The Women’s Center at the University of Wyoming is striving
to encourage young women to pursue degrees in the Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM) fields and to support college women already in
these areas of study. As part of their effort, they have been organizing Women
in Math Science and Engineering (WiMSE) lunch events throughout the academic
year. The first WiMSE event of 2013, on January 30th, was a career panel featuring women graduate
students, post-docs, professors and professional academic lecturers. These inspiring
and motivating women shared their stories about navigating their chosen career
paths as well as the positives and negatives of their experiences. Each woman
had something valuable to share with young women and men alike. Here are some
of the highlights from their stories:
*What you study in graduate school may not, and does not,
have to be what you do in your career, so don’t worry if it does not seem to be
exactly what you want to do.
*Spend time in the “real world” after completing your
undergraduate degree. Explore and learn more about what you really enjoy doing.
* In anything you do, learn from your colleagues and grow by
gaining new skills, which will assist you in finding and working in exactly the
area that interests you the most.
*Don’t let math stop you from pursuing a career in science.
Math is a skill that you can build up bit by bit.
*Explore options! A new perspective on or experience in science
or your field of interest can clarify your path.
*The path forward is not always straight. It is ok to take
turns and see where they lead you.
*Volunteering can be a way to take a fresh start in science.
It is so much easier to start a new job or enter a graduate
program if you get a foot in the door and meet new people. Volunteering can be
that foot in.
*Let your success and your passions go hand in hand. Stay
connected to and aware of your feelings. Eventually you will walk into what you
end up loving. Stick with it and stay
tuned in.
The next WiMSE event will be held February 6th from
12-1 in room 221 of the Wyoming Union. This is a career and internship
preparation session. Bring a friend and join us for a free lunch. You can find
out more information at http://www.uwyo.edu/womenscenter/wimse
or RSVP at WiMSE@uwyo.edu. We hope to see
you there for another great session about women in STEM.
By Wyoming EPSCoR staff
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