On Saturday, November 3rd, 2012, Baxter team members along with the University of Chicago and AWIS, hosted 300 Chicago Public School high school students for a day to help them explore and create personal journeys in STEM. In addition to getting a behind-the-scenes look at the University of Chicago’s new hospital, students connected with various professionals who are in specific journeys of STEM. AWIS and U of C sponsored the keynote speaker, Rebecca Skloot, who spoke about her book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Thank you to all the volunteers! It was a great success!

Resume/CV Workshop

January, 2011 – AWIS Chicago hosted a Resume/CV workshop on January 19th, 2011 at University of Chicago to kick off its Career Skills series. Heather Sevener, the Associate Director of Graduate Services at University of Chicago, Career Advising and Planning Services (CAPS) presented some key points about how to write and organize an effective resume or CV. The attendees then put the information to practical use by breaking into small groups and providing feedback and suggestions on each other’s actual resumes.

Some helpful take-home messages from the workshop included: 1) have a friend/colleague review your resume to evaluate if the 3 main points you want to get across are coming through 2) create a ‘storage document’ that includes information about every job and position you have held; this will help you easily tailor your resume to be relevant to a specific position and 3) do not make any assumptions in a resume; make sure that the information will be clear to anyone who is reviewing it. The workshop wrapped up with one-on-one discussions with Sevener, more networking and swapping personal stories and resume tips among the attendees.

Networking

Social Networking event at Pete Miller’s

February, 2011 – Our winter networking event had people come in from the cold and wet for socializing, cocktails and appetizers at Pete Miller’s Steak and Seafood in Evanston. AWIS Chicago hosted over 20 of its members and some non-members for an afternoon of networking, informal discussions and card exchanging. Representatives from academia (research institutes and community colleges),  industry (large and start-ups) as well as clinical laboratory directors were present, and conversations among old friends and new were plentiful.  This was our second year hosting a winter social event at Pete Miller’s.

Career Development and Networking

Meet the Women Leaders of Abbott

March, 2011- AWIS-Chicago chapter, in partnership with Abbott Laboratories, hosted a career networking event on March 17th, 2011 called:  Meet the Women Leaders of Abbott. With 160 registrations and over 100 women in attendance, this was one of the most successful events of AWIS-Chicago. The event kicked off outside the Baldwin Auditorium, Northwestern University’s Lurie Cancer Center in downtown Chicago, with buffet dinner and refreshments graciously provided by Abbott, and the opportunity to drop off resumes for Abbott job opportunities, as well as business cards in order to qualify for a raffle at the end of the event. During registration, women scientists were able to network with other Chicago area scientists and informally discuss with numerous Abbott representatives. The event continued inside the auditorium with a welcome address by the chapter president Joy Ramos, who introduced the AWIS-Chicago mission and board members and presented the chapter’s most recent and future events.  An overview of Abbott was then presented by Denise Moyse, Director, Project Management, followed by Laurel Krause-Hooyman, also a Director of Project Management at the company, who shared personal insights on her career path within Abbott. The last speaker was Laura Smith, Director of Talent Acquisition, who spent a considerable amount of time presenting current openings, and candidate profiles, as well as the technical ladders and growth opportunities within Abbott. The Abbott women leaders then gamely and candidly answered questions from the audience, with further networking and active discussions after the formal talks between all the speakers and a number of attendees. This was the first event co-sponsored by AWIS-Chicago and Abbott and discussions are ongoing to further strengthen this partnership.

Career Development

“Ten Ways to Get Lucky in the Job Search”

May, 2011- On May 12, AWIS-Chicago hosted “Ten Ways to Get Lucky in the Job Search” as part of our career development series.  The seminar was given by John Lombardo and Phil Clifford from the Medical College of Wisconsin, and was adapted from similar seminars they have given at national conferences such as Experimental Biology and the Society for Neuroscience’s Annual Meeting.  One of the underlying messages is that job-seekers can create their own “luck” by being prepared to take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.  The speakers provided useful tips for setting measurable and obtainable goals, either within their current positions or when looking for new positions.   They also talked about the importance of networking and how to leverage relationships that you may already have.  Lastly, they gave several resources for job searches, networking and “expanding you vision”  across scientific disciplines.  Both speakers were engaging and fun, and fielded lots of questions, from the very general to the very specific.  Overall, it was another successful component of this ongoing series.

