October 2007
Greetings from the DirectorThe 2007/2008 academic year started once again with a significant move for the one of the Women in Science and Engineering Program offices. The WISE Science moved from temporary space to its permanent location at 1140 Undergraduate Science Building (USB). We were sad to leave our little space next to the Science Learning Center in the Chemistry Building but have grown to love the greatly expanded space and location of our new digs. We share an office suite with the Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP) and the Program in the Environment (PiTE) – both wonderful neighbors with terrific opportunities for collaborations. In addition to office space, we have dedicated rooms for our Lego Robotics Teams, our research staff, and special initiatives. We share two conferences rooms, a library, and a computer lab with UROP and PiTE. The USB space has been a very long time in the planning, and it is really wonderful to finally be fully operational. And it is also very rewarding to see the influx of students passing through the halls on their way to class in one of the new state-of-the-art lecture rooms. Please stop by and take a tour! And speaking of moves, the WISE Residence Program will soon be moving back into exciting newly renovated space in Mosher-Jordan Residence Hall. The WISE-RP has been in temporary space in East Quad for the past two year. The Residential College and housing staff have been great neighbors in East Quad, but we are all ready to go back "home" to Mo-Jo. We are also looking forward to the new dining facility for the Hill Dorms which will be right outside Mo-Jo's back door! But just as there are new beginnings, we also need to take a moment to remember one of the founders of the WISE Program. Seyhan Ege was the first tenured woman and the first woman full professor on the faculty in the Michigan Chemistry Department. She was also an alumna of the University, completely her MS degree in 1952 and her Ph.D. in 1956. She passed away at her home in Ann Arbor on September 13, 2007. As one of the founding mothers of WISE, Seyhan was always available to help write a grant proposal, teach a summer workshop on chemistry to middle school girls, research the latest statistics on the status of women professionals in chemistry and share the findings with WISE, her colleagues, and, of course, women students. Seyhan retired in 2001, but you would never know it because we were constantly blessed with her presence. She spent considerable time teaching high school chemistry. Chemistry education at any level and for all people was a great love of hers. The Chemistry Department has established a fund to create the Seyhan N. Ege Junior Faculty Development Award, which will be used to recognize junior faculty members on their teaching accomplishments. And the WISE Program, in collaboration with the Chemistry Department, LSA, the Office of the Vice-President for Research, and the UM ADVANCE Program will be sponsoring a symposium in Seyhan's honor this coming fall. Stay tuned for more details. Seyhan will be truly missed. We look forward to the rest of the fall semester and hope to see you at one of our events! Please stop by one (or both!) of our offices to say hello. We love to hear from you!
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