security in Upcoming Elections.
What We Are Reading:
Women Leading Change in Academia; The Last Archive podcast.
Mentorship Training Webinar Video; GW Middle School Girls CyberCamp being held virtually; George Hacks initiative to collect healthcare problem statements; Aylin Caliskan discrimination study featured; Facebook roles for people with 2+ years career break.
What We Are Reading:
NAS report: "Promising Practices for Addressing the Underrepresentation of Women in Science, Engineering and Medicine"; The Last Archive podcast by Jill Lapore, Harvard University professor of history.
SEAS graduation videos; WiE Board update: with Shirali Nigam graduating, we welcome Alyssa Ilaria. Excerpt from Dean Lach letter to SEAS community regarding SEAS commitment to inclusivity in wake of George Floyd's death. Two ideas to "save" Summer work plans including Contact Tracing and improving resumes.
What We Are Reading:
The Researcher Journey through the Gender Lens (Elsevier)
Research on boredom (Erica Westgate)
Announcing upcoming virtual graduation ceremonies; released video of SEAS Response during COVID-19; announced WiE Mentoring Beta Program launch. Congrats to BME graduating senior Shirali Nigam; and congrats to Annamaria Konya Tannon, SEAS chief evangelist for innovation and entrepreneurship for participation in "Reduce Energy Use DC" initiative.
What We Are Reading:
The Woman Who Smashed Codes (Jason Fagone)
Announcing April 27 WiE Webinar Update on SEAS Response during COVID-19; released video of Edible Car Contest; announced postponement of GW Middle School Cybersecurity Day Camp; welcomed new George Hacks Director; congrats Anna Warhol, GW BME student; invitation to imagine/create tech impacts of COVID-19
What We Are Reading:
The Social Sex: A History of Female Friendship (Marilyn Yalom)
Broad Band (Claire L. Evans)
D-Day Girls (Sarah Rose)
Recap of February WiE Events, including Alumni Panel, Edible Car Contest and Mock Interviews; Apply to join George Hacks Team. Listing of previously recorded WiE Workshops and Events.
What We Are Reading:
Historical comparison of gender inequality in scientific careers across countries and disciplines.
February is Engineers Week at GW SEAS. WiE held multiple events, announced in this newsletter.
What We Are Reading:
Forbes article focusing on the more subtle forms of sexism (Dr. Sian L. Beilock). Dr. Beilock cites a research study by Lemarche et. al. in Biological Psychology, January 2020
Welcome to 2020! Announcing upcoming events, including Negotiation Workshop; Mentoring Presentation; Kudos to Dr. Grace Liu, GW Alumna; Apply for a SWE scholarship; SFS Deadline Jan. 31.
What We Are Reading:
Race and Racism in the Geosciences, December 16, 2019. Kuheli Dutt, Director of Academic Affairs and Diversity at Columbia University’s Earth Institute
Programming summary, including four Career Toolkit workshops held in the Fall; SFS deadline announcement; Upcoming Negotiating Workshop; Understanding Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions Workshops.
First WiE Newsletter! Announcing WiE Office, new Assistant Director Taly Walsh, new website, and upcoming workshops and events.
