WiGS was founded in 2006 by a group of graduate students, staff, and postdocs in the UW Genome Sciences Department who noticed an underrepresentation of women scientists in recently recruited students and faculty hires.
Led by Joanna Kelly, Charla Lambert, Kiran Dhillon, Laura Certain, Genn Merrihew, Rori Rohlfs, and Diane Dickel, WiGS set out to improve female scientist representation and retention issues within the department.
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Since 2006, many positive changes have improved the gender balance in the department, and we continue to ensure that inclusivity is still a priority and work as advocates for women and other minorities. Specifically, we:
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Invite accomplished women speakers for department seminars
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Provide access to alternative career and policy talks
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Host journal club discussions about current social issues in science
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Participate-in and lead outreach activities to encourage women to STEM fields
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Social events including coffee hour, wine time, and movie nights.
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We encourage all members of the department (students, faculty, staff, postdocs, men, women… everyone!) to join us at WiGS-hosted events and at our monthly organizational meetings.