Category Archives: Events

Being Black in STEM

Saturday, May 20th, 2023 from 12:30-2:30 PM CST @ Harper High School

Racialized inequities within STEM, or the unequal distribution of opportunities and resources based on race, have led to disparities in academic achievement and outcomes for BlPOC youth. Black students, in particular, are often underrepresented in STEM fields and are more likely to face barriers preventing them from succeeding.

One factor contributing to this inequality is the historical legacy of racism and discrimination, which has resulted in limited access to quality education, resources, and opportunities for many Black individuals. Additionally, the lack of representation and cultural competence in STEM fields has created a difficult environment for Black students to succeed; role models that reflect Black students can create a STEM environment that is more comfortable and safe to navigate.

To address this issue from a comprehensive lens, we must first acknowledge that the current system of education and STEM is built on oppressive structures, where not enough efforts have been made to facilitate proper STEM education for Black youth in particular. Even current efforts from government and private agencies are yet to be effective. We must work towards a more just and equitable society by dismantling the systems perpetuating these inequalities and replacing them with alternatives, prioritizing community empowerment, liberation, and healing.

Building on the efforts of our partner, Teamwork Englewood (TE), particularly that of Program Manager Avanii Hazzard’s commitment to center the needs of desires of the youth she works with, this program will invite experts to sit in rotating roundtable conversations with program attendee’s. These conversations will be led by TE’s youth and will center their curiosity and desires for what knowledge they want to share and learn about. Non-TE attendee’s are invited to participate in the discussions, where questions for our experts are welcome!

Join Teamwork Englewood, The Association for Women in Science, and The Chicago Council on Science and Technology for a chance to center youth in a conversation about what it means to be Black in STEM.

For more information and to register through C2ST, click here.
For more information and to register on EventBrite, click here.

Entrepreneurship in Biotech

Rush University is hosting Dr. Amanda Schalk on Wednesday, March 22nd at 3 PM to discuss her journey as a scientist and her path to entrepreneurship in the biotech industry! Dr. Schalk is also an AWIS summer mentor and was named SOTM in 2020. Questions will be open to the audience at the end or can be submitted beforehand. If you would like to submit a question, please click here (link: https://forms.gle/NDFBYtt5TrZHWJKp9).

Dr. Schalk is a co-founder and Chief Operations Officer at Enzyme by Design and a Research Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She completed her BS in Biochemistry at Eastern Michigan University and her Master’s and Ph.D. at the International Max Planck Research School for Molecular Biology in Goettingen, Germany. Her postdoc at Dr. Lavie’s lab at the UIC was developing protein anti-cancer therapeutics using structural biology. She worked 2 years off the bench as a virtual lab manager with small biotechs across the country. In 2017, her team from UIC spun out their safer cancer therapeutics technology into the startup Enzyme by Design where she is co-founder and Chief Operating Officer and enjoying the rollercoaster adventure of entrepreneurship.

To register for the event, please click here (link: https://forms.gle/mEvTjneDmKH6VvXh9). This is a hybrid event, so it will be available virtually and a link to the event will be sent out to registered attendees prior to the event. Feel free to e-mail Christina Nowicki (christina_a_nowicki@rush.edu) if you have any questions!

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Expanding Your Horizons – Chicago 2023

It’s that time of year again! Expanding Your Horizons 2023 is right around the corner!

Are you interested in helping inspire and empower middle school girls to pursue science and math careers? We could use your help! EYH is looking for volunteers to help out at the Expanding Your Horizons Chicago Concference taking place at the University of Illinois Chicago on Saturday, March 25th, 2023 from 9 AM – 3 PM.

EYH Chicago is a one-day conference where 100-200 middle school girls participate in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math workshops. It is an exciting event for both the girls and volunteers. More information about the conference can be found on the website.

We are looking for volunteers to help out with a range of roles to help make this conference a success! Volunteers will be expected to attend a mandatory in-person orientation session a couple of weeks before the conference. The dates for this training session will be scheduled soon. If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out the following registration form.

Questions? Contact the EYH volunteer subcommittee at eyh.chicago.volunteers@gmail.com

Breaking Through Barriers in STEM – International Women’s Day Symposium

The theme of the 6th annual Chicago Women in STEM Symposium is “Breaking Through Barriers in STEM” on Friday, March 10th, 2023 from 1 – 7 PM at Northwestern University. This event aims to address the disappointing statistics regarding the representation of women in STEM-related careers by hosting a variety of speakers who will share their stories and provide valuable information about resilience, empowerment, and breaking through both visible and invisible barriers in STEM. The symposium will consist of the following events:

  • A workshop led by Byron Stewart, an expert in the field of scientific communication with experience in mentoring people, and more specifically women, in STEM with regards to showing up confidently, having their voices heard, and breaking into their dream careers.
  • A panel featuring local women leaders in STEM discussing their paths breaking into their current roles and what they may advise for those who aim to enter into their academia or industry and progress in their careers.
  • Opportunities to interact with representatives from our intiative’s partner and sponsor organizations in industry, academia, law, and local non-profits.
  • A keynote speaker, Dr. Azurii Collier, who is a leader in her field. She will focus on her career trajectory and how she overcame the hardships faced along her journey.
  • A closing networking reception that will facilitate conversations and interactions amongst early career women, volunteers, speakers, facilitators, and additional local female role models in STEM.

