A joint event hosted by the AIChE ChemBE student chapter, the Society of Women Engineers, and the Committee of Diversity and Inclusion for Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering was held on March 25th to celebrate Women’s History month.
Fifty students attended the event, where the panel of speakers discussed topics ranging from the progress that has been made in the representation of women in academia, as well as discussing further steps that need to be taken to facilitate progress towards equal representation.
Eight speakers provided insight into the topics, five of whom represent the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, pictured on the right: (L-R) Yayuan Liu, Jamie Spangler, Ann Himelreich, Paulette Clancy, and Nagma Zerin. The varied insight and background of the panel allowed diverse dialogue on the topic. The panel discussion was followed by a networking dinner, at which the panelists continued the discussion in small groups with the attendees.
“It is important to not only see how far the representation of women has come in academia, but also understand how we can continue to improve,” said Clancy. “Having discussions like this foster the engagement needed to make those improvements.”