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2017 WiSE Conference Sessions

Download the 2017 WiSE Conference Sessions PDF

Plenary Sessions

1. Amazon and Customer Obsession

We strive to be the earth's most customer-centric company. When you have the customer's needs as the end goal in mind, you always know where you are going. Thinking about our customer segments, we are always inventing on behalf of the customer — but in doing this we must be willing to take risks. We may fail; however, if we are not willing to fail, then we may not evolve. If we stopped evolving, we would not be serving our customers. Being part of a company of builders innovating on behalf of our customers, you should expect to own and drive big projects that will impact the customer experience immediately. It’s one of the things that makes it so exciting to work here, as we continue to branch into areas we’ve never explored before. Come learn how you can be part of the journey as a risk taker, builder, innovator, and pioneer!

2. Creating Your Career Binder

Preparing for your dream career to fulfill your passion takes more than just a notion. Learn how to electronically collect and organize all the things you need to develop your career plan and your strategy for success.

3. Diversity, Bioethics, and Empowerment in STEM

Why are diversity and ethics competency important in STEM? A panel of STEM advocates will provide a brief discussion of historic and current case studies of diversity-related ethics issues in research and engineering. They will provide an overview of issues concerning representation of minority student populations in STEM and the evidence supporting the value of inclusive teaching and diverse teams in research and the workplace. Come learn and share in the conversation of our best practices for advocacy and representation of diversity in STEM.
(Audience: All)

4. Navigating Your Career as an Engineer

Unlimited borders and boundaries! The places you can go and the things you can do! A diverse panel will share how they use their degrees in the workplace. Panelists describe the field of engineering and how to become an engineer. They share experiences, practices, and lessons that have helped them build a rewarding and innovative career as a professional engineer.
(Audience: All)

5. Prototype an App in a Fast Paced Design Workshop

Experience the fun of technology design in a fast paced hands-on activity. Participants will work through the problem space for a technology application, brainstorm about users and their needs, and prototype the interaction and interface of an app. Come join us and try your hand at designing apps, while learning about Human Centered Design and Engineering.
(Audience: Pre-College)

6. A View from the Top: Succeeding in Small Companies

Do you envision a career away from academia? Does industry seem appealing? Want to start your own company or work in a start-up? There are challenging and rewarding opportunities for scientists and engineers in companies involved with drug development, engineering, and science education. Come hear from women who have worked in big, established companies and in small, start-up companies. Take away a better picture of the skills needed to thrive in industry, as well as the unique skills and mind-set for founding or working in a start-up company.


Workshop Session #1

1. Gameplan 101: How to Kickoff Your Career in Tech

You have your diploma in hand and three internships under your belt. But are you ready? Hear lessons learned and things the speakers wish they knew when in college and while kicking off a career in tech. Tips and advice on maximizing your college career and making it work for you when applying to any entry level position. You will leave this session with strategies for mapping out your playbook on how to transition from the classroom to the boardroom.
(Audience: Collegiate)

2. Have You Googled Yourself Lately? Why Social HR Matters

A recent Glamour magazine article stated, "Googling yourself may seem self-indulgent. But with more than one-quarter of Americans—and one-third of millennials—believing their online first impression is more important than their in-person introduction, you can start to see the appeal of grooming your Google results." More and more employers are not only using social media to find talent but also to screen it. The Career Center @ Engineering will discuss how to effectively establish/manage your social brand, network with people online, identify job opportunities via social media, and turn leads into real-life job opportunities.
(Audience: All)

3. Keeping Sane: Work-Life Balance Through Your Career

These days that line between work and leisure can become blurry. Come ask questions of a panel of civil and strucutral engineers about how to keep yourself sane while working in the high stress world of science and engineering. We will focus on the importance of setting boundaries and explain where we have found success or difficulties in our own careers in order to avoid work life "imbalance."
(Audience: Collegiate)

