Last April I attended a multidisciplinary conference convened by the Center for Women and Work at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and funded by the National Science Foundation. The conference theme was Intergenerational Voices on Women in Science and Engineering. Researchers and practitioners from disciplines such as sociology, history, economics, science, physics, medicine, computing, education, and others, joined themed breakout groups on educational pathways for women in STEM fields, worklife balance issues, and organizational and workforce issues.
I was in the workforce and organizational issues group; we were tasked with identifying 2 issues that we thought were the most central for women in science and engineering. After a day of fruitful and engaged discussion, we agreed on two central issues: institutional leadership, and the role of supportive communities.
What does a supportive community for women in science and engineering look like? I was reminded of ABI programs and the supportive communities they create: the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing, Systers, TechLeaders, and our online efforts all have a strong networking and community building component.
The Grace Hopper Celebration’s combination of strong technical content, networking, mentoring, and celebration make it a model for the building of a supportive community for women in science and engineering. The most powerful moment of the conference to me was witnessing the dance floor after the banquet: students, young graduates, deans, CEOs, executives, and distinguished engineers all joined in celebration of their work as women in computing - the sense of belonging to a wonderful community was palpable.