Career Development

AWIS Chicago Career Panel  

November 2011 – AWIS Chicago Board members, past and present, came together on November 1^st, 2011 at the Baldwin Auditorium of the Lurie Cancer Center in the downtown Chicago campus of Northwestern University to be part of a diverse career panel kickoff event encompassing both academia and industry. Almost 40 people attended the event, most of whom were graduate students and post-docs with about a quarter of attendees coming from industry. Distinguished panelists included Ramille Shah, Assistant Professor, Material Sciences and Engineering at Northwestern University and current AWIS Chicago Co-VP of Outreach, Dimitra Georganopoulou, Vice-President of Research and Development at Ohmx and current AWIS Chicago Newsletter Editor, Kara Johnson, Scientific Affairs Manager, Diagnostic Division, at Abbott and previous AWIS Chicago Newsletter. Joy Ramos, Account Manager and Medical Writer at Prescott Medical Communications Group and current AWIS Chicago President graciously filled the spot reserved for Heather Behanna, Biotechnology Equity Research Associate at JMP Securities and previous AWIS Chicago President, who unexpectedly could not make it due to an unexpected business trip (ah, the life of a business analyst!). As the panelists shared personal insights about their individual career paths and fields of specialty, the audience was able to compare and contrast the different aspects of how it was to work in a start-up company (Ohmx) or an established pharmaceutical company (Abbott) vs working in academia, in addition to learning more about the medical writing field. The enthusiasm continued even after the panel formally wrapped up, with many attendees staying to chat with the panelists one-on-one. The event was free to AWIS Chicago members. As an incentive to encourage non-members to sign up, people who joined AWIS Chicago that night via the laptops available onsite were refunded their registration fee. This incentive proved effective as the chapter gained 5 new members by the end of the event! It was definitely a successful kickoff event, in more ways than one, and AWIS Chicago hopes to build on its momentum with other great programming in the coming months.

Careers in health-related research

December 2011  -Over 30 participants, members and non-members added this AWIS-Chicago event to their holiday calendar and came to hear the NorthShore pediatrician Madeleine Shalowitz, MD, and research scientist Alice Wyrwicz, PhD. Participants were pleased to hear not only the challenges and choices each made in developing their careers as women in science and research, but also a lot of anecdotal stories tying their professional and personal experiences, from a woman’s lens. Attendees also had the pleasure to interact with and hear an introduction by Dr. Leo Selker, President of the NorthShore University HealthSystem Research Institute, about the history and work at the Institute. A representative from Human Resources was also available during the Q&A part of the event and answered questions related to the infrastructure of the Institute as well as careers and life at NorthShore University HealthSystem.

Outreach

Project Exploration’s Fifth Annual Luncheon & Workshop

December 2011- Re-energizing! Positive! Enjoyable! Helpful! Very informative! So welcoming! These are some of the ways that participants described Project Exploration’s fifth annual Women in Science Luncheon & Workshop on Friday, December 2 at the Garfield Park Conservatory. This annual event is an opportunity for a dynamic group of professional women scientists and science undergrad/graduate students to gather together, share their enthusiasm for working with youth, and discuss techniques for ensuring a successful outreach experience. This year’s event was supported by the Pearson Foundation and included representation from Chicago’s Association of Women in Science (AWIS). The highlight of the luncheon was a presentation by Hope Jernigan, Project Exploration student and a sophomore at Perspectives Charter School’s Rodney D. Joslin campus. Hope shared her personal experiences and reflections on working with scientists through Project Exploration’s programs.

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.

-Networking-

Dr. Brenda Russell speaks at AWIS Networking event

Dr Brenda Russell

November 2010 — On November 2nd, 2010, the Chicago Chapter of AWIS hosted a Networking Kickoff event at Northwestern University’s Lurie Cancer Center in downtown Chicago. After a light reception, our invited speaker Dr. Brenda Russell, a 2010 iCon awardee, addressed almost 50 participants about the challenges and rewards of her successful career path. After a brief narration of her career and life choices, Dr. Russell opened the floor to questions from the audience that addressed the issues and virtues about work-life balance, career jumps, mentoring, networking and self-awareness.

Attendees chat with Dr. Russell after her talk

This was the first event hosted by the new AWIS-Chicago Board, and the event was spearheaded by the new President Joy Ramos, who introduced the new board and the chapter’s mission, while Dr. Russell was introduced by Paroo Upal, the VP of programs. Dr Brenda Russell is a Professor of Physiology, Biophysics, Bioengineering and Medicine, and Executive Associate Vice Chancellor for Research, at the University of Illinois at Chicago since 1988. There were a lot of active discussions during the event, with many staying behind after the talk (including the speaker!) to continue sharing experiences and advice with one another. AWIS-Chicago hopes to build on the momentum of its successful networking kickoff event to create other programs of interest to its members and the Chicago community in the near future.

