WEPAN Newsletter October 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

WEPAN Awards Nomination Deadline EXTENDED to Nov. 4

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. Please consider submitting a nomination if you know an individual, program, or organization worthy of recognition. Self-nominations are encouraged!

Visit the WEPAN Awards page for a list of the available awards and selection criteria or to begin the nomination process.

The nomination deadline has been extended to November 4, 2024. The Awards will be presented at the CoNECD conference in February 2025 in San Antonio, TX.

News

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/

Proposals Open for the 2025 ADVANCE EiSCC

Proposals are now open for the 2025 ADVANCE Equity in STEM Community Convening (ADVANCE EiSCC).

Since 2019, the NSF-funded ADVANCE EiSCC has served as the convening for NSF ADVANCE grantees in a format that facilitates engagement with change agents within and beyond the NSF ADVANCE community. The ADVANCE EiSCC brings together a variety of change makers from higher education, professional societies, industry, government, and non-profits in an engaged exchange of knowledge, resources, and support to drive systemic change in STEM.

The 2025 ADVANCE EiSCC will take place June 1-4, 2025 at the Sheraton Puerto Rico Resort & Casino in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Attendees have an opportunity to share new research findings and exchange resources; brainstorm strategies; collaborate in novel ways; learn about avenues for funding; and demonstrate effective programs and interventions for greater collective impact.

In lieu of traditional text-based abstracts, only visual abstracts will be accepted. Accessible content is encouraged. There are several types of sessions:

• 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

Read more about the session types and the submission process at https://www.equityinstem.org/eiscc/call-for-proposals. Proposals close December 16, 2024. Acceptance notifications and session assignments will be distributed on February 7, 2025.

Participants whose proposals are accepted are required to register for and attend the 2025 ADVANCE EiSCC.  If you have questions, please contact the ARC Network at arc@equityinstem.org.

WCEC Travel Stipend Program

Are you a Woman+ of Color working in engineering and looking to attend a professional development opportunity? Whether it’s a conference, speaking engagement, or workshop, the Women of Color in Engineering Collaborative Travel Stipend can provide up to $3,000 to cover expenses like registration, airfare, lodging, and more.

This initiative supports Women+ of Color in overcoming financial barriers that often limit access to career-advancing opportunities. Application deadline is November 15, 2024. Learn more and apply at: bit.ly/WCECTravelStipend24

NSF SBIR/STTR Survey

The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) wants to refine its messaging to technology startups and entrepreneurs. If this is you, please consider taking this quick, 10-minute survey to help NSF reach others who need R&D funding, such as yourself.

Please answer this survey before the end of Nov. 9, 2024. Here’s the survey link: https://peoplemetricsxm.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0fbP4GAMTZkeIbs

NSF is committed to providing funding opportunities to people who are underrepresented in STEM. Thank you in advance for your help!

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.  

• "‘Sustainability as a route to broadening participation in engineering" by L. Klotz, G. Potvin, et al.

Sustainability is increasingly a vital consideration for engineers. Improved understanding of how attention to sustainability influences student major and career choice could inform efforts to broaden participation in engineering. Purpose: Two related questions guided our research. How do career outcome expectations related to sustainability predict the choice of an engineering career? Which broader sustainability-related outcomes do students perceive as related to engineering?"

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.

• 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
• 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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