Michelle Janas is a lead scientist with GE Healthcare Life Sciences. GE Global Research is looking at ways to increase the recruitment—and retention—of women researchers like her. Credit: GE.
We just got word of an exciting event underway right now to support women in STEM careers.
Today and tomorrow GE Global Research is hosting a Women in Science and Engineering symposium at their Niskayuna, N.Y. location. The event is “aimed specifically at talking about how to recruit, develop and retain female technologists,” according to Kristen Brosnan, a GE materials scientist and ACerS member. Brosnan also is a frequent contributor to Edison’s Desk, GE Global’s blog and will be live blogging and tweeting from the symposium.
In fact, in today’s blog post Brosnan announces that, in addition to this WISE symposium, she and a few colleagues are opening up a new topic thread called Wise Words. The goal, she writes, is to share “wise words from women starting, continuing or at the peak of their careers in technology and women learning how to balance their careers and other commitments.” Brosnan has written before about her concern over “the alarming rates that women leave science and technology careers,” beginning with here post, “Navigating the Glass Maze.”
The two-day WISE symposium is an invitation-only gathering for managers, human resources and leaders, but Brosnan will keep us all apprised of the key ideas and take-aways. She says in an email, “I see it as a great first step in addressing the issues brought up in all the studies that show women leave their science/technology careers mid-career. I am so glad that the conversation is getting started!”
Here is a partial list of the speakers:
- Rosalind Hudnell, chief diversity officer, Intel
- Denise Gammal, director of corporate partnerships, Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology
- Erika Degidio, executive director, talent and diversity, Bristol-Myers Squibb
- Lt. Col. Kay Emerson, West Point diversity officer, United States Military Academy
- Jan Blittersdorf, president & CEO, NRG Systems
Follow Brosnan’s Wise Words blog here, or follow her on Twitter, @kristenbrosnan, #GEWiseWords.