WIST Mission

Gayathri Gopalakrishnan, environmental engineer at Argonne National Laboratory, studies potential biofuel crops.

1. Provide leadership and resources to Argonne to promote the success of women in scientific and technical positions at the Laboratory and elsewhere;
2. Support and implement programs that encourage, develop, and utilize the full potential of women in science and technology; and
3. Promote movement toward equity at all levels within Argonne so as to contribute to a best-in-class research and development institution.

Current WIST program activities support outreach efforts of the Laboratory and include:

• Science Careers in Search of Women conference, which fosters and encourages high school students to consider careers in science and technology
• Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day, which exposes middle school students to the many aspects of engineering and how it can be a rewarding career for women
• Maria Goeppert Mayer Postdoctoral Fellowship, which recognizes and promotes women's technical excellence
• Friday First Forum, which focuses on matters of interest to WIST and the Argonne community
• A variety of workshops, seminar and lectures

Additional activities supporting retention and promotion efforts include:

• Networking and mentoring programs to nurture and support existing women staff
• Career Development Seminar Series to identify and develop leadership capabilities of women staff
• Periodic review of the status of women at the Laboratory to ensure equity in merit status and research opportunities