-Outreach-

AWIS captivates students at Science Spooktacular

Kalpana Ramakrishnan interacts with students

October 2010 — On a glorious October Saturday, golden sun bathed yellow-tinged maple leaves as AWIS members Larissa Belova, a scientist from the University of Chicago and VP for Outreach on AWIS-Chicago Board, and Kalpana Ramakrishnan, a graduate student from UIC, unloaded their exhibition materials at the doors of the Illinois Math and Science Academy in suburban Aurora. They came to participate in Science Spooktacular, a Halloween-themed event aimed at showing fourth- and fifth-grade girls possibilities in science, technology, engineering, and math. The Naperville and Aurora Area branches of the American Association of University Women and the Office of Science Technology, Engineering and Math, along with Northern Illinois University’s STEM Outreach, sponsored the event. AWIS was invited to participate along with 50 other exhibitors from the Chicago area.

The AWIS biological science exhibit had great success. A continuous stream of curious 10-12 year old girls (and some boys) were awed by live worms that slithered like snakes when seen under high magnification. Next to the worm station, girls played the role of pathologist and decided which of two patients would receive treatment. A challenging task even for seasoned pathologists! At another station, students measured the “fearlessness ” of two mice: one that lives alone and another that lives with other mice.  Who would leave a home base faster: a loner or a socialite?  Holding a timer in hand, the girls got the answer in a minute: being social gives a lot of courage. Located next to Microsoft exhibition, the AWIS table was as popular as the gaming giant’s display, leaving hardly a free minute for Larissa and Kalpana. “They were wonderful, and so busy, they never caught a break.  Everyone was fascinated with their exhibit”, said Nancy Steinberger of the Spooktacular Exhibitor Committee.

The day was waning when AWIS representatives left the event. “This is a great experience, very rewarding. To be able to talk about your research in language that 10-year old would understand is challenging. But hearing ‘Wow, look at this! ‘is the best reward you can get,” said Larissa, and Kalpana agreed. Both of them, although tired and exhausted, accomplished something very important: they shared their passion for science and inspired curiosity in young souls. Hopefully, one day they too will share their passion for science with others.

Larissa Belova

-Award Dinner-

4th Annual AWIS Chicago Innovator Award Dinner

May 2010–This year’s Innovator Award was presented to Alicia Loffler, PhD.  Alicia is the Associate Vice President for Innovation and New Ventures at Northwestern University.  She spoke about her career path and offered advice to those interested in less-traditional science careers.

-Women in Science Symposium-

Women in Science Symposium 2010: Building an Identity

April 2010–In partnership with the Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST), AWIS hosted the first ever all-day Women in Science Symposium.  In recognition of the event, Mayor Daley recognized April 17, 2010 as Women in Science Day in Chicago.  Read the Mayor’s Proclamation.

-Outreach-

AWIS Chicago Special Award Given at the 60th Annual Chicago Public Schools Science Fair

March 2010—This science fair features the best projects from all over Chicago and it is one of the final stages before students advance to the international INTELScience and Engineering Fair to be held in San Jose, California in May, 2010.

AWIS Chicago has been a proud supporter of this science fair for many years and on this, its 60th year, chose girls who showed the most promise to receive an AWIS Special Award.  In 2009 AWIS Chicago presented four awards to young women with outstanding science projects in their specialty.

-Career Development-

AWIS Chicago Presented a Panel Discussion on Academic Contract Negotiation

February 2010–AWIS Chicago hosted a panel discussion targeted at women interested in pursuing careers in academic science.  Panelists Clodia Osipo, PhD (Loyola University Chicago), Michelle Swanson-Mungerson, PhD (Midwestern University) and Sally Horne–Badovinac, PhD (University of Chicago) gave their perspectives on what academic contracts are, how institutions handle the negotiation process and provided tips on how to get a faculty position.  This was the final installment of the AWIS Chicago 2009 ‘Effective Negotiation’ Career Development series.

* This event was co-sponsored by the Northwestern University Office of Post-doctoral Affairs.

