Blog posts

Welcome to the 2024-2025 Academic Year!

New Year, New Committee, Same Amazing Mission!

We’re kicking off the 2024-2025 academic year with fresh faces and big plans to make Imperial’s Women in STEM community even more awesome. We’d like to start by giving a massive shoutout to last year’s committee – you all absolutely crushed it!

Last Year’s Highlights

  • That epic Hackathon collab with The Tech Bros at Google
  • The inspiring Breaking Barriers series
  • Mentorship scheme

And they have ended with a bang – Dr. Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator from NASA gave a talk, sharing her journey and insights as a women navigating her career.

Dr Fox explaining the interdisciplinary nature of
research and the importance of finding where you fit in.

We aim to continue providing resources, events and connections for women in STEM – stay tuned!

Follow our Instagram: @womeninstem_ic

Written by Sara Habte

 

From Ideas to Innovation: The Tech Bros x Imperial Hackathon Journey

The Tech Bros x Imperial Hackathon 2024, was a resounding success, marking a transformative experience for all participants. Organized by Women in STEM @ Imperial College in partnership with The Tech Bros and Google, the event created an empowering environment designed to celebrate and support women in tech.

  • Day 1: Kickoff at Google

The Google office buzzed with excitement as attendees mingled, shared their aspirations, and prepared for the days ahead. The opening event set the tone with motivational discussions with industry leaders and VC experts, emphasizing the importance of women in tech and the limitless possibilities awaiting them.

Day 2: Immersive Learning at Imperial White City Campus

On the 2nd day, the hackathon moved to the Imperial White City Campus where participants engaged in hands-on coding challenges and workshops. Expert mentors provided personalized guidance, helping both novice and experienced coders enhance their skills in Python, machine learning, and AI models. The collaborative environment fostered creativity and innovation, as participants worked together.

One attendee shared her experience, emphasizing the educational and inspiring panel discussions led by founders and venture capitalists. “As a beginner coder, I gained a lot of knowledge and developed new skills with the help of dynamic mentors. It was an amazing opportunity to meet incredible women, practice my communication skills, and receive valuable feedback. Attending the Women in STEM x TheTechBros hackathon was incredibly empowering.” She said: “Collaborating on a project and pitching it to judges was a fantastic opportunity to enhance my communication skills and get feedback. This enriching experience provided essential career tools and connections with supportive women. Events like this are vital for skill development and showcasing the brilliance of women in STEM. I look forward to more opportunities like this!”

  • Day 3: Pitching and Prizes

The final day focused on pitching projects to a panel of judges, comprised of industry experts, providing insightful feedback, and helping participants refine their ideas further. The top three teams or individuals, earned the opportunity to have a private lunch with Google executives, discussing startup ideas and gaining valuable insights.

The hackathon was not just about coding; it was about building a community. Participants connected with industry founders, venture capitalists, and fellow coders, expanding their professional networks and exploring potential collaborations. The event emphasized co-founder matchmaking, encouraging participants to find like-minded individuals for future entrepreneurial ventures.

Thank you to all the participants, mentors, and partners who made this event a remarkable success. We can’t wait to see what the future holds for these incredible women in STEM!

P.S. Your journeys have inspired me. As this is my last blog, I wish you all onward and upward. Until we meet again!

With more to come, yours,
Eleni – Lead web administrator

Breaking Barriers: Navigating the Exit from Academia

In the realm of academia, women pursuing careers in STEM often encounter a complex array of challenges and opportunities as they strive to chart their paths beyond conventional boundaries. Recently, our event “Breaking Barriers: Women in STEM PhD Edition—Navigating the Exit from Academia” brought together a diverse group of individuals, embarking on a shared journey of empowerment.

The event featured an impressive lineup of speakers (from left to right), including Dr. Adele Lam, leveraging her expertise as an Associate Consultant at Bain & Company; Dr. Helena Dodd, a Policy Advisor at the Cabinet Office and former WIS president; Dr. Carolina Feijao, offering valuable insights as a Senior Policy Advisor in Research and Innovation at the Royal Academy of Engineering; Dr. Chiara Board, the innovative Founder and CEO of P Happi; Dr. Neneh Sallah, exploring the realms of Human Genetics and Genomics at GSK; and Dr. Fenni Kang, pioneering new territories as Head of EMEA/Head of Derivatives at Antalpha.

Each panellist shared their unique experiences, portraying a diverse landscape of possibilities beyond academia. From shaping policies to venturing into entrepreneurship, consultancy, scientific research, and leadership, their varied paths illuminated the multitude of opportunities available to women in STEM. The event was further enriched by sponsorship from Optiver, with Bruna Goncalves encouraging participants to explore unconventional career paths within the STEM domain.

