Leadership Academy for Women in Science and Engineering
As part of the University of Chicago’s Joint Task Force Initiative (JTFI), the Leadership Academy for Women in Science and Engineering* (LAWISE), established in 2019, offers new programs to provide training to and increase the numbers of women scientists, engineers, and professional leaders at Argonne National Laboratory, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and the University of Chicago.
* While the LAWISE programming is focused on women’s leadership, the content is highly inclusive. All genders are welcome to participate in all LAWISE programs.
LAWISE Leadership Series
A signature program, the LAWISE leadership series provides a proven, pragmatic roadmap to identify, enhance, and amplify authentic leadership strengths. The program supports the leadership development and representation of diverse scientist, engineer, technical, and operational women leaders and their allies at the national laboratories and the University of Chicago.
“It was a pleasure to meet with influential sponsors and fellow participants from Fermilab, Argonne, and University of Chicago. I enjoyed learning how to be better versions of ourselves, how to discover our niche, and how to be leaders. The program greatly exceeded my expectations.”
Emily Landon
Emily Landon, MD, is an associate professor of medicine and a board-certified internist who specializes in infectious diseases and a leading expert in the nation’s response to COVID-19. She serves as the Executive Medical Director for Infection Prevention and Control at UChicago Medicine, and her research is focused on protecting patients from the harm and mortality that come from healthcare-associated infections and suboptimal use of antibiotics and other antimicrobials. She studies novel electronic hand hygiene monitoring techniques and evaluates the impact of direct, individual-level feedback to encourage provider actions that prevent infections. Now, she has been on the forefront for updates and research regarding COVID-19. Read some of her media clips here and here. Watch her discussion on the COVID-19 response here.
Sara Rimer
Sara Rimer is an Enrico Fermi Argonne Scholar in the Decision and Infrastructure Sciences Division at Argonne National Laboratory. She has mentored and taught undergraduate women studying engineering in Liberia, and led efforts to develop a peer-to-peer partnership between the University of Michigan’s Society of Women Engineers and Liberia Society of Women Engineers student organizations. That partnership has resulted in a two-week residential leadership camp that has been held annually in Liberia since 2015 and has reached more than 80 Liberian participants and 35 University of Michigan participants. She is interested in supporting the persistence of these women as they continue on professionally. She has also received several awards, including the ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award from University of Michigan, a Michigan Institute for Computational Discovery and Engineering Fellowship, both a Rackham Merit and a Predoctoral Fellowship, a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship, an Institute for Research on Women and Gender Fellowship, and the Mara H. Wasburn Early Engineering Educator Award from the American Society of Engineering Education.
Anna Grassellino
Anna Grassellino is a senior scientist and deputy head of the Applied Physics and Superconducting Technology Division at Fermilab. In 2017, she was awarded the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, and in 2019, she became the deputy chief technology officer at Fermilab. She has received several awards for the discovery of nitrogen doping of SRF cavities, which has dramatically increased the efficiency of SRF resonators by more than a factor of two, including the DOE Early Career Awardee in 2014, IEEE PAST Award 2017, Frank Sacherer Prize from the European Physical Society, and USPAS prize.
Valerie Taylor
Valerie Taylor is the director of the Mathematics and Computer Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory. She has received numerous awards for distinguished research and leadership and has authored or co-authored more than 100 papers in the area of high-performance computing, with a focus on performance analysis and modeling of parallel scientific applications. She is a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Association for Computing Machinery. She most recently served as the senior associate dean of academic affairs in the College of Engineering and a Regents Professor and the Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University.
Jessica Esquivel
Jessica Esquivel is a postdoctoral research associate at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. She is also the second black woman to graduate with a PhD in physics from Syracuse University. She is an advocate for increasing diversity in physics and focuses on the intersections of race, gender, and sexuality in her outreach efforts. She has been recognized by the Fermilab Friends for Science Education Organization for the exceptional contributions she has made to Fermilab’s K-12 education and outreach programs. She was also featured in Adler Planetarium’s Chicago Black Women in STEAM series and was interviewed by Lean In: Women of Color for Black Women’s Equal Pay Day. Her most recent accomplishment is organizing the participation and sponsorship of Fermilab at Wakandacon, a three-day afro-futuristic convention that strives to create a safe space for the black community to explore their interests from comic culture to STEM. The American Association for the Advancement of Science has also selected Esquivel to be an AAAS IF/THEN® ambassador, serving as a high-profile role model for middle school girls.
