Rapid Fires are Returning for WE13!

Do you want to hone your communication skills? Looking for a reason to help convince your research adviser to let you attend the WE13 Conference this year? Or maybe you need an outlet to showcase your research so you can apply for travel funding? Present your research in our Rapid Fire sessions! 

We are proud to to once again host the Rapid Fire sessions at the WE13 Conference in Baltimore, Maryland (October 24-26). This year, the sessions will be recorded and broadcast, as part of the “Lightning Talks” track, for Virtual Conference attendees! Like last year, they will consist of back-to-back five minute presentations by graduate students, focusing on topics from the National Academy of Engineering’s Grand Challenges for Engineering.

Here’s what Samantha Knoll, a graduate student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, had to say about her Rapid Fire experience at WE12:

 ”I really enjoyed sharing my research in an applied context. It was a great opportunity to practice presenting technical work to a broader audience. Learning about what my peers are working on in various research areas at other universities was exciting and proved to be a great conversation starter for networking throughout the conference!”

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT AT THE FORM LINKED HERE by 11:59pm ET on June 15, 2013. 

Read on for more info!

Presenting Research at WE13: Deadlines Approaching

Rapid Fires

Just a friendly reminder to submit your WE13 Rapid Fire abstracts by Saturday! Rapid Fires are short, 5-minute presentations about your research to a general engineering audience, themed around the NAE Grand Challenges. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to present your graduate research at WE13! For more information, see the main WE13 Rapid Fire post.

SUBMIT YOUR ABSTRACT AT THE FORM LINKED HERE by 11:59pm ET on June 15, 2013. 

Collegiate Technical Poster Competition

Graduate students can also submit an abstract to compete in the Graduate category of the Collegiate Poster Competition. Finalists in this competition receive a $250 travel stipend to attend the WE13 Conference, and the top three winners will receive additional cash awards. The submission deadline is also on June 15, 2013. For more information, see the Awards>Collegiate Competitions section of the SWE website.

University of Illinois Hosts weSTEM Graduate Student Focused SWE Conference

weSTEM 2013 Conference

Be inspired, Stay motivated, Grow passionate

The Graduate Committee in the Society of Women Engineers (GradSWE) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) is an organization dedicated to promoting diversity in graduate education in engineering and science to enable innovative and creative solutions to the future technical challenges facing society.  While enrollment of women in graduate programs in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields has increased over the last two decades, [1] highlights that attrition among female graduate students in STEM programs may be because women are more likely “missing relationships with advisors or mentors” than men.  Moreover, exposure to the various career options to someone with an advanced degree in a STEM field is lacking at many universities.  Therefore, GradSWE organized the first annual weSTEM (Women Empowered in STEM) Conference, held in the Thomas M. Siebel center for Computer Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on Saturday, April 20, 2013.  The goal of the this event, which brought together nearly 60 female graduate students from across 21 disciplines as well as 14 accomplished female professionals, was to provide a forum through which current and future STEM leaders could motivate and inspire each other to develop solutions for the next generation of technical and societal challenges.  The conference was conceived and organized by 8 graduate students working in various STEM disciplines at Illinois: Angeli Gamez and Sofie Leon (Civil and Environmental Engineering), Neera Jain, Danielle Joaquin, Jin Kim, Samantha Knoll, and Ritu Raman (Mechanical Science and Engineering) and Ashley Gupta (Bioengineering).

weSTEM planning committee, speakers, and national SWE leaders

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The conference was a one-day, single-track event consisting of a series of two keynote speakers, five session speakers, and a panel discussion.  We welcomed accomplished female professionals in STEM to share their experiences and advice with the conference attendees who come from 21 different STEM departments across Illinois.  We also hosted members of the national Society of Women Engineers (SWE) graduate leadership team who are leading the national effort to increase involvement of graduate women in SWE.  Noteworthy was the diversity featured among the speakers; not only did the speakers represent different stages in their careers but they had each pursued different career paths with their advanced degrees.

