[GWAMIT] GW@MIT Newsletter, May 4th, 2020

[GWAMIT]

GWAMIT Newsletter

May 4th, 2020


GWAMIT abides by the following principles and is dedicated to creating a safe, equitable, and inclusive environment for all of our members:

MIT Nondiscrimination Policy (http://referencepubs.mit.edu/what-we-do/nondiscrimination-policy)

Massachusetts Anti-Hazing Law (https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bCzP2b6dnW8OWxFvJ0IHtQG3x0We6NfhlHwMTr40dL4/edit).


Did you know? Here is some positive news from around the world:

What Do Countries With The Best Coronavirus Responses Have In Common? Women Leaders<https://www.forbes.com/sites/avivahwittenbergcox/2020/04/13/what-do-countries-with-the-best-coronavirus-reponses-have-in-common-women-leaders/?fbclid=IwAR0RnOGamogR7dX30c_roUrPCxjs2pFI6NVfm1-zVi5YsR_oZA64jnPNzTw#7ad3669a3dec>

Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has a PhD in quantum chemistry! Her response to the COVID situation has frequently been attributed to her 'scientific thinking'. Learn more about her approach here<https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2020/04/angela-merkel-germany-coronavirus-pandemic/610225/>! For a great biographical article, give this a read<https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/12/01/quiet-german>!


Join the GWAMIT Board!

We are recruiting for our Co-Chair position for the 2020-21 academic year. Prior experience with GW at MIT is not necessary to apply. If you're interested in joining the board, please fill out the following application<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/16OZ-bQQWzNEscna2E99sAyK0OyaV0CTGUZ5Dq2Lpm40/viewform?edit_requested=true>


Apply now to join the NE GWiSE Executive Board!
When: Now through May 31st at 11:59pm
Contact: new.england.gwise at gmail.com<mailto:new.england.gwise at gmail.com>
You can find information about the positions here<https://wordpress.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=8f9683091e5e6edc8c7d68e14&id=222d4f729f&e=146cb01cc1> and apply here<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfP1Url1_CZxxWK0j_rf8rhtejXwQeaah02s6Or30fcHcoZ9A/viewform?usp=sf_link>!
Womxn from underrepresented backgrounds in STEM are especially encouraged to apply.
We hope you're all staying safe and healthy. We have found that connecting with others has been a source of comfort and motivation in these trying times and feel that it's more important than ever to build community.  Universities are currently focusing on rebuilding daily routines so existing campus climate issues will likely be low priority.  Now is the time to continue focusing on diversity and inclusion efforts, especially as this crisis situation will exacerbate systemic inequities, affecting more vulnerable graduate student populations such as racial, ethnic, and gender minorities. In light of this, we feel our mission is as relevant as ever during these times and are looking for motivated graduate students to work with us.

We are currently accepting applications for our 2020-2021 NE GWiSE Executive Board! Being part of the NE GWiSE Executive Board is a great opportunity to connect with graduate womxn across New England.
The mission of NE GWiSE is to support ideas and actions to increase diverse representation of womxn in STEM departments, create fair and positive workplace environments, increase the support and mentorship womxn receive, and enact equitable university and federal policies.  Work together with us to improve the graduate experience for womxn across New England! Learn more at https://negwise.org/

If you have any questions, please reach out to us at new.england.gwise at gmail.com<mailto:new.england.gwise at gmail.com>!
[Recruiting Now!]


Stay at Home Recommendations:

Something to do... give a new video a watch -

Li ZiQi<https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoC47do520os_4DBMEFGg4A> is a youtuber that is completely self-sufficient. She sources all her food, clothing and furniture from her grandparents' land in rural China.

...Or try one of the many activities listed on the NYT At Home<https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/at-home?smid=rd> page, comic book making anyone?

Something to read...

Poetry: The world lost Irish poet Eavan Boland this week. This piece<https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/eavan-boland-in-the-new-yorker> in the New Yorker pays tribute to her and chronicles her pieces that appeared in the publication over the years. Her poetry foundation page<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/eavan-boland> lists other excellent poems!

            Non-Fiction: Anonymous is a Woman by Nina Ansary - 50 biographical profiles of women innovators shine light on the institutionalized bias that led to their contributions being ignored throughout history

Looking to borrow books without leaving the house? The Minuteman library network is doing temporary online membership which can be applied for here<https://library.minlib.net/selfreg>!

Something to watch... Unorthodox<https://www.netflix.com/title/81019069>: Esty, a 19-year-old Jewish<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jews> woman, is living unhappily in an arranged marriage and an ultra-Orthodox community<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haredi_Judaism> in Williamsburg<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Williamsburg,_Brooklyn>, New York City<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City>.She runs away to Berlin<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin>, where her estranged mother lives, and tries to navigate a secular life, discovering life outside her community and rejecting all of the beliefs she grew up with.

