Thursday, June 23rd

9:00 am – 5:00 pm: National Council Meeting

Quarterly business meeting for national GWIS officers. Not open to non-GWIS members.

**12:00 – 1:00 pm: Break for lunch**

Friday, June 24th

10:00 am – 3:00 pm: Grand Chapter Meeting

Bi-annual business meeting for the GWIS Grand Chapter (national officers and chapter delegates). Not open to non-GWIS members.

**12:30 – 1: 30 pm: Break for lunch**

Activities for those not attending Grand Chapter:

  • Geology Museum Tours  
  • Botany Botanical Garden Tours

3:30 – 4:30 pm: Workshop: How to Create an Inclusive Environment by Making Space for Conflict

This workshop will focus on helping participants gain the skills to build an inclusive work environment, whether within a group, lab, or company. In particular, this workshop will address how creating a space where conflict is accepted is a crucial step in creating an inclusive and creative work environment. Fear of creating conflict stops many from coming forward to discuss changes that need to be made within a workgroup. Please join us at this workshop to learn more and begin creating a more inclusive environment in your workspace.

6:00 – 8:00 pm: Welcome Dinner

Join us for a welcome dinner at Vintage Brewing (Capitol East).

Saturday, June 25th

9:00 – 9:30 am: Opening Remarks with light refreshments

9:30 – 11:00 am: Poster Session

The poster session will feature the many different areas of scientific research being done by the poster presenters. Join us to present a poster or view posters and learn about new and cutting-edge science. There is an award for the best poster presentation.

10:30 am – 12:00 pm: Quick Talks

10 min talks with 2-3 mins of questions after. Awards will be presented later in the day.

12:00 – 1:30 pm: Career Fair and Lunch

These events will be co-occurring. Lunch will start at noon, and the career fair will begin 30 mins into lunch (to allow some time to eat). The career fair is booth style. We encourage all conference attendees to meet with as many groups as possible and explore the different career options.


1:30 – 2:15 pm: Breakout Session Round 1: Career Round Table Discussion

Career areas will meet simultaneously in separate locations. Participants will describe their career paths and current jobs, followed by a Q&A.

Academia careers round table: Featuring a PI, lab scientist, lab manager, and two core scientists.

Industry careers round table: Featuring an R&D scientist, consultant, medical liaison, project manager, and sales.

Government careers round table: Featuring an NIH scientist, state health lab scientist, and DNR scientist.

2:30 – 3:15 pm: Breakout Session Round 2

CV and Resume Improvement: This workshop-style breakout session, organized by WiSolve Consulting Group, teaches the best practices for creating a resume/CV and putting your best qualities forward as a candidate. This session is suitable for those in any stage of graduate school or their career.  

Salary negotiation: This breakout session will discuss the best salary negotiation practices, breaking down the differences in salary negotiation in the various career areas (i.e., industry vs. academia)—excellent practical advice for all career stages.

Women in underrepresented fields (panel): Women continue to make up only 28% of the workforce in STEM. This panel will focus on women’s experience at different training stages in fields where women remain underrepresented. Panel attendees are encouraged to ask questions about women in male-dominated fields, whether related to job searches, leadership, advancement, and career paths. Featuring a professor, senior scientist, K01 scholar/scientist 1, post-doc, and graduate student.

3:30 – 4:15 pm: Breakout Session Round 3

Communicate science using a story: This workshop, organized by StoryForm Science, will teach the Storform method, materials, and tools derived from elements and principles of the story to demonstrate how they are used to create highly effective and exceptional presentations.

Improve your mentorship skills: Mentoring is an integral part of every career. Join this workshop to learn the best practices and improve your mentoring skills.

4:30 – 5:30 pm: Keynote speaker

6:00 pm: Conference Banquet