4. Started From the Bottom, Now I'm Here: How STEM Mentoring Can Change Your Life

Why is mentoring imperative for individuals in STEM? Learn about how a woman, raised by refugee parents from Vietnam, grew up underprivileged and became the first in her family to go to college. Learn how she used her grit and leveraged mentoring to land a career in global technology consulting, resulting in a life far beyond what she ever imagined was possible! Get tips on finding and cultivating a quality mentoring relationship to navigate your STEM career.
(Audience: All)

5. Transfer Students and the Search for Scholarships: UW, Local, and National Scholarships for the Future Husky

Is being a transfer student in your university degree plan? Now is the time to start investigating the scholarships the UW offers specifically for students transferring in from community colleges. Get a jump start on thinking about the scholarships available to students engaging in research and other scholarly pursuits during the final 2-3 undergraduate years and even after graduation.
(Audience: Community College, Pre-College)

6. UCD Charrette: A Hands-On Introduction to User Centered Design

Come join us and learn about Human Centered Design and Engineering and the User Centered Design field. Teams will be guided through a particular design space to explore (such as user interfaces for a web site, mobile app, or a physical device), brainstorm about users needs, develop use-case scenarios, and create interaction designs for an application.
(Audience: Collegiate)

7. Where are the People Like Me? Examining the Factors that can Impact Cracking the Ceiling

Have you ever wondered why engineering is such a male dominated field? This session will share demographics on diversity in engineering, dive into the presence of unconscious bias and privilege and the role it plays in the lack of diversity, and talk about your growth mindset as a tool to persevere when the going gets rough. Come join us as we share insights from social science research that help us understand and recognize the diversity issues in engineering that can limit the cracking of the ceiling.
(Audience: All)


Workshop Session #2

1. Crush Your Coding with Facebook

Never attended a technical interview before? Want to thoroughly prepare for your next one? Technical interviews are one of the major hurdles to landing an awesome internship or full-time career. Come learn about the common pitfalls and tips to help you crush your next coding interview! You will hear from Facebook engineers about interviewing tips and the best way to show your strengths on a whiteboard.

2. Funding Your Future: Local and National Scholarships for Undergrads in STEM

Get started on the search for merit-based scholarships and learn about developing a competitive edge. This session will provide information on STEM-specific scholarships from local organizations, national foundations, government agencies that might fund your undergraduate studies, graduate studies, international research/studies, and beyond.
(Audience: All)

3. Internships Can Break the Ceiling, and We'll Show You How to Get Them

Getting the job you want and having internship experiences go hand in hand. Our research shows students with one or more internships were more likely to be employed in their field upon graduation by a significant margin. Knowledge of the internship cycle and preparation are key, and we will provide resources and tools you can use to develop your internship plan of action. Internships help you break through barriers in jobs where women are historically underrepresented, so let's get started!
(Audience: Collegiate)

4. Overcome Gender Bias: Mentoring and Other Strategies for Career Development

Come join us to discuss and raise awareness of issues that many scientists and engineers face throughout their careers. A lively group of women scientists from the physical and life sciences in different phases of their careers will cover a variety of topics including challenges experienced in the workplace, the imposter syndrome, mentoring, “sitting at the table,” and strategies for moving towards creating an equitable community in the STEM fields.
(Audience: All)

5. Peering into the Crystal Ball: Preparing for New Fields in Science

The future is now! There are exciting new areas of science that await you. Personalized medicine, mobile health monitoring, organoids from stem cells, and artificial intelligence are a few of the new directions that scientists are exploring. Come meet motivated women pursuing their passions through work in innovative science fields. You will hear about their education and career paths in industry and academia and the skills they see as necessary to prepare for current and future careers in science.
(Audience: All)

6. “Tell Me About Yourself" Get to Know Your Strengths and How to Articulate Them

Effective leaders are made by choice and practice. They know what their strengths are and use them to move teams forward. They have a clear understanding of their strengths, skills, and talents as well as the talents of the people on their team. Do you know what strengths you bring to the table? To gain more clarity about your strengths please join us for an introduction to the Dependable Strengths Process where you will begin to identify your strengths and learn about a proven strategy to discover the strengths of others.
(Audience: All)