            Read a review from the New Yorker here<https://www.newyorker.com/culture/on-television/unorthodox-reviewed-a-young-womans-remarkable-flight-from-hasidic-williamsburg>

Something to listen to... A Change of World<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/144696/a-change-of-world> by the Poetry Foundation is a series of podcasts that takes the listener through an oral history of poetry and the women's movement in the United States. Among other stories, it notes one about the "joint acceptance of the National Book Award in 1974 by Adrienne Rich<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/adrienne-rich>, Alice Walker<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/alice-walker>, and Audre Lorde<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/audre-lorde> 'in the name of all women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world'". Read the introduction and listen to the podcasts here.<https://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/144696/a-change-of-world>


Gain some new knowledge on your lunch break

Watch this TED Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw<https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality> where she defines the term "intersectionality" and urges us to stand up for victims of exclusion and prejudice.


Interested in GWAMIT-hosted virtual events?

Help us by filling out this form<https://forms.gle/86rDL2XWCRbWmfGD8>


Women-related virtual events and opportunities

"Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success"

The GEL Program and AeroAstro are co-sponsoring a special Webinar event that we would like to invite GWAMIT members to next Monday (5/4) from 4-5pm, featuring Deborah James, 23rd Secretary of the US Air Force.
About this event: As the 23rd Secretary of the Air Force (only the second woman to lead a US military service) and a successful business leader, James reveals in Aim High: Chart Your Course and Find Success her formula for success, using challenges to grow stronger, and staying true to herself and her goals. Ultimately, her three-part strategy has allowed her to thrive as a leader in government and business, and as a mother and wife.
James shares her personal and professional challenges, outcomes, strategies for success, and the problem-solving principles she used to overcome the daunting pressures, threats, and challenges that come with rising to the top of the US Armed Forces. As a supplement to Deborah's storytelling, Bain and Company, a top-tier management consulting firm, offers research and statistics that prove her insights have widespread impact.
About Deborah: Deborah Lee James has a three-decade track record of leading, transforming and driving lasting change in the US government and in private industry. As only the second woman in history to lead a branch of the male dominated US military, James faced high stakes challenges as Secretary of the Air Force, the CEO equivalent of a 660,000, $140 billion enterprise. For three years during a period of unprecedented political dysfunction, she led the effort to recruit, train and equip the premier air, space and cyber force on the planet, sending forces forward to combat ISIS in the Middle East, reassure European allies against a resurgent Russia and preparing forces for possible combat operations on the Korean Peninsula. Earlier in her career, James was a senior executive at defense giant, SAIC, where she led a $2 billion enterprise during a time of enormous change within the company. Along the way, James raised two children as a single mother.

Through personal stories from her days as a young professional, as a business leader at SAIC and from the halls of the Pentagon, James reveals her approach to surviving, thriving and leading through change and dysfunction at the intersection of politics, business, and family.
Zoom webinar information:
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://mit.zoom.us/j/98324295861?pwd=L1dYTDY4cXkvdyt1MytrNitCUE51QT09
Password: 132358
Or iPhone one-tap :
US: +16465588656,,98324295861#,,1#,132358#  or +16699006833,,98324295861#,,1#,132358#
Or Telephone:
Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
US: +1 646 558 8656  or +1 669 900 6833
To view full Zoom access options, including call-in information for international attendees, please see the document attached to this email.
Event contact: aa-communications at mit.edu<mailto:aa-communications at mit.edu>


"Amplify Your Technical Education to Build a Better World!"
Our Graduate Program in Engineering Leadership is offering a Graduate Certificate in Technical Leadership. A summary of the interim certificate requirements<https://gelp.mit.edu/grad-students/graduate-certificate-technical-leadership-interim-requirements> is linked and attached.
Leadership education develops skills applicable across career paths, from leading research labs to leading project teams in engineering. Enroll in one or both of our Graduate Courses for Fall 2020, which qualify towards our Certificate in Technical Leadership. This certificate is designed to provide important skills that MIT graduate students can draw from to "make a positive difference" in their chosen careers. Grounded in research but experimental and engaging in delivery, these highly valued classes will provide enduring benefits for our graduate students - and future coworkers.  *PhD candidates can also explore the option of using these class to satisfy the requirements for your doctoral minor.
GEL Grad Courses for Fall 2020 (**Open to all grad students!):
6.928J Leading Creative Teams<http://gelp.mit.edu/grad-creative-teams>
It takes a team to deliver impactful technical achievements and this class equips students with foundational skills for leading problem-solving teams and one's own professional development.
Units: G3-0-6
M/W, 2:30-4pm
Instructor: David Nino (dnino at mit.edu<mailto:dnino at mit.edu>)
6.S978 <https://gelp.mit.edu/gel-grad-negotiation> Negotiation & Influence Skills for Technical Leaders<https://gelp.mit.edu/gel-grad-negotiation>
Expand your natural tendencies and learn experientially both the theory and practice of interpersonal negotiation, influence and overcoming difficult relationship situations.
Units: G2-0-4
T, 2-4pm
Instructors: Samuel ("Mooly") Dinnar (sdinnar at mit.edu<mailto:sdinnar at mit.edu>)
***For more information, visit our website. <https://gelp.mit.edu/grad>

