A message from Director Dr. Cinda-Sue Davis

The 2005-2006 academic year marks a special anniversary for the Women in Science and Engineering Program. It was 25 years ago that UM faculty women in science, mathematics and engineering, with support from the central administration, established the WISE Program. Although we were not the first in the country, we were significant in that we served the entire university STEM community; the university provided the core budget; and we had a dedicated staff. The original focus was on the undergraduate community with the intent to increase the numbers of women studying and pursuing careers in science, engineering, mathematics, and other technical fields. Twenty-five years later, we have expanded our focus and size dramatically. Click here for full story.

WISE sponsors regional science fair

This is the time of year that WISE Director Cinda-Sue Davis dons an additional hat as she directs the regional Southeast Michigan Science Fair (SEMSF). The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program is a co-sponsor of the fair, which is affiliated with the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF).

“Doing a hands-on science fair project is an excellent way to get students—both boys and girls—interested in science and engineering,” says Davis. “When we talk to faculty, researchers, scientists and physicians about science fair, so many of them get very excited and tell us about their own science fair projects. There is also preliminary NSF research that shows participation in a middle school science fair to be the most accurate predictor of a student’s likelihood of pursing science and engineering degrees beyond high school.” Click here for full story.

WISE offers summer research opportunities session

SWE Boeing Tech team

Twelve UM women, co-sponsored by WISE, will be participating in the Society of Women Engineer's Boeing Tech Team competition at this October's SWE National Conference. Teams are challenged to work with a corporate partner to develop an engineering solution, including a prototype, to a problem faced in industry. 

The UM Tech Team is working with Aerospace Company out of Los Angeles, California, to find a solution to dust mitigation on the lunar surface, a problem that must be addressed before humans can return to the moon. Click here for full story.

Graduate student breakfast with Eugenie Scott

The morning after her campus talk, "Intelligent Design and the Creationism-Evolution Controversy", a group of 14 UM female graduate students from engineering and the sciences enjoyed breakfast along with lively conversation with Dr. Eugenie Scott, Executive Director of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) and former president of the American Association of Physical Anthropologists.

The WISE-sponsored breakfast allowed students to discuss with Scott details of her talk, to listen to stories and strategies surrounding NCSE court cases, and to talk about her choice to pursue a career outside of a university. Click here for full story.

WISE Residence Program profile

Nineteen-year old Sandhya Krishnan, who was born in California, has lived all over the world: Scotland, India, and Malaysia. For the past ten years, she and her younger brother and parents have lived in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Although she was also admitted to Johns Hopkins, Sandhya fell in love with the University of Michigan after a campus visit. She chose the WISE RP as a first-year student because she thought she would feel more comfortable living with other studious students and her parents were more comfortable with her living in an all-female hall. Sandhya liked the WISE RP so much, she returned for her sophomore year. Click here for full story.