The atmosphere of the event was electric, as participants engaged in lively discussions, posing thoughtful questions, and exchanging personal stories. As the event drew to a close, an inspiring Q&A session provided a fitting conclusion to a day filled with insights and shared experiences.

“Attending the event “Breaking Barriers: Woman in STEM – PhD edition” was an incredibly enriching and empowering experience! I was able to hear firsthand the accounts of amazing women about their journeys pursuing PhDs and navigating various and diverse career paths. I was absolutely enlightened by their perspectives and advice. It was inspiring to learn both about how they overcame the challenges they were faced with and about the multitude  of opportunities available within STEM fields. The Q&A session was amazing, and the lunch gathering that followed the event enabled me to network and talk 1:1 with the speakers.”
       – BSc Medical Biosciences Student

Looking back, “Breaking Barriers: Women in STEM PhD Edition” transcended its role as a mere event—it became a narrative of resilience and underscored the importance of collaboration in paving the way for a future where every woman in STEM can thrive.

This event marks just the beginning of a series. Stay tuned for updates on upcoming events and initiatives, as many more stories are waiting to be told and countless barriers are waiting to be broken.

With more to come, yours,

Carolina and
Eleni – Lead web administrator

A New Chapter Begins: Women in STEM at Imperial

Hello and welcome to an exciting new era for the Women in STEM at Imperial!

On behalf of all of us in the new committee (About us), it is my pleasure to reintroduce our organization. We’re reigniting the spark of innovation, inclusivity, and inspiration, with a renewed commitment to our core goals.

Our mission
Our mission is unequivocal: we aim to inspire and support girls and women in reaching their utmost potential in engineering, applied sciences, and technical leadership roles. We firmly believe in unleashing potential and magnifying the impact through encouragement.
Join us on this transformative journey

We are excited to unveil a series of upcoming educational events, mentoring programs, and networking opportunities designed to cater to your aspirations. Whether you are in search of guidance or keen to mentor others, our platform welcomes you with open arms. (What’s on)
As part of our commitment to building bridges and fostering growth, we invite you to become a member of our thriving community. We are more than just an organization; we are a nurturing hub for both personal and professional development. Join us and be a part of a community committed to your growth and empowerment in STEM. (Membership)

Mentorship: Your Path to Growth
Become a part of something bigger. For those interested in mentorship, whether as a mentee or mentor, we extend a warm invitation. Your experience and insights can make a difference. (Mentoring programme)

Collaborating for Change
We stand at the crossroads of departments at Imperial, fostering an environment rich in ideas and career opportunities for students and staff. We aim to be the catalyst for impactful exchanges that open doors and broaden horizons. (Groups at Imperial)

Inclusive Dialogue, Diverse Connections
Our group is a tapestry of diverse stakeholders, from industrial partners to academia and students to staff. We’re committed to facilitating meaningful dialogues, forging lasting connections, and challenging our partners to embrace diversity in every facet of their organizations. (Blogs, News)

We look forward to having you on board. Together, let’s shape a brighter future in STEM.
Stay tuned for more updates, and get ready to be a part of this transformative journey.

With more to come, yours,
Eleni – Lead web administrator

Logo Competition

We are hosting a Logo Competition!
WomeninSTEM@Imperial is growing and we want you to be involved! Your design could be in all our branding and become our representation in and out of College. In addition to this, we also have a surprise prepared for the winner!
The rules are simple:
  • You have full creative control over your design.
  • You can use any colour scheme you may like or you can follow that of College (see here for College colours).
  • Designs MUST include “Imperial”, “IC” or “ICL”.
  • Full text or acronyms accepted.
  • Submission by 8th November 2020 to winstem@ic.ac.uk
Good luck! We can’t wait to see the new logo!
Any questions please email Carmel or contact us on our social media accounts.

Lady Barbara Judge

A few days ago the WOMENinSTEM@IC committee heard the sad news that Lady Barbara Judge, CBE, passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
As a group, we had the honour of hosting a lunch reception with Lady Barbara last year, where we got the opportunity to learn about her experiences as a female leader in business and shared candid discussions on what it means to be a woman in the corporate workplace in the 21st century. Her career trajectory is as inspiring as it is impressive, and is a testament to her strength and determination.
Lady Barbara was welcoming, poised, eloquent, an excellent storyteller and a master at capturing the room. Despite her highly accomplished status, she treated all attendees of our event as equal and spent time getting to know every one of us and celebrating our individual achievements. We are incredibly honoured and grateful that Lady Barbara took the time out of her busy schedule to meet with us.

