Experience is widely recognized as one of life’s most effective teachers, and organizers of the upcoming 2021 Susan M. Arseven ’75 Conference for Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) guarantee multiple opportunities to learn from some of the best within the STEM professions and Aggieland next month on the Texas A&M campus.
Registration opened Monday (Jan. 25) for the popular annual WISE Conference, now in its 29th year and set to be presented virtually on Saturday, Apr. 10, via Zoom. This year’s theme, Diversifying Women in STEM: Embracing the Nontraditional Path, focuses on exploring a more expansive definition of career prospects while creating professional and personal networks — critical connections essential to successfully navigating, mastering and maximizing the many facets and phases of a successful and fulfilling life.
The event will feature a day of common ground, conversation and inspiration among friends in a series of interactive presentations featuring speakers who will share their insights gained along the journey from diploma to career and all points in between. Topics include managing biotechs and publishing firms, the intersection of STEM and law, self-care practices in pandemic times, and much more.
The daylong conference (see schedule), annually organized and hosted by Texas A&M Science Outreach, will feature a keynote presentation by Dr. Ginger E. Carney, professor of biological sciences and dean of the College of Science at the University of Idaho. Prior to assuming the deanship in 2017, Carney spent 13 years as a professor of biology at Texas A&M, where she also served as an associate dean in the College of Science overseeing undergraduate research (2013-2015) and assessment and college climate (2015-2017).
The complete list of speakers includes representatives of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine; Expression Systems, LLC; Haynes and Boone, LLP; Sharks4Kids Education Outreach; Texere Publishing; and Texas A&M Counseling and Psychological Services.
The conference is named in honor of the late Dr. Susan M. Arseven ’75, one of the leading strategists in information technology during a career spanning several disciplines and a pioneering example of Aggie leadership. Thanks to generous funding from a permanent endowment established through the Texas A&M Foundation by Arseven’s husband, biostatistician and 1974 Texas A&M statistics Ph.D. graduate Dr. Ersen Arseven, the event also showcases the Susan M. Arseven Make-A-Difference Memorial Award — two $1,000 awards presented to female graduate students pursuing master’s or doctoral degrees in science, engineering or technology as part of the conference.
The conference registration fee is $30 ($20 for students) and includes a pre-conference virtual reception on Friday, Apr. 9 via Zoom and a conference swag bag. Participants are encouraged to register online before the Apr. 2 deadline and also to check with their academic departments, several of which cover registration fees.
Women In Science and Engineering (WISE) at Texas A&M is a university-recognized organization of graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, faculty and staff from various science and engineering backgrounds. The group was created to address specific problems faced by women in non-traditional fields.
For more information about the conference or other outreach events and women’s programs in the College of Science, visit https://scienceoutreach.tamu.edu.
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Contact: Shana K. Hutchins, (979) 862-1237 or shutchins@science.tamu.edu or Rhiannon Kliesing, (979) 458-4450 or rhiannonk@science.tamu.edu
