Welcome to WiC+
We are a primarily graduate student- and postdoc-focused organization that aims to foster relationships between women+ in the University of Chicago’s Department of Chemistry. We aim to create a supportive environment for women+ in chemistry by hosting monthly social and/or professional development events, meeting with visiting speakers, and performing outreach activities to the local Hyde Park community.
Check out the flyers for our upcoming events below:
Stay in the loop! Subscribe to our “chem-women” listserv to get the quickest updates on WiC+ events and happenings.
One of the main functions of WiC+ is to foster a community where women+ scientists can feel comfortable and supported. Thus, WiC+ holds quarterly dinners and sponsors bonding activities (i.e., craft nights, ice skating, bowling, etc.) for members.
We also have a tradition of senior graduate students mentoring women+ students of the incoming graduate class, to help them navigate through any transitions or hurdles as they adjust to graduate life at UChicago. Currently, the WiC+ Mentorship Program is opt-in; any first-year student interested in having a WiC+ mentor can contact the board, which will then carefully pair the student with one of the many senior graduate students who have volunteered to be mentors.
WiC+ offers professional development events where members can learn the ins-and-outs of early career tactics to stay competitive scientists.
WiC+ has worked with UChicago’s myCHOICE to sponsor student attendance to workshops, hosted career talks by Chemistry faculty, arranged breakfasts with visiting speakers, and screened webinars on professionalism.
WiC+ members have a passion for sharing science. To date we have hosted booths and demos at various local science festivals aimed at all ages. Not only do we want people to be engaged in science, but we also want to demonstrate the presence of women+ in chemistry.
We have participated in the first annual Southside Science Festival, the annual Physics with a Bang!, and Girls4Science.
Besides providing the space for students to relax, we also aim to nurture discussions between students about career challenges that face women+ in chemistry and in STEM generally. In pursuit of this goal, we organize quarterly discussions, where students come together to analyze an article, book, documentary, or case study related to this theme. Students discuss strategies for overcoming the unique challenges that face women+ in STEM, share their own experiences in science, and ideate about how to make positive changes in the culture of science academia (both broadly and specifically in our department).
WiC+ is run by elected graduate students and is funded as a UChicago RSO and by the Department of Chemistry.