2010

Socials

Socials are held almost every month. These events provide an opportunity to discuss any issues that you might want to talk about with other women in the department as well as being a great excuse to socialize with women in the department you don't see every day. Please check the calendar to see when the next social is being held and be sure to check the bulletin boards for postings of the events. We provide snacks and beverages so all you need to do is show up.  If you are interested in making a home made snack to share, please contact us to let us know. We look forward to seeing you there!

Mentorship

The WIC Mentorship Program was started in 2005 and is an annual program run by our organization. The primary purpose of this program is to encourage and support new women graduate students. Each incoming female graduate student is paired with a current graduate student enrolled in the same division to serve as her mentor for the upcoming year. The mentor then serves as a resource and guide for her mentee as she enters and progresses through her first year at MIT. If you were unable to participate in previous years but are interest in becoming a mentor next year, please contact us to get on our list for next year!

For 1st years: Your mentor is familiar with the graduate program and can provide you with invaluable advice that you might not be able to find anywhere else. In addition to academic advice, they can provide you with information about the Boston area and can direct you to stores, restaurants, bars, museums, etc. Please feel free to contact your mentor with any questions you may have. If she doesn't have the answer, she will know where to direct you to get your concerns addressed. If you have not yet been contacted by your mentor, or you have lost/misplaced her email address, email us to get that information. Once you have set up your MIT email account, be sure to email your mentor with your updated kerberos name (i.e. email address) so that you will continue to receive updates and invites from WIC. Also, be sure to check the calendar for upcoming mentor/mentee events. Welcome to MIT!

Site visits

Every year WIC arranges several site visits with local companies. These site visits provide an opportunity for graduate students to learn more about industry jobs and help to create networking circles that will be valuable when pursuing a job in industry. Past sites visited include Millenium, Novartis and Wyeth. Check the Events page for this year's site visits.

Graduate Student Volunteer Day

WIC hosts one site for GSVD to encourage women in the department to socialize while working toward a good cause. Most recently, we volunteered to work at Rosie's Place, a shelter for homeless women. Here we cooked and served lunch to women at the shelter and had fun at the same time. Information for next year's site will be available in the fall so be sure to check back in then.

Graduate Women’s Group

The Graduate Women's Group (GWG) is a support group for MIT graduate women co-sponsored by Blanche Staton, Associate Dean for Graduate Students, and Lynn Roberson, Program Administrator in Counseling and Support Services. Dean Staton and Ms. Roberson regularly organize informal luncheons that serve, primarily, as platforms for building relationships and community across departments. During these luncheons, women are encouraged to discuss common concerns, issues, and challenges in a “safe” environment (GWG luncheons take place in the Margaret Ender Room, a private lounge for female graduate students).

In addition to bimonthly luncheons, the GWG sponsors a women's book club and hosts various enrichment events throughout the year, such as meditation and assertive communication workshops.

Women In Chemistry (WIC) is currently strengthening ties to the Graduate Women's Group in order to expand the network of individuals with whom graduate women chemists interact and to allow WIC to become more involved in the MIT community. Our goal is to keep our fellow women chemists informed of the multitude of personal and professional opportunities that are available to graduate students both within and beyond the boundaries of the chemistry department.

Please e-mail us or bestaton@mit.edu to be added on the GWG mailing list to receive information on upcoming GWG or GWG-WIC events and also to get information about gaining access to the women's lounge.