It saddens us greatly that during this time of mourning for her family and close ones, many media outlets are using clickbait titles and calling her a “controversial figure”. This is sadly a prime example of the different treatment that women leaders receive compared to their male counterparts and echoes many of the stories that Lady Barbara shared with us.
The WOMENinSTEM@IC community would like to focus on her achievements and the good that she brought to the world, so we would like to end this post with the following statement:

Lady Barbara was a prime example of a female trailblazer and entrepreneur, and lived more and worked harder in a lifetime than most. We believe she was exemplary at empowering women, and everyone who was lucky enough to attend our joint event left with advice and inspiration to last a lifetime. We hope that her memory will live on through our achievements as future women leaders.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020 – highlights!

On past 11th of February, we team-up with MatSoc and Syracuse University London for a celebration of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020!

First and foremost: a big thank you to all who were able to join us in this fantastic event, as well as to our organising partners!

In case you missed it, here’s a quick summary:

The event started with a fantastic presentation by members of the “Electryfying Women Project”, Dr. Elizabeth Bruton (Science Museum – Curator for Technology and Engineering) and Dr. Emily Rees (Electryfying Women and University of Leeds). Their presentation focused on the deep and historical contributions of british women to STEM from as early as the 1800s! From women who were lucky enough to have visionary families who allowed them to pursue studies and a career in a time where women were only to be seen at home, to women who quietly (yet strongly!) contributed through the work of their husbands – the “true” engineer at the eyes of society. The “Electrifying Women Project” is an on-going research project that aims to find such women as well as find more about, bring to light and credit the long history of women in engineering.

This was then followed by a panel discussion. We had some incredible and inspiring panellists joining us (Thank You!) who discussed how the number of girls and women in STEM paths has changed with the years; how society and our background play a role in the opportunities one has; the challenges and stigma a lot of girls still face for wanting to pursue a STEM career; the challenges of being a women in a male-dominated field. The highlight of our panel discussion perhaps relates to our panellists experience on what it means to be a women in STEM and how can society support, inspire, mentor and lead younger generations to a STEM discipline.

As a side note – prior to our event, members of our committee were able to attend the talks organised by Syracuse University London. We had the pleasure to co-organise a gathering of current students and alumni from the university, to learn more about the history of Syracuse Womxn in STEM.

Syracuse University London hosted four panellists – 2 current students and 2 alumni – of different cultures as well as STEM fields. On a question-led discussion, the panellists were able to describe their experience within the university as well as in society from a women in STEM point-of-view. Panellists described who and what has inspired them to pursue a career in STEM, what challenges have they faced, how have they overcome such challenges. From windshields to chocolate cookies, it was an incredibly inspiring discussion that ended on a lighter note when asked which was their favourite every-day-object that had been invented by a women.

See you at your next event!

Follow us on twitter for updates on our next events and more!

What’s On

In celebration of International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020, we have partnered up with MatSoc (the Materials society) to host a panel event titled ‘ElectrifyingWomen: The past and present of women in STEM’.

The event will take the form of a talk given by members of the organisation ‘ElectrifyingWomen’ (from University of Leeds and Science Museum), on the extensive history of the contributions of women to STEM disciplines, that will lead into an informal panel discussion involving guests from a range of different STEM backgrounds who are leaders in their respective fields. Our panellists include:

  • Dr Jess Wade (Imperial College department of Physics – PDRA and diversity in STEM advocate)
  • Dr Elizabeth Bruton (Science Museum – Curator of Technology and Engineering)
  • Dr Patricia Forcén (Zotefoams plc – Senior Technologist)
  • Katharine Grant (Occupational Therapist for NHS Scotland)
  • Dr Emily Rees (Electrifying Women and University of Leeds)

We are very excited to welcoming you all this Tuesday (11/02/2020) from 18:30 in City and Guilds Building LT 664, for an immersive evening on the history of women in STEM followed by networking over drinks, canapés and pastries!.

Please join us and sign up for a free ticket by clicking our poster below!

Welcome!

Welcome to the WomenInSTEM@Imperial blog!

We thought about having a new platform that, alongside our email newsletter (subscribe here!), would help us share a bit more about what we have been up to and what we do as a society. We want to highlight our past events, share our next and even some events across college that feature Women in STEM.
The blog will be a place where we can share summaries of our events or of others we may attend, in case you did not had a chance to. A place where we can share some of the work our members are involved in, such as outreach activities, and which help shine a brighter light into STEM. We hope the blog will also feature interviews or short-stories of women in STEM we hope will inspire you!!
Most importantly, we would love to hear from you and the content you would like to see here.
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