Topics covered in the panel discussion:

• Panelist career paths to their current faculty position.
• Advice to those interested in pursuing a career in academia to position themselves for a tenure-track position.
• Insight into the academic hiring process.
• Information about “traditional” faculty appointment and becoming tenure-track.
• What an academic contract constitutes.
• Whether all universities require contracts.
• Ability to negotiate terms in academic contracts.
• Types of things that can be negotiated in an academic contract. (i.e. funding, laboratory space, teaching appointment, project, collaboration with other labs, hiring practices (for technicians), time off for family, student researcher quota, etc.)
• Situations where negotiation is not allowed.
• Impact of personal life (spouse, children, being single) on academic negotiation.
• Ability to re-negotiate an academic contract.

-Networking-

AWIS Chicago Lift A Fork Networking Event at Pete Miller’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant

January 2010–2009 was a great year for AWIS Chicago, so we took the opportunity to celebrate with our members and their families.  Attendees enjoyed socializing, cocktails and appetizers in Evanston.  AWIS Chicago participated in Pete Miller’s Steak & Seafood restaurant’s Lift a Fork program, which contribued 20% of the eventing’s bill to AWIS Chicago.  Proceeds will be used towards helping AWIS Chicago expand programming and outreach in 2010.

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.

AWIS Chicago Hosted a ‘People Management Workshop’ Presented by Dale Carnegie Training.
Sandra Larkin, a respected Dale Carnegie workshop leader, advised graduate students, post-docs and industry researchers about effectively managing others in a life sciences environment.  This 90-minute workshop was formulated specifically for our members by Dale Carnegie Training.  Men and women participated in the interactive presentation.  Topics covered included: people management (in industry and academia), how to get noticed for promotions and advance into management positions.  The group gave individualized examples of management style in their workplace and Sandra provided constructive criticism about how to better approach conflict situations in the laboratory.

For more information about Dale Carnegie Training, please visit their website.

AWIS National Winter Webinar Series: For New Job-Seekers.
AWIS members were invited to particpate in a free webinar series for new job seekers.  Topic covered:

• Interview Skills

AWIS Chicago presented “Negotiation in the Workplace” as part of the 2009 “Effective Negotiation” Career Development Series
Dr. Alice Stuhlmacher, associate professor in Organizational Psychology at DePaul University, presented a seminar entitled “Negotiation in the Workplace”.  Dr. Stuhlmacher’s interactive and informative presentation highlighted the gender differences seen with negotiation in work situations.

A synopsis of evening’s topic: Negotiation influences tangible work outcomes (such as pay) but is also critical in daily activities of distributing tasks, building networks, and claiming resources. Research suggests that men are more likely than women to negotiate at work, which directly impacts a woman’s success. Dr. Stuhlmacher discussed findings on gender differences in negotiation with particular attention to negotiation situations where women are most successful and explanations for gender differences.

AWIS National Fall Webinar Series: For New Job-Seekers.
AWIS members were invited to particpate in a free webinar series for new job seekers.  Topics covered included:

• Tips on writing an effective resume
• How to perform a meaningful job search

Enjoying the Wine

Fall 2009 Kickoff Event at Windy City Wine Festival.
We socialized with other Chicago area scientists at the Windy City Wine Festival on September 12th. We met at 4pm and enjoyed sampling over 250 wines, WINES bingo and Christine McCary, graduate student at Northwestern University, was the lucky winner of a $25 Binny’s gift card

Argonne Laboratories Open House
August 29th, 2009.  AWIS-CAC stopped by Argonne to let other women in science know about our organization.

3rd Annual AWIS-CAC Innovator Award Dinner May 19th 2009: Capturing Life at the Interface.
Dr. Tijana Rajh was honored as the 2009 AWIS Innovator Award winner.
Dr. Rajh is a chemist at Argonne National Laboraties. She gave a brief talk at the dinner about her career and experiences as a female scientist. *Support for Northwestern University students generously provided by the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University Integrated Graduate Program.

2009 Innovator Award Winner Dr. Tijana Rajh (right) and AWIS Chicago Chapter President Sandra Pearce (left)

AWIS National Spring Career Coaching Tele-seminar Series. Looking for a new job or a career change in this tough economy? AWIS Career Coaching can help. This tele-seminar series covered the following topics:

• Networking Now – When Everyone is Looking: How To Be More Effective in the Current “Crowded” Marketplace
• Effective Communication in a Four Generation Workplace
• Impression Management for Interviews
• How to Keep Your Job in a Tough Economic Climate

Motherhood and Success in Science Panel
Date: May 18, 2009
Time: 11:30am – 2:30pm at Northwestern University-Evanston campus, 4-6:30pm at the University of Chicago campus (Biological Science Learning Center, 924 E. 57th St, Rm 109)
Registration: Free
Motherhood and Success in Science featured a set of panel discussions about balancing a career in science and motherhood. Panelists included contributors from the book Motherhood: The Elephant in the Laboratory.

