Events: Fall 2006 - Spring 2007

Theme: Building Confidence and Building Community

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now" : A Panel Discussion of Graduate Women

Monday September 11, 2006
Time: 5:15-7:30 pm, DINNER PROVIDED!
Place: Von Canon Rooms, Bryan Center; Desert and tour to follow at Women's Center.

Meet incoming students from throughout the university! A panel of women from the graduate and professional schools will share their experiences and tips for surviving at Duke. This informative evening offers a safe space to explore the "how to's" and "why not's" of graduate life as well as a great opportunity to network with women both within and outside of your school or department. Co-sponsored with GPWN (Graduate and Professional Women's Network).

Leadership Development

Friday, September 22, 2006
Time: 12 - 1:15 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Women's Center (main West Campus, on the traffic circle)

Build your confidence and leadership abilities! Meet the new dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Jo Rae Wright, and learn about how to develop your leadership skills. A cell biologist and physiologist, Dr. Wright has previously served as vice dean of basic science at the Duke University School of Medicine. She has developed programs that help graduate students give professional presentations, interact with mentors and pursue careers. An expert in lung disease, Dr. Wright has focused her research on how pulmonary epithelial and immune cells prevent infection and inflammation and promote normal breathing within the lung.

Balancing Career and Family

Friday, October 13, 2006
Time: 12 - 1:15 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Women's Center (main West Campus, on the traffic circle)
Audio recording of the event (large file, .mp3, 66MB, 1:10:39)

Balancing work and family can be a precarious act. Is it possible to accomplish your dreams without sacrificing too much? Who is going to pursue graduate education while the other works? What kind of options are available to you when you don't have a strong family base? This workshop will give you an opportunity to hear from a panel of women who have a diversity of backgrounds and how they handle balancing careers and family.
Panelists include: Haiyan Gao, associate professor in physics; Nancy Allen, professor of medicine and special assistant to the provost; Susan Roth, professor of psychology and special assistant to the president and Dean of the Social Sciences; and Amanda Moehring, Ruth L. Kirschstein NIH, NRSA Postdoctoral Fellow in Developmental Biology.

Assertiveness and Self-Confidence Development

Friday, November 10, 2006
Time: 12 - 1:15 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Women's Center

Assertiveness and self-confidence play a key role in being able to perform effectively in the workplace. Come to this workshop presented by Dr. Helen Pak-Harvey and discover how to enhance self confidence, self esteem, and self belief. Learn how to overcome confidence killers in your interpersonal communication. Develop critical skills to deal with difficult people and challenging situations.
Dr. Pak-Harvey is a Duke alum and holds a PhD degree in chemistry and an MBA degree. She is currently a Consulting Sales Executive with IBM's Healthcare and Life Sciences Organization. She also serves on the Duke Club of the Triangle.

Face to Face: Dean Jo Rae Wright to Speak to International S&E Women

Friday, February 2, 2007
Time: 1:15-2:15 pm, Desert Provided!
Place: Women's Center

This session is designed for first- and second-year international women in science and engineering fields to meet the new Graduate School Dean, Dr. Jo Rae Wright. Learn about the graduate school and its resources that can help you succeed. This is also a good opportunity to ask questions, share stories, give comments, or raise concerns. A cell biologist and physiologist, Dr. Wright has developed programs that help graduate students give professional presentations, interact with mentors and pursue careers. This event is cosponsored with English for International Students (EIS) program.

Enhancing Personal Innovation and Problem Solving

Friday, February 9, 2007
Time: 12 - 1:15 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Teer 203 *Note New Location!*

Improve your problem solving skills at this workshop with Dr. Natalie Wisniewski. Dr. Wisniewski graduated from Duke in 2001 with a Ph.D. degree in Biomedical Engineering. While at Duke, she did an internship with McKinsey and later worked for the global consulting company as a consultant for 2 years. While at McKinsey, Dr. Wisniewski had the opportunity to work as a consultant around the country. She then decided to leave McKinsey and founded her own consulting company, Medical Device Consultancy, which has its headquarters in San Francisco. Her clientele includes Boston Scientific, start-up companies, and venture capital firms around the country.

Resume workshop

Monday, February 19, 2007
Time: 12 - 1:30 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Women's Center

Learn how to polish your resume with Dr. Virginia Steinmetz, Director of Graduate Student Career Services. Share tips and discuss with peers and mentors. At the end of this workshop, the MBTI will be introduced and participants given instructions on how to take the test online before the next event.

2007 Distinguished Speaker: Dr. Angela Johnson
Unintended Consequences: How Science Professors Unintentionally Discourage Women of Color

Friday, February 23, 2007
Time: 10:30AM - 12:30 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Note special location! Schiciano Auditorium B, FCIEMAS Building

Missed the talk? Listen to the audio recording courtesy of the Pratt School of Engineering. You will need iTunes to download the talk. You can also view her powerpoint slides.

Black, Latina and American Indian women are under-represented in the sciences. In this talk, Dr. Angela Johnson explores how the culture of science is closely aligned with the cultural skills of white middle class men, and discusses some of the teaching practices and cultural values which served to benefit white students and male students at the expense of women. The talk ends with a discussion of the potential for these practices and values to change in order for science departments to be more accessible to women students of color.
Dr. Johnson is an Assistant Professor of Educational Studies at St. Mary's College of Maryland, with an emphasis in Educational Foundations. An A.B. in Physics from Bryn Mawr College, Dr. Johnson taught physics in predominantly non-white high school and college settings for fourteen years before pursuing a doctorate in educational anthropology. Her areas of specialization include women of color who study science in predominantly white institutions, effective teaching in diverse settings, and retaining students of color in higher education. This event is co-sponsored by the Bouchet Society. During her visit to Duke, Dr. Johnson is also meeting with Parents@Duke for a discussion on adoption and parenting of children of color.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator workshop

Friday, March 2, 2007
Time: 12 - 1 pm, Lunch Provided!
Women's Center

For this workshop, you will take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator online beforehand. The workshop, led by Dr. Virginia Steinmetz of the Career Center, will discuss your MBTI results and what they may tell you about your career.

Exploring Alternative Careers

Friday, March 23, 2007
Time: 12 - 1:15 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Teer 203

Leaving the ivory tower? Think about your options and explore the possibilities with this panel on alternative careers for science and engineering graduates. The panelists include: Amy Collinsworth, Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, now works in tech transfer at Duke; Sherry Carty, Ph.D. in Biochemistry, now works as an intellectual property consultant; Susan Dakin, Ph.D. in Zoology, now works as an independent consultant in scientific and technical writing; and Freda Porter, Ph.D. in Mathematics and Computer Science, President and CEO of Porter Scientific, Pembroke, NC.

WiSE OWL Award Reception

Tuesday, April 2, 2007
Time: 5 - 6 pm, Refreshments provided!
Place: CIEMAS Atrium

Come celebrate our nominees and winners of the first WiSE OWL awards. Light refreshments will be served, and the winners will be announced. Nominees, nominators, and the community are welcome.

Managing a Research Lab

Friday, April 6, 2007
Time: 12 - 1:15 pm, Lunch Provided!
Place: Teer 203

Missed the talk? Listen to the audio recording courtesy of the Pratt School of Engineering. You will need iTunes to download the talk.

Think you are ready for academia? Back by popular demand, this session with Dr. Farshid Guilak will better prepare you for managing people, funds and politics, in addition to managing research. Dr. Guilak, who is highly recommended for giving impressive presentations on this topic, is Director of the Orthopaedic Bioengineering Laboratory in the Department of Surgery at Duke Medical Center.