ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN IN SCIENCE INC. SAN DIEGO

Women in Science and Technology (WIST) is our flagship event. Held every other year (odd numbered years), the conference focuses on empowering women and offering various career development workshops. This event draws over a hundred attendees. The event offers plenary lectures from prominent women in science and leadership positions to interactive workshops on professional and personal development. The AWIS-SD Scholarships are presented to the winners at this event. It is designed to inspire and empower women in their STEM careers and garners stellar reviews from the attendees.

We conduct several major outreach events per year, aimed mostly at children and and young women. These hands on science events include: family science days at the San Diego Festival of Science and Engineering, a table with chemistry experiments at Chem Expo, science workshops at the Expanding Your Horizons Day (for middle school girls) and a STEM career conference (for high school juniors and seniors). The career conference provides a panel of women in a variety of STEM careers who explain their particular career and training. Our Outreach Committee also gives $100 awards to young students (middle school and high school) who enter science projects in the Greater San Diego Science and Engineering Fair.

A2I Coffee Club is an informal gathering for individuals in academia interested in transitioning to a career in industry. We are a fun and relaxing network group holding monthly meetings and multiple company tours throughout the year. We invite individuals holding a variety of positions in industry to join our coffee social each month to provide insight into their career move and work/life balance. The forums are intended to be a place for people of similar interests or paths in life to meet and support each other. It’s a great way to network with fellow AWIS members and share ideas and encouragement.

These regularly held Strategy Sessions are offered seven times a year. They offer specific career and personal development workshops for AWIS-SD members. They include such topics as: leadership, communication, personal branding and social media, developing mentor/mentee relationships, financial planning, networking, negotiating and starting your own business. As small and intimate events, the Strategy Sessions also provide opportunities for networking and peer to peer mentoring.