For more information or to sign up for the event, check out the event website here!
Questions? E-mail chistemwomen@gmail.com

Join AWIS Chicago for our Annual Awards and Networking Event!

When: Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 6:00-7:30 pm
Where: Midwest Coast Brewing Company (2137 W Walnut St. Chicago, Illinois 60612)
Tickets: Reserve your space here!

This year we will be celebrating the winners of our Innovator and Motivator Awards with an in-person event featuring networking and happy hour. ALL are welcome, but space is limited and ticket purchase/registration is required! We hope to see you there!

We are thrilled to honor this year’s award winners! With your ticket purchase, you will receive one drink ticket for beer or cider, along with lite bites.

Event Schedule

6-6:20: Arrival

6:20-6:30: Welcome by 2021 Motivator Award Winner Mary Khetani and her mentee/nominator Vera Kaelin

6:30-6:45: Presentation of 2022 Innovator and Motivator Award Winners

2022 Innovator Award: Alessandra Eustaquio, Ph.D., Associate Professor, College of Pharmacy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy and Center for Biomolecular Sciences, University of Illinois Chicago

For her work at Pfizer Worldwide Research & Development yielding improvement of the compound spliceostatin from the bacterial strain Burkholderia FERM BP-3421, and facilitating pre-clinical development for cancer treatment

2022 Innovator Award: Smita Darmora, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Appointee, Argonne National Laboratory

For her contributions to the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider, including the development of an algorithm for calibrating the detector component, TileCal, and computational analysis, in its search for new particles that make up dark matter and study of fundamental particles and forces

2022 Innovator Award: Seonyeong Park, Ph.D, Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

For her research on photoacoustic computed tomography (PACT) as a cost-effective, sensitive, and specific technique utilizing non-ionizing radiation to image breast tissue for screening and treatment of breast cancer

2022 Motivator Award: Dawnne LePretre, Ph.D., Director of Development and Programs, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST)

For her development of the Inclusiveness in STEM series hosted by C2ST and committed to advancing STEM inclusivity and building equity for all underrepresented groups currently in or pursuing STEM careers

6:45-7:30: Networking

Latinidad and STEM: Navigating the Landscape

Join AWIS-CAC as we continue the conversation about what it means to navigate the STEM landscape as a Latine person and how we can move forward with the barriers that exist in mind.

What: Lantinidad and STEM: Navigating the Landscape

When: Thursday, September 15th, 6-8 PM Central

Where: Instituto Cervantes, 31 West Ohio Street, Chicago, IL 60654 OR Livestreamed on Facebook Live and C2ST YouTube TV

Details: Pre-Networking runs from 6-6:30 pm. The panel discussion, featuring Dr. Daniel Morales-Doyle, Dr. Giselle Sandi, and Alejandra Frausto Aceves, will be live streamed from 6:30-7:30pm, followed by a brief post-networking reception.

Learn more and register to attend here!

This event, hosted by the Chicago Council on Science and Technology, is presented in partnership with the AWIS-CAC and Instituto Cervantes and generously sponsored by Horizon Therapeutics.

2022 Summer Mentoring Circles

Join the Association for Women in Science – Chicago Area Chapter (AWIS-CAC) for Summer Mentoring Circles

Summer Mentoring Circles are back! You do not need to be an AWIS member to join and the program is FREE. Mentoring Circles follow a small group format, and each circle is composed of one Mentor and 4-8 carefully matched Mentees. The nature of the Circles allows for intimate peer-to-peer and mentor-mentee relationships to form throughout the summer (June-September 2022). Our Circles are open to all within any STEM and STEM-adjacent sectors. The Circles, while having one designated Mentor, tend to operate with a more flat organizational structure with dynamic ideas and advice shared by all participants. Learn more here!

AWIS Chicago announces the awardees of the 2021 Innovator and Motivator Awards and Awards Celebration!

  • Mary A. Khetani, ScD, OTR/L has been awarded the 2021 Motivator Award for her excellent mentorship and support for women, specifically underrepresented members, in STEMM, outstanding service as an anti-racist advocate and ally, and investment of valuable lab time and resources in shaping an anti-racist research environment.
  • Giselle Sandi, PhD has been awarded the 2021 Motivator Award for her excellent mentorship and support for women in STEMM through creation of enduring and effective programs at Argonne National Laboratory and Rush University Medical Center.
  • Marilene Pavan has been awarded the 2021 Innovator Award for her work on robotic platform development for DNA assembly, bacterial transformation and selection, and DNA purification with the ultimate aim of discovering and commercializing products that use waste gasses that would otherwise contribute to climate change at LanzaTech.

This year’s AWIS Chicago Annual Awards and Networking Event will be held on Thursday, November 11th from 6-7:30 pm at Rhine Hall Distillery. Purchase your ticket here!

With your ticket purchase you will receive access to an open bar with a selection of cocktails, mocktails, beer, and wine, along with lite bites.

We are thrilled to honor this years’ winners! Amanda Schalk, previous AWIS Chicago Innovator Award Winner, will provide opening remarks for the event!