November 2019 News & Events
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Lee Ann Cochran,
WEPAN President and Interim Director
November always seems to bring additional attention to being thankful for many things in life. Our health, family, education, a roof over our heads, and running water just to name a few. On a personal note, I am thankful for our members, volunteers, Board and the impact we are having. The webinars have been exceptional! Our new Slack board is gaining momentum. Additionally, CoNECD 2020 is coming together with a strong agenda. Later in the newsletter, you will hear about our 30 for 30 initiative which is beyond exciting. I am also thankful for the WEPAN community and the honor to lead this organization into our 30
th
year.
In my journey for living a balanced life with impact over the last few years, it has become clear that gratitude and kindness are at the core of this pursuit. A balanced life with impact comes down to being mindful and making choices. Choosing how to spend our time, choosing how to react, and choosing our response. As women working in the field of engineering, I encourage us all to make intentional choices, because when we do the most impactful things can happen. Most recently, I have challenged myself to just be: Be in nature - Be with my book - Be with my work - Be with my family. When I can be mindful of what I am doing it feels the balance comes naturally.
A
s I was preparing for an intentional way for my family to honor Native American Heritage Day on November 29th, I found a helpful article and thought I would share. Written in 2008 by Sean Sherman, the
article
provides clarity around questions that may be unknown to
many.
“No matter where you are in North America, you are on indigenous land. And so on this holiday, and any day really, I urge people to explore a deeper connection to what are called “American” foods by understanding true Native-American histories, and begin using what grows naturally around us, and to
support
Native-American growers. There is no need to make Thanksgiving about a false past. It is so much better when it celebrates the beauty of the present."
Thank you for your continuous support to WEPAN.
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Supporting WEPAN
As we approach our 30th anniversary we are working towards achieving equity and excellence in engineering with an ambitious goal of 50/50 (50% women in all engineering fields and at all levels) by 2050. We are inviting 30 institutions of higher education to join us in this important work at the Institutional Membership level for $10,000 a year for three years as visible and engaged collaborators. This cohort of committed institutions will be at the forefront of achieving equity in engineering education.
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WEPAN has long history of advancing women in the field of engineering. I am honored to have the University of Nebraska make this commitment in acknowledgement of all they have accomplished and in order to help them continue and expand their important work.
~ Dr. Lance Perez
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Dr. Perez,
Dean of the
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
College of Engineering and
Dr.
Washington, Dean of The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at the
University of California-Irvine
,
have been leading this effort for the WEPAN board. We are thrilled to announce that both UC Irvine and the University of Nebraska have signed on as 30 for 30 supporters! Both Greg and Lance are true allies, working to drive change across equity, diversity, and inclusion initiatives.
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December Webinar: Responding to Hate
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WEPAN webinars focus on topics relevant to creating inclusive cultures in engineering.
View Fall 2019 Webinars
Lee Ann
Schwope Cochran
Chanel Beebe
Alice Pawley, Ph.D.
Donna Riley, Ph.D.
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Responding to Hate: Addressing bias incidents and hate crimes on campus
December 13 at NOON EST
This webinar will discuss hate and bias incidents occurring on campuses, and guide campuses to understand obstacles while creating comprehensive methods to respond. The workshop will address trends of hate crimes and bias incidents, ways it affects students and communities, and provide tools to equip campuses to manage the impact while also understanding Freedom of Speech. This workshop is based off of a book chapter in the recent book by the presenter,
Queer People of Color in Higher Education
Presenters: Dr. Emily Prieto & Dr. Joshua Moon-Johnson
Managing Partners PMJ Consulting, LLC: Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice Organizational Planning.
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2020 Engineers Week Theme:
Pioneers of Progress
DiscoverE is a non-profit with a mission of celebrating the accomplishments of engineers and engaging K-12 students in engineering. Their 2020 Engineers Week (February 16-22, 2020) will celebrate how “engineers – like all pioneers – use their knowledge, creativity, and sense of adventure to cross frontiers.” The DiscoverE website has extensive resources for outreach to students and parents. You can request a free copy of the 2020 Introduce a Girl to Engineering Poster here:
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Women in the Workplace Report by Lean In and McKinsey & Company
On October 15, 2019 the
Women in the Workplace
report was released by Lean In and McKinsey & Company on women in corporate America. The report found that “The glass ceiling is NOT the biggest obstacle women face. The ‘broken run’ is.” The report defines the broken rung as when women first step up to be a manager. The report also found that women’s experiences are often shaped by other aspects of their identity. Women of color, women with disabilities, and lesbian and bisexual women have distinct, and usually worse, experiences than women overall. The report is an easy and compelling read and can be accessed here:
https://womenintheworkplace.com/
NSF Directorate for Engineering Advisory Committee Meeting and the NSF Big Ideas Video Contest
The NSF Engineering Advisory Committee met October 23-24, 2019 and WEPAN was well represented. Current members of the Committee include WEPAN Board Members Lance Pérez and Gregory Washington, past president Mary Juhas, as well as WEPAN members Leah Jamieson (former Dean of Engineering, Purdue University) and Darryll J. Pines (Dean of Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park). Many topics of interest were discussed including a recent NSF video contest on big ideas which will be used by NSF in setting the agenda for fundamental research in science and engineering. One entry,
#WhyNotMe: STEM Diversity Drivers
, may be of particular interest to the WEPAN community and the video can be found here:
https://nsf2026imgallery.skild.com/
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CoNECD Registration Now Open!
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Registration is open! Early bird pricing is available until January 1, 2020. WEPAN members may use
WEPAN_2020
to receive a $150 discount.
If you have questions about using your WEPAN membership complimentary registrations, please email
membership@WEPAN.org
.
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Women in Engineering Proactive Network [
wepan.org
]
We empower people and organizations who are catalysts of change
To ensure the success of women in engineering professions
Through networks, research, practice and resources
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