UIC WISE works to maintain a supportive community on campus through a number of initiatives. Keep up to date on our events through our UIC connection link: https://orgsync.com/91624/chapter
Recipient of the 2009 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring, the WISE Peer Mentor program matches new WISE students to successful experienced WISE students by major and/or career interest. An evaluation of students who entered UIC between 2004 and 2007 found WISE students in our mentoring program had a higher graduation rate, were more likely to earn a STEM degree and have a higher GPA than WISE students who did not participate.
Planning on living on campus? Then look into the WISE Wing where 30 women, all studying a STEM field, live on one floor. The floor meets once a month to have dinner and learn from women faculty about their careers and how students can achieve that success. Additional benefits include living on a floor with other students who are also in STEM courses, creating study groups just down the hall.
The WISE student organization, WISE Chicago or WISE Chic for short, aims to support the WISE Program and create a supportive and fun community for women students in STEM majors. They also aim to do one community service activity each year.
WISE produces monthly events in order to facilitate career exploration through panels that discuss the reality of a career in crime scene investigations. WISE also works with other offices on campus to create workshops such as ensuring your LinkedIn profile is ready for you to look for summer internships.
WISE works with Chicago Public Schools, community groups and organizations to expose pre-college students to STEM careers. When we visit the community or welcome a group to campus, we always have a need for WISE students to volunteer. We call them WISE Ambassadors.
WISE scholarships are announced during early spring semester. Awards have ranged from $500 to $2500 over the years. Past scholarships have been major specific, supported women with children, or open to all.
Are men welcome to join? Of course! All WISE events are public and men do attend. They want to know what it is like to be a neuroscientist and how to get into graduate school too. We have dubbed them WISE Guys.
We track the number of women majoring WISE targeted departments.