Keynote Speakers

The two keynote speakers at the weSTEM conference were Dr. Nina Tandon and Dr. Omnia El-Hakim.  Nina Tandon, Senior TED Fellow, described the value of following one’s curiosity and pursuing a variety of interests even while working towards an advanced degree in a specified technical area. Nina’s experiences in consulting, academia, and industry showcased the versatility of career opportunities that her advanced degree had made possible.

Banquet lunch during keynote address from Dr. Nina Tandon

Omnia El-Hakim, former Director for Diversity and Outreach at the National Science Foundation, spoke about changing challenges into opportunities. Her unique experiences facing diversity in the form of cultural, language, and gender barriers throughout her career in STEM served as an inspiring example of how viewing challenges as opportunities led her to not only succeed, but to excel in her personal and professional life. Both keynote speakers provided attendees with powerful and thought-provoking messages, encouraging attendees to stay focused and enthusiastic during the most challenging times of their careers and empowering them to succeed in the future.

Students mingle with keynote speaker Dr. Omnia El-Hakim

Session Speakers

The session speakers each highlighted different issues/concerns commonly faced by graduate students as they begin considering what careers to pursue.  Nevertheless, resonating themes emerged such as following what you are passionate about and facing challenges head-on.  Roshni Kasad discussed her experience of transitioning to a career in outreach in the non-profit sector after completing her PhD in molecular biology and offered a rare glimpse of an alternative career path, which has helped her realize her true passion.  Marilyn Tears offered her perspective on a lifelong career in industry at Exxon Mobil and the value of networking throughout one’s career.  Similarly, Jackie Kunzler discussed her long career at Baxter and shared some of the challenges she faced by pursuing her advanced degrees after building a family.  Amy Wagoner Johnson discussed her unconventional path to a tenure-track faculty position and shared advice on how to navigate a career as part of a dual-career couple. Finally, Kate Rogers Davis described her choice to balance industry and academia by simultaneously working full-time at PowerWorld Corporation and holding an appointment as adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Illinois.

Following the individual speakers’ presentations, a panel discussion featuring additional female professionals provided attendees with an opportunity to ask questions and begin a discussion on the themes that had emerged throughout the day.

BROAD OUTCOMES

The success of weSTEM 2013 can be characterized, quantitatively and qualitatively, by

Students register for the conference and sign up for SWE membership

the following:

•  Of the nearly 60 attendees, 25 attendees applied for National SWE membership upon completion of weSTEM 2013
• 71% of surveyed attendees indicated that they are very likely to attend future GradSWE events
• When asked what they gained most from the conference, over 35 of attendees agreed that they gained
  • Inspiration from women who were once in your position as a graduate student
  • An opportunity to network with other female graduate students at Illinois

Students network with one another during breaks

Both the attendees and invited speakers had very positive feedback after the conference.  Here are just a few of the comments the planning committee received:

“I really enjoyed the tone that was set because everything was shared from a personal perspective.”

 “I like the way the organizers encouraged speakers to talk about certain topics – I found that really helpful.”

 “Every talk has empowered me to think that I can pursue whatever I put in my path as long as I persevere and focus on it.”

 “[weSTEM 2013 was] an inspirational, relaxing atmosphere in which networking and interacting with other attendees as well as speakers was easy and natural.”

SPONSORS

The conference was made possible with the support of its sponsors at the University of Illinois as well as numerous corporate sponsors. The organizers would like to thank the following organizations for their invaluable support, with special gratitude to the Exxon Mobil Corporation and the Society of Women Engineers Program Development Grant for their significant and generous donations.