Spring Social Networking Event. On April 16, 2009 AWIS-CAC hosted a wine tasting event at Drinks Over Dearborn. The event was attended by approximately 20 female scientists, including the Chicago Chapter board members. Six wines and one liquor were sampled. It was a great opportunity to meet women from various scientific disciplines, several of whom had never been to an AWIS-CAC event before. Please join us for our next social event in summer 2009.

2009 AWIS judges

AWIS special award presented at the Chicago Public Schools Science Fair
Date: March 27, 8am-noon at the Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
This science fair features the best projects from all over Chicago and is the last stage before students advance to the international INTEL Science and Engineering Fair to be held in Reno, Nevada in May 2009. We were a part of this momentous occasion and volunteers served as a judge at this years Science Fair! AWIS-CAC  presented a Special Award to 4 young girls who showed the most promise in their science specialty.

iBIO CareerLinks and iBIO IndEX Conference
Date: March 18th, 2009 from 7am-7pm at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601
iBIO CareerLinks provides graduate students in various fields insight into careers and opportunities in the life sciences industries in the Chicago area. Two panels (science and business) will be held to provide an individual perspective on these industries from recent graduates as well as experienced professionals. Our own AWIS-CAC past president, Heather Behanna, will be moderating the science panel. The science panel will be held from 1:30-2:45pm, the business panel from 3:15-4:30pm. These panels overlap with iBIO IndEX programs and registrants for CareerLinks will have all-day access to the conference as well.

iBIO IndEX is “the premier life sciences event in the Midwest”. Local companies will be present and panels will discuss various life sciences topics. Included will be an Agricultural Panel, Nanotech Panel and Regenerative Panel. The keynote address will be given by Miles D. White, Chairman and CEO of Abbott Laboratories. This conference provides a great opportunity to meet and network with area professionals, researchers, executives and leaders in the life sciences industry.

Women on Boards
Date: March 9th, 2009 from 3-6pm at Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601
Join AWIS-CAC and Women on Boards for a panel discussion by experienced board members. Topics of discussion include:

• Being an effective board member
• What boards are looking for in board candidates
• How to position yourself to get on a board
• How to transition from serving on non-profit boards to for-profit boards

Negotiation Skills Workshop Part II: Negotiation for Women in Industry.
Date: February 27, 2009 from 12-1pm at Abbott Laboratories
Join AWIS-CAC and Diagnostics Women in Action (DWA) in learning how to negotiate in an industry job. A presentation will be given by Jamie Stacey, Director of Talent Acquisition and a 12yr Abbott employee. Ms. Stacey has 7yrs of experience in Talent Acquisition as well as a background in chemistry and cancer research. This will be a brown bag lunch event. *Advance pre-registration will be required for Non-Abbott employees for security purposes*
Transportation will not be provided, if you need or can offer a ride please include this information in your registration email.

AWIS-CAC VP for Communications, Jessica Reimer, welcomes National AWIS to the AAAS meeting

AAAS and AWIS

AWIS National and the local chapter have a history of hosting a few events at the AAAS conference every year.  This year the National Fellows were honored, as was the service of other members.

Feb 15: AWIS Fellows reception. The 2009 AWIS fellows were announced and honored.  For a list of the 2009 AWIS Fellows, please visit the National AWIS website (www.awis.org).

Feb 16: AWIS Breakfast, Networking and Program event.
Topic: “Learn to Juggle without Joining the Circus: Strategies to Deal with Your Career and Work-Life Balance Challenges”
This interactive workshop provided practical strategies to help you:

• Assess your personal and professional responsibilities
• Prioritize the demands on your time
• Identify your sources of joy and happiness
• Increase your satisfaction with your life and work

Dr. Marlanda English, an executive coach and member of the professional AWIS Coaching Team, gave a lively session on juggling the demands of career, family, and hobbies and left attendees with a plan for recapturing that elusive work-life balance.  If you were unable to attend the event, Dr. English’s slides are available online here.

The Science of the Small Team with their project

Science of the Small, Jan 17 2009, Northwestern, Science Saturday program
This event was run with the support of the Institute for Nanotechnology, Phi Lambda Upsilon and Northwestern University. The day was split in half – the morning was an intimate session (max of 50 students – we are targeting girls age 9-13) on demos and tours of Nanotechnology, and the afternoon featured a larger scale chemistry show. We are grateful for the AWIS-CAC members who volunteered to help out and keep this event running smoothly.

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.