WEPAN Newsletter August 2024

CoNECD Registrants Get WIEP Discount

The Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity, or CoNECD (pronounced “connected”), is the only conference dedicated to all the diverse groups that comprise the engineering and computing workforce.

"CoNECD is open to anyone interested in broadening participation in engineering and computer science, whether that’s an engineering professor or a political scientist. It’s a place where they will find an intellectual and emotional community of like-minded people,” says Dr. Bevlee Watford, engineer, academic administrator, and CoNECD founder.

This year, one of WEPAN’s signature events, the annual Women in Engineering Program Day (WIEP), will be taking place in tandem with CoNECD. On February 12, WIEP will convene practitioners and other stakeholders in the advancement of women in engineering to network, share resources, and discuss promising practices for supporting women in engineering. WIEP registration is currently open. CoNECD registrants receive a $25 discount to WIEP.

Read the full article at: https://www.wepan.org/blog/conecd-brings-people-together

Events

Save the Date for the 2025 ADVANCE EiSCC!

News

Save the Date for the WEPAN Awards

The 2025 WEPAN Awards will be presented at the 2025 Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity (CoNECD) conference in San Antonio, TX.

WEPAN Awards honor accomplishments that underscore WEPAN’s mission of advancing cultures of inclusion and diversity in engineering higher education and workplaces. A robust slate of awards recognizes key individuals, programs, and organizations who have enhanced the engineering profession.

Creating change can be difficult, and the efforts of those who work to increase participation, retention, and success of women and other underrepresented groups in engineering can often go unnoticed and unappreciated. The WEPAN Awards are designed to recognize and thank honorees for their contributions to engineering and equity work in academia, industry, and the wider community.

Applications will open September 27, 2024.

Showcase STEM Excellence with the ABET Program Graduate Badge

Are you a graduate of an ABET-accredited program? Take your credentials to the next level and stand out in the competitive job market with the new ABET Program Graduate Badge.

Why apply for the ABET Program Graduate Badge?

• Promote ABET Accreditation: Showcase your commitment to quality STEM education.
• Assure Confidence in Workforce Readiness: Signal to employers that you’re prepared to excel in your field.
• Earn Enhanced Recognition: Go beyond transcripts with a visual representation of your achievements.
• Reaffirm Global Relevance: Be recognized globally, with ABET accreditation acknowledged in over 42 countries.  

Learn more and order your ABET Program Graduate Badge today by visiting abet.org/graduates

Free Resume Review in the WEPAN Career Center

The WEPAN Career Center offers a wealth of resources to help members achieve their career goals, including a FREE resume critique service, which offers a resume review by a resume-writing expert.  While it's important that a resume is current and complete, it's also important that it stands out.

Within a few days of submitting a resume, an evaluation is sent outlining strengths, weaknesses, and suggestions to ensure best chances of landing an interview.

The process is simple:

1. Click "Manage Resumes" under the Career Center Job Seekers tab
2. Click "Upload Resume File"
3. Choose the file to be uploaded
4. Click "YES" next to "submit my resume for a free evaluation from a trusted resume expert at TopResume”
5. On the pop-up window, click "Evaluate My Resume"
6. Proceed with the upload by clicking "Upload Resume"

Stand out to employers with a polished resume and increase your chances of landing their dream job! There are currently over 500 employers on the WEPAN Career Center, and over 1300 job openings.

WEPAN Listserv

Do you have something to tell the WEPAN community? Remember that subscription to the WEPAN-L listserv is a member benefit! Share announcements, post publication opportunities, and collaborate with colleagues from different institutions and organizations on special projects.

To subscribe to the WEPAN-L listserv, visit: lists.purdue.edu/mailman/listinfo/wepan-l

Resources

Publications, reports, or communications relevant to women in engineering and STEM equity. All resources listed below are available in the ARC Network online resource library. If you need help accessing the library, please contact ARC Librarian Bethany Farmer at bethany@wepan.org.  

• "Changing the Conversation: Messages for Improving Public Understanding of Engineering" by the NAE

"Can the United States continue to lead the world in innovation? The answer may hinge in part on how well the public understands engineering, a key component of the 'innovation engine'. A related concern is how to encourage young people--particularly girls and under-represented minorities--to consider engineering as a career option. Changing the Conversation provides actionable strategies and market-tested messages for presenting a richer, more positive image of engineering. This book presents and discusses in detail market research about what the public finds most appealing about engineering--as well as what turns the public off."

ARC Network

Funded by the National Science Foundation ADVANCE Program, Awards HRD-2121468 and HRD-1740860, the ADVANCE Resource and Coordination (ARC) Network seeks to achieve gender equity for faculty in higher education science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. WEPAN serves as the backbone organization of the ARC Network.‍

Read the ARC Emerging Research Workshop Reports

Emerging Research Workshops help move scholarship and practice forward by producing cross-disciplinary and intersectional perspectives on emerging topics critical to equity for STEM faculty. Reports are available on the following topics:

• Identity-based Harassment
• Big Data and Algorithms
• Exclusionary STEM Language
• COVID-19 and Faculty Equity
  

Institutional WEPAN Membership

Want to encourage your institution to deepen its commitment to equity and excellence?

Consider becoming an Institutional Champion Member. At this membership level, institutions have unlimited member representatives who get to dive into critical diversity, equity, and inclusion issues through custom workshops. These members also get the opportunity to strengthen their inclusive leadership capacity as part of the Equity and Excellence Council. Additional Institutional Champion member benefits include:

• Professional Development
• Decades of resources in the WEPAN Knowledge Center
• Professional development webinars, including one featuring an invited speaker from your institution
• Free and discounted workshops, including one customized for your institution
• Free and discounted access to WEPAN’s Program Days
• Three annual convening registrations
• Communication & Networking
• WEPAN-L listserv
• Slack
• WEPAN member directory
• Social media spotlights of your institution
• Workforce
• Free and discounted job postings for your institution in WEPAN’s Career Center

For more information on how to become a WEPAN Institutional Member, please email membership@wepan.org.

WEPAN Slack Channel

Please join us on Slack to drive that connectivity across our membership during a critical time for connection. Join our Slack community today!

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