WISE Women

When classes end and other students head for the beach, summer jobs, or summer school, 14 McMicken and 11 other female undergraduates will enjoy the opportunity of a lifetime, participating in the WISE REWU program while also earning a $4,000 stipend.

A model empowerment, retention and recruitment initiative, the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program engages undergraduate women in activities with faculty and peers in order to promote student success in the science and engineering professions. WISE was founded in 1996 by a group of volunteer faculty supported by a Faculty Development Grant. A few years later, the Research Experiences for Women Undergraduates (REWU) summer program began.

The twelve-week program gives each WISE student a chance to work closely with a volunteer faculty mentor and to gain unique research experience in labs on both east and west campuses. Participants attend a series of workshops that discuss reading, presenting, and writing scientific papers. Communicating with the media, preparing for graduate school, developing leadership skills, and social networking are also important focal points of the interactive workshop program. So important that Urmila Ghia, director of WISE, believes "the one most impressive outcome of the program is the confidence these young women develop through their participation." Many of the WISE graduates claim that the program had a great impact on their lives and their future career plans. One observed, “It forced me to move out of my comfort zone and reach for a higher potential that I never knew existed.”

Equally impressive are retention and post-graduation results. Since the program's inception seven years ago, every WISE graduate has completed her degree at UC, and many have gone on to graduate or professional schools. One measure of WISE REWU’s success is the enthusiasm with which central administration and affected departments have provided financial support.

Over half of the program’s resources this year will go to McMicken students, distributed over six departments. They include the following:

Aparna Dacha (International Affairs)

Megan Finney (Geology)

Anna Fiskin (Biological Sciences)

Richa Garg (Biochemistry)

Amanda Heslar (Physics)

Cherie Hill (Geology )

Robin Kimes (Physics)

Christine Lemon (Chemistry)

Andrea Montgomery (Biological Sciences/Pre-Med)

Karen Niehaus (Biological Sciences)

Mona Odeh (Biological Sciences)

Maryann Paul (Biological Sciences)

Elizabeth Ristagno (Biological Sciences)

Holly Titanic (Biological Sciences)

Ghia adds, “We are very proud that so many McMicken students have been selected to participate in WISE.”

For additional information about the WISE Program, visit

www.wise.uc.edu

.