Category Archives: News

Farewell 2020 Message from Outgoing AWIS Chicago President Mary Khetani

AWIS National Workshop, Pioneer Woman Award, Tour of ANL’s Advanced Photon Source

The Chicago Area Chapter of the Association for Women in Science (AWIS Chicago) was founded in 1978 as a local chapter of the national organization. We proudly recognize that Argonne National Laboratory’s women scientists and engineers helped initiate the formation of the AWIS Chicago chapter 40 years ago.

AWIS Chicago and Argonne National Laboratory joined in our 40th Anniversary Celebration on Thursday, May 31, 2018,at Argonne National Laboratory.

We presented the inaugural Pioneer Woman Award to Dr. Marianne Schiffer, a senior biophysicist at Argonne National Laboratory and established supporter and mentor of women in STEM.

The Celebration included:

– “Overcoming Imposter Syndrome” – A workshop presented by leadership from AWIS National

– Engaging and inspirational speakers

– Tour of Argonne National Laboratory’s Advanced Photon Source (APS)

– Networking and time to mingle with other supporters of women in STEM

– Refreshments and cake

Innovator and Motivator Award by AWIS Chicago

2013 AWIS Chicago Awards Dinner

Featured Awardees:

7th Innovator Award – Dr. Barbara Di Eugenio, of the University of Illinois Chicago, for demonstrating innovative approaches in computational models of Natural Language Processing. Her work is applied to various interactive applications in education technology and human-robot interactions, where users can hold a natural conversation with a computer.

2nd Motivator Award – Dr. Lily Rin-Laures, of Marshall, Gerstein & Borun, LLP, for her work in initiating a new chapter of Women in Bio in Chicago (WIB), for which she was President until 2012. She is also active in Girls4Science (a nonprofit dedicated to exposing girls aged 10-18 to STEM) and Coalition for Women’s Initiatives in Law Firms. She has also served as a mentor for Menttium, a cross-company mentoring program for female leaders.

Women in Science booklet available

Science and the L’Oréal Foundation have teamed up once again to bring you the latest Women in Science booklet focusing on 16 women in five different areas of biology research. The essays about these scientists give you an idea of the differences and similarities between their jobs as well as some insight into their personal triumphs and struggles as they have built successful and meaningful careers. The interviews span the career spectrum from new scientists to more established researchers who have experienced the many ups and downs of a life in biology research.

Visit their website to download a PDF or read the eBooklet.

Seeking “Scientist of the Month” Nominations

AWIS Chicago is seeking nominations for “Scientists of the Month” to be featured on our website!

Nominate a scientist (man or woman) from any STEM field in the Chicago area who has made an impact on your education, career, or the scientific community as a whole. The “Scientist of the Month” profile acknowledges and recognizes the achievements of local scientists and those who inspire local scientists!

Please send a brief note with your nomination about the impact the nominee has made. The nominee does not need to be an AWIS member. Please send nominations here.

Want to keep yourself up-to-date on AWIS Chicago activities? Follow AWIS Chicago on Twitter! You can request to be added to our listserve by clicking here, and join the AWIS Chicago group on LinkedIn and Facebook by clicking the icons on the bottom right of this page.

Updated Resources Page

AWIS Chicago has been working hard to update the Resources page with timely and useful information.

AWIS Chicago’s Resources page now contains:

Link to National AWIS website, which provides valuable resources for members including quarterly magazines, career development webinars and job postings. Be sure to check out the Career Library section under the Careers tab.
Links to other Chicago area science organizations for women (including campus post-doctoral organizations and professional societies)
Information about funding sources and program opportunities
Tools for job searching and career advice resources (NEW! Links to science career podcasts)
Links to Chicago area science institutes and programming
Links to Chicago area science companies
NEW! Links to science podcasts
Recommended reading on careers in science

Did we miss something? Have you listened to a good podcast, found a helpful career website, know of an organization for women in the area, or read a good book recently that you want to share? If so, please email awiscommunications@gmail.com with your suggestions. Also, let us know if you come across any broken links on our Resources page.

New AWIS Chicago Website

AWIS Chicago (formerly AWIS-CAC) has a new website and a new logo! We hope you find the website more user-friendly and utilize it to keep up-to-date on exciting AWIS Chicago news, events and career development opportunities.

AWIS Recieves NSF Funding

AWIS Receives NSF ADVANCE PAID Grant to Partner with Discipline Societies to Improve Recognition for Women and Minorities in STEM. This grant will fund a new project: “Advancing Ways of Awarding Recognition in Disciplinary Societies (AWARDS),”designed to create a sustainable framework for assuring progress towards more equitable rewards and recognition for women and members of underrepresented groups in a wide range of scientific communities. For information about this and other recent funding received by National AWIS, please visit www.awis.org.

Women in Science Day in Chicago

Mayor Daley declares February 15th, 2009 “Women in Science Day in Chicago”. Mayor Daley’s surprising endorsement is a symbol of support and encouragement to female scientist in the Chicago Area. We are honored by the recognition of our achievements and contributions to all fields of science. Sandy Pearce, our chapter president, read the proclamation at the AWIS Fellows Reception on February 15th. View the proclamation.

Volunteer and Outreach Opportunities

Information about volunteering for specific AWIS events and other area science events can now be found in the Chicago section of the Events tab. If you know of a science-related event that needs volunteers or would like to partner with AWIS Chicago, please send an email to info@awis-chicago.org.