Young-Kee Kim
Young-Kee Kim is the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor of Physics and Special Advisor to the Provost at the University of Chicago, as well as the chair of the LAWISE task force. As deputy director of Fermilab, she had broad responsibilities, including shaping the long-baseline neutrino program, the centerpiece of the domestic particle physics program. In 2012, Kim helped organize “Expanding Your Horizons, Chicago” to inspire middle-school-age girls (especially from under-represented groups in Chicago) to recognize and pursue their potential in STEM via annual hands-on workshops with local scientists and engineers. She has given numerous presentations at conferences and workshops for promoting women and minorities in science. Kim also helped her institution to sponsor the African School of Physics that teaches and promotes physics in African countries.
Events
LAWISE Kicks Off 23-24 Leadership Series
The latest cohort of LAWISE kicked off October 5 with a group invitation to a Maria Goeppert Mayer lecture at the University and a LAWISE program workshop on November 8 related to building leadership. The second annual Leadership Series runs through June and comprises a cohort of over 50 mid-career managers at the University and national laboratories. Workshops throughout the year will include the deep engagement of senior leadership from the University and the national laboratories and will be held both virtually and in-person at the three institutions.
LAWISE Leadership Series Launched in 22-23
In 2022 – 2023, LAWISE launched a five-part leadership series with a cohort of over 50 high-potential leaders from Argonne, Fermilab and the University of Chicago. This innovative program commenced in October 2022 and concluded in April 2023, and featured deep engagement with senior leadership at Fermilab/Argonne/UChicago as well as a global women’s leadership expert who conducted the workshops. The 7-month series included an in-person kickoff, three virtual sessions and an in-person closing session which included peer group presentations advising the three organizations on empowering the next generation of women leaders on both an individual and collective basis. While these topics were formulated with mid-level women in mind, the content remained highly inclusive, and all genders were welcome to participate in the program.
LAWISE Workshop – Focus on Anti-Racism
LAWISE held a virtual workshop on anti-racism on April 14, 2021, from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. The workshop was hosted by the University of Chicago and former Vice Provost Melissa Gilliam delivered the keynote presentation.
Women in Science and Technology (WIST) 30th Anniversary Symposium
Women in Science and Technology (WIST) hosted a one-day virtual symposium on Thursday, October 15, 2020, to commemorate its 30th Anniversary at Argonne. Participants heard about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) at the laboratory and attended the DEI and Professional Development focused workshops.
LAWISE Workshop – Communications for Women in Science
LAWISE held a virtual workshop on August 20, 2020, on professional communications for leaders working in science. During this workshop, the more than 100 attendees learned strategies, tactics, and tools to improve their ability to communicate, face challenges, influence others, and succeed.
The inspirational keynote speaker was Lia Merminga, an internationally renowned accelerator physicist with leadership experience at three science laboratories, including Fermilab. She shared the importance of people who influenced her to pursue a career in physics and having mentors who are considered the best in their field. She also discussed the challenges of raising a family while pursuing a scientific career. She was followed by remarks from Janine Sergay, a leader and facilitation specialist on strategy, organizational development, and leadership. She shared ways to influence others by building a culture of inclusion, leading with a push vs. pull style, and running productive and collaborative meetings. By “communicating up,” she encouraged female leaders to develop a clear understanding of requirements and build positive working relationships.
Get Involved
To become involved in LAWISE or share insights, please reach out to Young Kee Kim, chair of the LAWISE Task Force and the Louis Block Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Physics at the University of Chicago, at ykkim@hep.uchicago.edu.
LAWISE Task Force
Young-Kee Kim, University of Chicago
Lauren Boldon, Argonne National Laboratory
Julie Nuter, Argonne National Laboratory
Catherine Peters, Argonne National Laboratory
Tracey Quinn, University of Chicago
Jennifer Raaf, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
Bridget Wheeler, Board Relations Specialist, University of Chicago
Mayling Wong-Squires, Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
