conference schedule
Welcome to weSTEM 2024!
Friday, February 2
time
event
location
6:30 - 6:45 pm
Arrival, Networking, & Dinner
Pizza, Salads
Pizza, Salads
Papa Del’s
6:40 - 6:45 pm
Welcoming Remarks
Laura Gray
Laura Gray
6:45 - 7:15 pm
Sponsor Remarks
MathWorks
MathWorks
7:20 - 8:15 pm
Networking Keynote
Cecilia Aragon
Cecilia Aragon
8:15-8:30 pm
Networking & Wrap-Up
Saturday, February 3
time
event
location
9:00 - 9:50 am
Registration & Sponsor Networking
Coffee, Tea, Pastries
Coffee, Tea, Pastries
Lobby
9:45 - 10:10 am
Opening Remarks
Ellen Wang Althaus
Illinois Ballroom
10:10 - 11:00 am
Opening Keynote:
Bringing Your Full Self into STEM: How Trans Inclusion Advances Science
Anna Marie LaChance
Illinois Ballroom
11:00 - 11:15 am
Speaker Photo with Organizing Committee / Networking / Break
Lobby
11:15 am - 12:00 pm
Session One: Identity & Your Career
Harassment, Discrimination, & Self-Advocacy
Jennifer VanAntwerp
Jennifer VanAntwerp
Innovation Room
Returning the Humanity to Engineering: Place-Based Knowledge & Engineering Identity
Ann-Perry Witmer
Ann-Perry Witmer
Excellence Room
They Don’t Exist? Tales of Aliens, Unicorns and Women in STEM
Greses Pérez
Greses Pérez
Knowledge Room
12:00 - 1:00 pm
Lunch & Networking
Illinois Ballroom
3:10 - 3:55 pm
Session Two: Career Panels
Careers in Academia
Rose Cersonsky (UW-Madison)
Juliet Johnston (GA Tech)
Tolulope Fadina (UIUC)
Rose Cersonsky (UW-Madison)
Juliet Johnston (GA Tech)
Tolulope Fadina (UIUC)
Innovation Room
Careers in Industry
Ke Min (Corteva)
Sara Stangel (Motorola)
Maria Alvim-Gaston (Eli Lilly)
Ke Min (Corteva)
Sara Stangel (Motorola)
Maria Alvim-Gaston (Eli Lilly)
Excellence Room
Careers in Nonprofits & National Labs
Sudeshna Mohanty (RMI)
Maria Curry-Nkansah (NREL)
Lauren Valentino (Argonne)
Sudeshna Mohanty (RMI)
Maria Curry-Nkansah (NREL)
Lauren Valentino (Argonne)
Knowledge Room
3:55 - 4:10 pm
Networking / Break
4:15 - 5:05 pm
Session Three: Finding Your Niche
Carving Out Your Space
Integrating Work & Advocacy
Molly Bathje
Building Community through Outreach
Juliet Johnston
Integrating Work & Advocacy
Molly Bathje
Building Community through Outreach
Juliet Johnston
Innovation Room
Community Outreach
Improving Health Research through Community Engagement
Violeta Rodriguez
Utilizing Your Voice to Grow Community
Jennifer Schultz Nelson
Excellence Room
Engineering Outside the Lines
Nonlinear Careers & the Intersection of Science and Law
Rummana Alam
Bulletproof Mindset
Bhumika Chhabra
Knowledge Room
Staying True to Yourself
Interpersonal Communication
Lexi Feutz
Navigating Transition Points
Miranda Tseng Katter
Illinois Ballroom
5:10 - 5:40 pm
Dinner
Illinois Ballroom
5:40 - 6:30 pm
Closing Keynote:
Aim High, Embrace Uncertainty, & Achieve Impact
Nita Singh Kaushal
Illinois Ballroom
6:30 - 6:40 pm
Closing Remarks
Jiachun Shi
Illinois Ballroom
breakout sessions
What is a breakout session?
A breakout session is a short small group discussion on topics relating to the conference in a more intimate setting. These discussions provide additional opportunities for attendees to network with conference speakers and invited guests.
How does this work?
There will be a number of short breakout sessions. Every table will have a discussion leader and a suggested topic. During each session, attendees may freely choose discussion topics based on personal interests. To help facilitate the best possible discussion, please keep the number of attendees to about eight per table.
What if I want to participate in multiple sessions?
You’re in luck! There are seven 15-minute sessions, so you will have the opportunity to participate in seven unique discussions. Each table’s topic stays the same throughout the sessions. Feel free to stick around at a table if you want to keep talking about the topic!