About the WISE Program

The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program at UMass Lowell sponsored its first “Career Day” for 7th and 8th grade girls from area schools in 1996. Since then, over four thousand girls have attended workshops presented by practicing female scientists on many and varied topics. The 2008 Career Day program will be held on Friday, May 23 at the North Campus of UMass Lowell.

For information, please call Dr. Ruth Tanner, UMass-Lowell, (978) 934-3662 or you may send email to Ruth_Tanner@uml.edu.

You may write us at the following address:

Women in Science and Engineering Program
Dr. Ruth Tanner, Director
Department of Chemistry
UMass Lowell
1 University Avenue
Lowell, MA 01854

PROGRAM NEED

According to the recently released report, “Rising Above the Gathering Storm”, there is pressing national need to encourage young people, particularly girls, to study science, engineering, math and technology,and to enter careers that use these fields of study. Indeed, the economic future of the country depends on it. While women now comprise more than half of all college students, they receive less than 20% of all degrees awarded in the target majors. Urgent and sustained attention is required to develop awareness and interest in these majors and careers, especially among girls.

WISE introduces middle school girls to the application of these fields and helps them understand the value of taking math and science courses in high school to prepare for careers in a broad range of professions that require strong backgrounds in these subjects. For girls at this age, science and math study is often rejected because little career awareness is provided in school, and stereotypes about people in these areas are not attractive. We know that efforts to spark interest, increase knowledge and confidence, and alter unflattering stereotypes of these career choices for girls have to begin in middle school. The WISE Program achieves all these goals. The program will be presented in May 2008 to girls in the Northeast Region of Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire to help foster increased awareness and interest in careers that rely on strong preparation in science and math.

PROGRAM GOALS

• To increase girls’ awareness of career fields in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math
• To reduce stereotypical perceptions of careers in these fields
• To increase girls’ awareness of the importance of studying math and science at the high school level to prepare for college courses of study
• To provide girls with hands-on workshops with positive role models of successful women in these various career fields
• To provide summer scholarships for girls to further encourage their interests in a science area of their choosing

PROGRAM OFFERINGS

The WISE Program offers more than 400 girls a one-day program consisting of three workshop experiences in different areas of career fields. The girls also receive the benefit of hearing a keynote speaker offer her story and words of encouragement and inspiration. Past speakers have included Helen Greiner, Chairman and Co-founder of iRobot, Catherine "Cady" Coleman, NASA Astronaut; Alison Japikse, Mechanical Engineer, Ford Motor Company, Ltd; Ann Bowles, Research Marine Biologist, Sea World, San Diego; Mish Michaels, TV Meteorologist, and Laurie Flannery, Audio Mastering Engineer.

Workshops help to inspire young women to pursue math and science education by providing hands-on learning with female professionals who model career success in a wide range of science, technology, engineering, and math fields. Twenty-six workshop offerings are planned for this year. 

Examples of previous workshops include:

1. Building Blocks of Software Engineering	7. Making a Robot Work for You
2. The Real CSI Lab	8. Engineering Personal Care Products
3. Cell Preparation for Manufacturing	9. Biotechnology: What Makes Our Bodies Work?
4. Spider Silk: Tough as Steel; Smooth as Silk	10. Man Made Objects in Space: How Do We Keep Track
5. Work Smarter Not Harder	11. Veterinary Emergency Medicine
6. Microphones, Mixers, and Crazy Sounds	12. Catapults, Black Belts, and Statistics

Each hands-on workshop is conducted by a female professional whose career field has been rewarding and successful. These professionals donate their time and energy to provide this workshop to the students. The presenter’s biography is provided in the program book and includes contact information for girls wishing to learn more about the presenter or her career field. 

FUNDING

WISE is entirely funded through the generous donations of private individuals and corporate sponsors from the Merrimack Valley and Southern New Hampshire. It is because of the individual presenters' generous donation of time that we are able to continue to provide this program at no cost to the schools. All funding received covers the program expenses of materials for the various workshops, scholarships for summer science and engineering programs/camps, keynote speaker travel costs, buses, meals, tee shirts and workshop presenter appreciation gifts.