Women in Science & Engineering career day

Life is about fostering relation- ships. A huge part of what I left behind includes the relation- ships I built with students, colleagues, advisors, staff and professional contacts, not to mention a fulfilling career as an assistant professor at Youngstown State University. An event I looked forward to with great anticipation each year was the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) career day http://www.ysu.edu/WIS, which I helped produce and organize (1998-2005). As a result, > 1000 middle school and high school girls have been exposed to career opportunities in science and engineering through panel discussions and hands-on lab demonstrations. It was an incredibly rewarding experience and one that I miss being a part of.

Shown here are 6 of the 30+ volunteers who were involved in the 2005 workshop. From the right: Anna S.K. (moderator), Trish G. (moderator), Sherona G. (chaperone), LaTisha W. in front (chaperone), Lashale P. (panelist), Lenka F. (keynote speaker), and me. Lashale and Lenka were involved in a big way since day one, and Trish wasn't far behind. Not shown is Dr. Diana Fagan, who also helped organize the workshop, and who is now the director of the WISE career day (coming soon ... March 25th!) as well as the WIS program. I owe a great deal of thanks for her dedication and support, as well as to all of the volunteers. It was a lot of work but we always had a good time.

The workshop developed a real following. Many of the female scientists and engineers who spoke as panelists returned every year because they enjoyed interacting with students and networking with professionals. Listening to stories about how they navigated their careers and dealt with transitions in their lives only empowered me to embrace the transition that needed to occur in my life (see Feb. archive, post #3). How ironic is it that a program I designed to help others also helped me in the end? Hats off to all of you - you're doing a splendid job!