The Association for Women in Science (AWIS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to achieving equity and full participation of women in all areas of science, technology, and engineering.

The Chicago Area Chapter of the Association for Women in Science was founded in 1978 as a local chapter of the national organization.

AWIS Fellows Reception at the AAAS meeting. February, 2009
AWIS-CAC NEWS

2008 was an exciting year for the AWIS Chicago Area Chapter. We have expanded our outreach programs, sponsored professional development workshops and hosted several social activities for area women scientists. For 2009 we plan to continue those activities and further expand our outreach programs, starting with a partnership with the city-wide Science Chicago Event. Check back here for brief news on what AWIS-CAC is doing and how as a member you can be involved.

Important Upcoming Events:

New website coming soon!

Fall 2009 Kickoff Event.
Come socialize with other Chicago area scientists at the Windy City Wine Festival on September 12th! Meet at 4pm and enjoy sampling over 250 wines, games and a raffle. Register by September 7th for discounted admission to the Festival. Click on the link in the AWIS-CAC Events bar on the right hand side of this page to register.

Other News:

Mayor Daley declares February 15th, 2009 "Women in Science Day in Chicago". Mayor Daley's surprising endorsement is a symbol of support and encouragement to female scientist in the Chicago Area. We are honored by the recognition of our achievements and contributions to all fields of science. Sandy Pearce, our chapter president, read the proclamation at the AWIS Fellows Reception on February 15th. View the proclamation here.

Check out the AWIS-CAC Events Calendar. Use this handy tool to keep yourself up to date on AWIS-CAC, partner and Chicago area activities. You can synchronize this Google calendar with your personal calendar tool (Outlook or iCal). Find the link at the top of the Events page.

New AWIS-CAC Store! Visit our Store and support AWIS-CAC activities. All profits go directly towards providing better quality events and workshops at more affordable prices for our members. Show your support for women in science by wearing AWIS-CAC apparel!

Please Join Us in Welcoming New Board Members. Our Science Chicago Liason, Renee Theiss, is now serving as our new VP for Programs. Joy Ramos has stepped in as the new VP for Membership.

Volunteer and Outreach Opportunities. Information about volunteering for specific AWIS events and other area science events can now be found on the Upcoming Events page. Several groups need the help of area scientists. Specific events on the horizon include judging science fairs. If you know of a science-related event that needs volunteers or would like to partner with AWIS-CAC, please send an email to awischicago@yahoo.com

Women's Health Research Monthly Forum: The Institute for Women's Health Research is excited to invite you and your colleagues to the Women's Health Research Monthly Forum. This forum will occur once a month at noon in Prentice Women's Hospital. The objective is to present current links and implications between basic and clinical research related to sexual dimorphisms, to encourage increased sex- and gender-based studies, and to provide support and role models for the emerging women�s health scholars. More information under the Upcoming Events Tab, check back soon for future events.

Past AWIS-CAC Activities:

Spring Social/Networking Event: This year we welcomed spring with a wine tasting at Drinks Over Dearborn. The small shop provided six wines and a liquor to taste along with appetizers. A great group of women turned out to enjoy the evening!

AWIS-CAC recognizes the talent of young women in science at the Chicago Public Schools Science Fair. AWIS-CAC volunteers gave a Special Award to 5 girls at the Science Fair which took place March 27th.

AWIS-CAC partnered with Women on Boards on March 9th, 2009. This yearly panel discussion provided information for women wishing to serve on a board of directors in the future. Non-profit and for-profit female board members were represented on the panel.

Negotiation Skills Workshops Part II: Negotiation in Industry.
The second part in our three part negotiation skills series took place February 27th at Abbott Laboratories. Our speaker, Jamie Stacey, is the Director of Talent acquisition at Abbott. She is a 12 yr employee with 7yrs experience in Talent Acquisition. She will provided insight into negotiating industry contracts. The third part in the series, Negotiation in Academia, will take place later this year.

AAAS and AWIS events: At the AAAS meeting every year, local chapters coordinate with National AWIS for several events. This year, AWIS-CAC was pleased to invite members to attend the 2009 AWIS Fellows Awards Dinner on February 15th and a Networking Breakfast and Talk on February 16th. The events were great opportunities to meet the National board and interact with members from AWIS chapters all over the country. The AWIS-CAC board came away from these events with new ideas for our chapter activities and we look forward to implementing them over the coming months.

Science of the Small, January 17, 2009. AWIS-CAC partnered with Northwestern University and the city-wide Science Chicago event to host a nanotechnology workshop for children at Northwestern's Evanston campus.

Negotiation Skills Workshop Part 1: Effective Negotiation of Employment Contracts. This event provided information on how to negotiate for an employment contract and was led by Kristi Nelson and Noelle Brennan. They provided insight as to what terms should always be found in an employment contract, how to find salary information when applying for a position and what legally you can negotiate within a contract. Links to the handout provided as well as helpful websites can be found in the Past Events Section.



Join us at one of our upcoming events to learn more about AWIS! To stay updated on future events, AWIS-CAC has set up a listserve with the gracious help of the University of Chicago. We use this list to post announcements of upcoming events, speakers, meetings and general information of particular relevance to women scientists.
Please go to the web page listed below to subscribe.

http://listhost.uchicago.edu/mailman/listinfo/awis

You can also get information by sending an email to awis-request@listhost.uchicago.edu and putting the word "help" as the subject or in the body of the message.

AWIS-CAC Events:
  • Coming Soon
    New Website!

  • August 29th 9am-4:30pm
    Argonne Laboratories Open House
    Stop by the AWIS-CAC booth!

  • September 12 at 4pm
    Fall Kickoff Event
    Windy City Wine Festival
    Register Now!

Visit the Upcoming Events page for details regarding these events and other science events in Chicago!

Check out our Store and help support AWIS-CAC activities.