WEPAN Newsletter November 2024

Discounts Available for WIEP

On February 12 in San Antonio, TX, our annual Women in Engineering Program Day (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.

Register at wepan.org/wiep. WEPAN members receive a $50 discount!

This year, WIEP, one of WEPAN’s signature events, will be taking place in tandem with CoNECD, the only conference dedicated to all the diverse groups that comprise the engineering and computing workforce. CoNECD registrants receive a $25 discount to WIEP.

Events

Save the Date!

WEPAN has exciting programming in April.

The Women of Color Summit on April 4 will focus on Women of Color in Engineering and STEM with emphasis on themes that touch on emerging research and practices to support advancement, inclusion and belonging, and authentic allyship.

The Synergiiize Summit on April 5 wil gather Women of Color in STEM entrepreneurship with funders and other key constituents to share resources, build community, and discuss promising practices for inclusive STEM innovation ecosystems.

News

Updated Proposal Process for the ADVANCE EiSCC

Based on feedback from the community, we’ve updated the proposal submission process to make it even easier! Visual abstracts are no longer required.

We invite submissions for the following session types:

• Poster Showcase: Present an innovative poster about your equity in stem work
• High 5 Talks: Challenge yourself to outline the highlights of your work – in just five minutes
• Experience Reports: Share findings and lessons learned from your well-developed and/or later-stage projects
• Early-Stage Innovations: Gain community feedback and input on new projects or works-in-progress
• Symposia: Collaborate with multiple presenters on a panel discussion about your respective work
• Pre-Conference Workshops: Lead an interactive session on critical topics in a 2-hour workshop before the conference kicks off

Proposals close December 16, 2024. Acceptance notifications and session assignments will be distributed on February 7, 2025.  

https://www.equityinstem.org/eiscc/call-for-proposals

Judges Needed for Future City STEM Competition

Middle school participants around the globe are engineering amazing and innovative future cities that prioritize the health and safety of both citizens and the environment; and we need your help! Getting involved is as easy as:  

1. Signing up as a virtual essay judge. Volunteers are needed to assess teams' 1,500-word essays for both regional and finals competitions. Time commitment: 4 to 6 hours in early January.
2. Volunteering as an in-person judge. You and your judging panel listen to teams city presentations and participate in a Q&A session. We need judges at 40 regional competitions in January and at the Finals competition in Washington, D.C., in February. Time commitment: 8 hours in January and/or February.

Register today at https://futurecity.org/Register/ for this meaningful and fun engineering experience for both you and the students!

ACCESS+ Research Study: Participants Needed

ACCESS+ is seeking participants for a research study, “An intersectional, critical mixed-methods approach to understanding member experiences with STEM professional society and association culture,” funded by the ASAE Research Foundation (IRB 2024-0164).

This research is studying STEM professional society member experiences with their STEM professional society culture, policies, and practices. This research study also aims to better understand the intersections of diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice issues within and across STEM professional societies. The findings of this study will support STEM professional societies in making more intentional and informed decisions about the changes they undertake.

To read more and to take the study, please visit: https://accessplusstem.com/access-research-study/

ERN 2025 Travel Award and Student Abstract Submissions

The 2025 Emerging Researchers National (ERN) Conference in STEM has opened travel award and student abstract submissions. The 2025 ERN Conference will be held on April 4 - 6, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta.

Undergraduate and graduate students who participate in certain NSF programs and other STEM research programs are invited to submit abstracts for the conference.  For more about student abstract submissions, visit: https://emerging-researchers.org/student-abstract-submission-process/

The ERN travel award will cover the conference registration fee, hotel reservations, airfare, and ground transportation. For more about the travel awards, visit: https://emerging-researchers.org/travel-awards/

The travel award application and student abstract submission deadline is at 11:59pm EST on Friday, December 6, 2024.

Impact: Redefining Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty (iREDEFINE) Call for Fellow Applications

Impact: Redefining Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty (iREDEFINE) is a two-day workshop designed to motivate and prepare ECE women and underrepresented minority PhD students and postdoctoral scholars to pursue faculty positions in US universities. Held in parallel to the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association (ECEDHA) Annual Conference & ECExpo, iREDEFINE Fellows will have dedicated programming designed to encourage and facilitate their path into academia. In addition, participants will attend general ECEDHA sessions, present their research accomplishments, teaching interests, and potential for leadership to department chairs, and participate in mock interviews.

iREDEFINE Fellows will receive a professional development grant (up to $2000) to cover registration to the ECEDHA Annual Conference, hotel accommodations, meals, and travel expenses. Applications are due Monday, December 2.

For more information and to apply, visit: https://ecedha.org/iREDEFINE

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.  

• "Biological, Social, and Organizational Components of Success for Women in Academic Science and Engineering" by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine Committee on Maximizing the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering

"The nation's ability to use all its scientific talent is vital to its ability to retain technological and economic leadership in an increasingly competitive world. A diverse workforce brings new perspectives and priorities to science and engineering education and research. Removing artificial barriers that prevent scientists from making their optimal contributions therefore has high priority."

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.‍

Register for Cohort 6 Research Webinars

The ARC Network will welcome Cohort 6 Virtual Visiting Scholars Drs. Brooke Coley and Jessica Gold to discuss their VVS research projects.

On December 5, 3pm ET, Dr. Brooke Coley will pesent her work on publication timelines across STEM equity research in STEM education outlets. Register at bit.ly/VVSColey

On December 12, 3pm ET, Dr. Jessica Gold will present her work on equity work(ers) in academic institutions. Register at bit.ly/VVSGold

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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