The AWIS Notre Dame chapter (AWIS-ND) is known for its commitment to community outreach activities.
2022-2023: This year we started a new series called Teatime with Faculty, which was designed to develop a deeper connection between faculty and students. Another popular event this year was the screening of the documentary Picture a Scientist, followed by panel discussion. This event was organized in collaboration with the John J Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values and was well attended (~100 attendees). We celebrated the 50th anniversary of Women in Science in 2022, as we were not able to celebrate in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions. To mark the 50th anniversary of Women in Science, a video of graduate students sharing their thoughts on what they fight for as a woman in science was made available on the AWIS-ND home page. We returned to volunteering at Science Olympiad, a national organization that hosts academic competitions across the nation for K-12 students. In addition, AWIS-ND volunteers work with the public (>700 attendees) to perform a hands-on workshop on DNA extraction from strawberries for the annual Science Alive event at the St. Joseph Public Library.
AWIS-ND also volunteered and donated money to: 1) Notre Dame Pi Day 5K event to raise funds for the Boys and Girls Club of St. Joseph County and 2) Expanding Your Horizons event, a conference for middle schoolers with an emphasis on supporting women and underrepresented minorities in STEM. This day-long event includes hands-on activities in STEM; and participants learn about the diverse STEM workforce and STEM careers. Our STEMentorship program, which connects female undergraduate STEM majors with graduate student role models in their field, is well-received by students. This connection fosters a relationship between mentor and mentee through which mentees receive advice on navigating STEM fields as a woman in science.
2023-2024: In the current academic year, we have continued our commitment to all activities in the previous year. Additionally, AWIS-ND looks forward to hosting a Women in STEM panel of ND alumni members. We are in the process of developing an AWIS-ND ‘opportunities for girls in STEM’ workshop as part of the Expanding Your Horizons conference and to award scholarships to 5 middle school girls. As part of our STEMentorship program, we plan to award scholarships to 3 mentor-mentee pairs starting this year. Additionally, we will be screening a documentary adapted from the book Hidden Figures, focused on the often overlooked African-American women who worked for NASA, followed by book discussion. Additionally, we are collaborating with the graduate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee in celebrating Women’s History Month in March. We are extremely grateful for the support and appreciation that we receive from our community members, donors, and faculty members. Their encouragement motivates AWIS-ND to continue to grow and make a lasting impact at the University of Notre Dame and the surrounding academic and local community.