External Sponsors

 ExxonMobil Foundation

Society of Women Engineers Program Development Grant

John Deere

Bosch

Goldman Sachs

nanoHUB

Whirlpool Corporation

Sargent & Lundy LLC

Internal Sponsors

 Beckman Institute

College of Engineering

Department of Aerospace Engineering

Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Department of Animal Biology

Department of Astronomy

Department of Atmospheric Sciences

Department of Bioengineering

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering

Department of Chemistry

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Department of Geology

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering

Department of Physics

Engineering Council

School of Molecular and Cellular Biology

Attendees are welcomed by the GradSWE and weSTEM registration tables

FUTURE EVENTS

To build upon the success of weSTEM 2013, the Graduate Committee of the Society of Women Engineers plans to host the 2014 weSTEM Conference on April 19^th, 2014 at the University of Illinois I Hotel.  Next year’s conference will feature a dual-track format to offer a wider range of topics and presentations to attendees.  For more information, visit the conference website at www.weSTEMillinois.com.

REFERENCES

[1] Wu, L., et. al. To Recruit and Advance: Women Students and Faculty in Science and Engineering.  Washington, DC: The National Academies Press, 2006.

New SWE Graduate Coordinators for FY14

I am pleased to announce our new graduate coordinators for FY14, Elizabeth Gregory and Elly Sinkala.

Elizabeth will be the new FY14 Graduate Member Coordinator-Elect. She is originally from Kansas.  She received my BS in aerospace engineering from the University of Kansas, her MS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Aerospace Engineering at Iowa State University.

Elly has already begun her role as the WE14 Graduate Programming Coordinator. She is currently a postdoctoral associate at the University of California at Berkeley. Elly recently received her PhD in Bioengineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago.

The Graduate Member Coordinator (GMC) works to foster a strong community and network for graduate students in SWE by facilitating communication between graduate students in SWE and SWE graduate student groups, and by representing the interests of graduate students to the Society.

The Graduate Programming Coordinator (GPC) works with a dedicated team of graduate students and professional SWE members to create a diverse track of sessions for current graduate students, and for those who are considering going to graduate school.

Both positions are held for two years, the first year as the coordinator-elect learning the ropes and the second year as coordinator. Elizabeth will be working with Shivani Gupta, the FY14 GMC, and Elly will be working with Marcella Vaicik, the WE13 GPC.

For more information see the graduate leadership page.

Reminder: Renew your SWE Membership

As the latest fiscal year for SWE is coming to a close, just a quick reminder to renew your SWE membership for the upcoming FY14. Membership in SWE has a huge number of benefits, including access to webinars, discounted conference registration, career services, etc.

Graduate Students in SWE have a number of options for membership. SWE members pursuing advanced degrees full-time have the option of continuing as a collegiate member, provided they are not employed full-time in an engineering position or in a field related to engineering and are pursuing a graduate course of study towards an advanced degree in engineering or a field related to engineering or transferring their professional membership to a Professional Back to School. In order to be identified as a graduate student member, your SWE membership profile should be updated with your current academic status including discipline of study and an anticipated graduation date.

Please identify your membership type below to begin the process. All memberships expire June 30 for FY13. Some categories of members may be eligible for reduced dues rate. Please review the Discounted Memberships to determine your eligibility. If you have any questions, or need assistance, please contact SWE HQ for additional support.

Already renewed your membership? Login here to “Update My Information” to ensure SWE has the most recent contact information. For more details on renewing your specific type of membership grade, see below.

Ways to get Involved in SWE as a Graduate Student

Congratulations to all the Spring 2013 Graduates!  As graduation marks a new chapter in many lives (motivating current grad students that it is possible to someday graduate), now seems to be a great time to have you think about what you want to include in your next chapter.  SWE has many activites to increase your leadership skills, develop your network in meaningful way, and to support other women in engineering.  There are many ways you can get more involved in SWE both as a graduate student and as recent graduate below I have listed a few ways to get more involved than just a general member.

There are several options currently recruiting and available for graduate students and recently graduated MS & PhDs to get more involved. There are varying levels of commitment and different ways to be involved.  I encourage you to connect into SWE.

Short Commitment Options:

• Rapid Fire Research Presenter at WE13 more information is available in the Rapid Fire Callout Post. Abstracts DUE June 15, 2013.
• Volunteer to judge the Freshman Scholarship Applications.  More information about how to volunteer to judge. The judging is May 30 – June19, 2013. 
  
