February 2005

WISP: Ten years of women helping women

Seventy graduate students and guests gathered at a special program on January 26th to mark the tenth anniversary of Women In Science Programs (WISP). WISP Director Barbara Clark introduced Dr. Martha Chiscon, Professor and Associate Dean Emerita. Dr. Chiscon was a driving force behind efforts to retain women in Science for many years, and she shared her memories of the early programs. The evening’s featured speaker was Dr. Lynn Bryan, a WISP alumna who is on the faculty at the University of Georgia.

Dr. Bryan graduated from Purdue University in 1997 with a Ph.D. in Science Education and was a member of the Graduate WISP Leadership team from 1995 to 1997. The focus of her presentation was her personal journey as a woman in science. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry and was employed in industry, but later discovered her true passion in science education. Dr. Bryan’s story was an excellent example of the need for programs like WISP. WISP provided her the support she needed to achieve her goal of becoming a science educator. Today Dr. Bryan is an excellent role model for other graduate students in the sciences.

The Women In Science Program was inspired by Purdue’s highly successful Women In Engineering Program, and was initially funded by a grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in January 1995. After the grant ended, Dean Harry Morrison cemented Science’s commitment to the program by establishing the Women In Science Programs office and appointing Barbara Clark its first Director. Barbara, pictured here, now also carries the title of Director of the Science Diversity Office.

The first WISP initiative was a mentor/mentee program for graduate women in Science, providing women an opportunity to share experiences, trade information, and hear speakers from all areas of science and engineering. Other programs for undergraduate women followed, including the undergraduate mentoring program and a residential program for freshman women in Science. WISP also reaches pre-college students with ScienceScape, a week-long science camp for middle school students. WISP has expanded its efforts over the years to include undergraduates, graduate students, and women faculty in Science. More information on Women In Science Programs.

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