What Does WCGL Do?

Successes | Ongoing Goals

Successes

• Summer 2005 - Chemistry Department introduces careers course for grad students
  
  The Chemistry Department has introduced a new career development course, CHEM309: Navigating Career Options for Ph.D. Chemists, to be offered in summer quarter. The course closely follows a format and objectives proposed by the WCGL, and is being coordinated in its first year by three WCGL members.

• May 11, 2005 - WCGL was one of 10 voluntary student groups to receive the Dean of Students Outstanding Achievement Award. More details can be found in the Stanford Daily article on our media page.

• May 3, 2005 - Perspectives Evening Seminar: "Life in Academia: A Young Faculty Discussion" featuring four Stanford young faculty. Seminar coordinated in collaboration with Women in Electrical Engineering and the ASSU Speakers' Bureau.

• Feb. 22, 2005 - Perspectives Evening Seminar: "Non-traditional Scientific Careers" featuring Dr. Angelie Agarwal and Dr. Pamela Sherwood

• Winter 2004 - Faculty Dinner Series Begins

  WCGL is proud to announce the kickoff of a new faculty dinner series. Formed in response to a perceived need for more informal interaction with our own faculty, WCGL is working with the SAC to give students a chance to go out to dinner in small groups with their favorite Stanford chemists. Winter quarter schedule: Jan. 25 (John Brauman), Feb. 8 (Jennifer Kohler), Mar. 8 (Bob Waymouth), Apr. 26: (Eric Kool), May 17 (Dmitry Yandulov). For details, please contact WCGL member Noah Goldberg (ntg@).

• Nov. 11-12, 2004 - First DWIS Colloquium featuring Prof. Victoria DeRose

  While DWIS is funded and organized by the Chemistry Department, its formation was the direct result of the energies of WCGL's founders. Today, we celebrated the successful implementation of the DWIS Colloquia Series, which has been renewed and expanded for 2005-2006.

• Oct. 7, 2004 - Perspectives Evening Seminar: "Where Are All The Female Science Professors?" featuring Dr. Adina Paytan

  Our inaugural Perspectives seminar brought together over 50 male and female graduate students and staff joined WCGL for a presentation and discussion of gender and science.

• March 24, 2004 - Letter to Hans Andersen, Stanford Chemistry Dept. Chair

  This letter was delivered to Prof. Andersen with the signatures of 41 graduate students and postdocs. As a result of this letter, funding was approved for the 2004-2005 Distinguished Women in Science Colloquia and fresh focus was placed on gender issues in the Chemistry Department.

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Ongoing Goals

This year the WCGL has a number of ambitious plans. Please join us and help turn these goals into realities!

• "Perspectives" Evening Seminar Series

  In 2005-2006, WCGL will host three informal evening seminars where an invited speaker addresses a topic relevant to gender issues in science. More about the Perspectives Evening Seminar Series

• Evaluation of Gender-Related Concerns in the Department

  The WCGL took an informal e-mail survey of the Department's graduate students and postdocs in March 2004. We would like to more formally evaluate students' and postdocs' gender-related concerns. In addition, the WCGL intends to draw upon the results of the Graduate Student Council Academic Issues Survey Report with regard to Chemistry. The WCGL will be able to better prioritize its goals once we have this information.

• Resources Available to Women in the Chemistry Department

  We hope to work with the Department to create a section of the Chemistry web site that provides information relevant to female scientists and links to resources available to them, particularly resources for conflict resolution. We also intend to suggest ways in which the Department can make these resources more visible and accessible, to informally evaluate these resources' efficacy, and to suggest improvements if necessary.

• Increasing WCGL Membership

  We're very excited to get WCGL up and running. We are looking forward to welcoming incoming graduate students in the fall with a presentation and leaflet that describe WCGL and key gender-related campus resources.

• Funding for Perspectives Evening Seminar Series and Other Activities

  The WCGL will actively solicit Departmental, University and corporate funding.
  
• Recruitment of Female Faculty

  WCGL is pleased to support the Department in whatever ways possible in its efforts to recruit female faculty members.

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