• WE13 or WE14 Session Panelist – Need Graduate Student Panelist for “Graduate Student Involvement in SWE Sections” also can volunteer to be a panel session moderator if interested please contact Marcella Vaicik, Graduate Programming Coordinator WE13 at Marcella.Vaicik@swe.org.
• Join the Graduate Student Community on Facebook by clicking here. Graduate students are welcome and encouraged to share opportunities for jobs, fellowships, and other items of interest to the Grad Student Community on Facebook.  We look forward to creating additional project leadership roles from within the Grad Student Community in the upcoming SWE fiscal year.  Those will be announced via the SWE Grad blog depending on project needs. 

Annual Commitment Options:

• Join a Society Committee.  This is a great way to learn more about the inner workings of SWE.  Committees are also a wonderful way to meet and interact with other professional members and make an impact on SWE. Click here to learn more about the different Society level committees.Graduate SWE members have served on several different committees for example Collegiate Leadership Coach/Coaching Committee, Program Development Grants Committee, Women in Academia Committee, Collegiate Leadership Forum please read through the committee descriptions and sign up to be a committee member. To apply click here to be on a specific Society Level Committee, applications are DUE MAY 30, 2013:
• WE14 Session Leader (can be session leader even if not able to attend conference) if interested contact Elly Sinkala at grad-programs-coordinator@swe.org. These roles start immediately after WE13 watch the SWE grad blog in October for the callout for these roles.
• Take on a leadership role at your local collegiate section as Graduate Student Activities Liason contact your local section leadership to volunteer for this position.

 2 Year Commitment Options:

• Society Level Graduate Programming Coordinator, successful applicants usually have served as session leaders at past WE conferences.  This role is a 2 year commitment with the first year serving as the Graduate Programming Coordinator Elect.  Applications will be available after WE13 watch the SWE grad blog this fall for this position.
• Society Level Graduate Member Coordinator, successful applicants usually have held leadership roles in their local collegiate section, involvement in the Graduate Student Community as well as society level roles on committees.  This role is a 2 year commitment with the first year serving as the Graduate Member Coordinator Elect. Applications are available in early April with all society level leadership positions callout. 

Marcella Vaicik

Handling Research Misconduct

I recently ran across an article about a case of an author of a Nature paper who has requested a retraction because of what he believes is fraud on the part of his co-author in processing their dataset. (Nature: Symmetry Study Deemed a Fraud) This article got me thinking a little about the sources of fraud in the STEM fields and how we as graduate students are affected by it. 

A few things that contribute to academic fraud include the “Publish or Perish” pressure in academia, the belief (which may or may not be true) that we already know the answer and don’t want to do the work to confirm our belief, and times when no one else is going to try and reproduce your results. What I’ve read indicates that the third thing makes cases of academic fraud more common in biological fields where repeating an experiment with a different sample may not guarantee the same result.

Interestingly, recent studies indicate that there is a gender bias to the rate of fraud in science. According to the study detailed here, men are more likely to commit scientific fraud, even when you take into account the current gender breakdown in the fields.

Beyond the temptation to commit such fraudulent activity, there are additional potential consequences for graduate students. What happens if your advisor, someone in your group, or another collaborator is found guilty of fraud (even if its on another project than yours)? Suddenly your work is tainted by association, which could dramatically impact your chances for future jobs/publication. In general, scientific fraud can also impact public perception of your field and even push back the entire field as any work that uses the fraudulent results may be invalidated.

It is startling to consider all of the impacts of fraud and other research misconduct and something we all have to deal with (either directly or indirectly).

- Tabitha

For more information on this subject, I looked specifically at the following articles:

Original article: http://www.nature.com/news/symmetry-study-deemed-a-fraud-1.12932

Interesting Discussion on Fraud in Nature: http://www.nature.com/news/2011/111109/full/479151a.html

Article on Fraud from a professor at CalTech: http://www.its.caltech.edu/~dg/conduct_art.html

The Gender Bias in Fraud Article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130122101905.htm