*If you are interested in earning our certificate, please email Lisa Stagnone (lstag at mit.edu<mailto:lstag at mit.edu>) and David Niño (dnino at mit.edu<mailto:dnino at mit.edu>)



STEM-Away

Our platform - STEM-Away - helps students gain real world experience via our comprehensive virtual-internship program and showcasing of hard and soft skills via the 1-Click® Resume. Virtual internships are designed as Mentor Chains® Projects with students of varying experience levels collaborating in remote teams, working on all aspects of a project, experiencing both mentor & mentee roles.

Currently, we are seeking students to participate in our brainstorming sessions. Establish yourself as leaders by hosting webinars, defining projects, leading projects. Receive mentoring from industry experts, grow your professional network. Thank you, Debaleena Das, CEO STEM-Away®, ddas at stemaway.com


WEST Q2 webinars/virtual events

5/6: Parenting Power Hour<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.westorg.org_2020-2D05-2D06-2Dparenting-2Dpower-2Dhour&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=xhRnivgwIo5hLQL69BdFbfv_P1zpuZiXdRZz1gZJm2c&m=mU-8-a2jCp4HA5TzLRpmn9xUsTCl7WHNlcsHBLbTeoI&s=oXXWZBCrxFwgjGd5xAyKHmK9gnUhw3HSumRy2ll3MAI&e=>

5/7: Improve Communication and Leadership by Understanding Personality Styles<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.westorg.org_2020-2D05-2D07-2Dwebinar-2Dpersonality-2Dstyles&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=xhRnivgwIo5hLQL69BdFbfv_P1zpuZiXdRZz1gZJm2c&m=mU-8-a2jCp4HA5TzLRpmn9xUsTCl7WHNlcsHBLbTeoI&s=fis3Hy4m_QqQBPTlpONZPSJo25aDfE2ofvo1wBE9pwU&e=>

5/15: Know What You Want Next: How to Break Free of the 'I Don't Know' Trap<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.westorg.org_2020-2D05-2D15-2Dauthor-2Dwebinar&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=xhRnivgwIo5hLQL69BdFbfv_P1zpuZiXdRZz1gZJm2c&m=mU-8-a2jCp4HA5TzLRpmn9xUsTCl7WHNlcsHBLbTeoI&s=NFsgPextP2RtMoqab50UEXRriR5Fj0zZyJVfvmtLtuA&e=>

5/20: How to Advocate for Yourself<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.westorg.org_2020-2D05-2D20-2Dnegotiate-2Dadvocate-2Dworkshop&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=xhRnivgwIo5hLQL69BdFbfv_P1zpuZiXdRZz1gZJm2c&m=mU-8-a2jCp4HA5TzLRpmn9xUsTCl7WHNlcsHBLbTeoI&s=qHNC4MbN1187eD_ck4BVATRtNtCLs51o_m-6o97Yd2I&e=>

6/4: Fearlessness as a Daily Practice<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.westorg.org_2020-2D06-2D04-2Dfearlessness-2Dwebinar&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=xhRnivgwIo5hLQL69BdFbfv_P1zpuZiXdRZz1gZJm2c&m=mU-8-a2jCp4HA5TzLRpmn9xUsTCl7WHNlcsHBLbTeoI&s=zTKkUK8Y5BScjA53h97CM2dF7al41_MIdDd7VnTDApM&e=>

6/17: Presentation Skills for Brainiacs<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.westorg.org_2020-2D06-2D17-2Dpresentation-2Dskills-2Dwebinar&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=xhRnivgwIo5hLQL69BdFbfv_P1zpuZiXdRZz1gZJm2c&m=mU-8-a2jCp4HA5TzLRpmn9xUsTCl7WHNlcsHBLbTeoI&s=5sbcQhzasiu8rorDP0vaMRsnqOE6myCQKAwtDupb--c&e=>


Women in Leadership Workshop

Please RSVP and join us in the Women in Leadership workshop. During this workshop there will be a panel discussion and activity reflecting and answering questions on women's leadership experiences throughout MIT. RSVP using the engage link below if you are interested in attending. May 6th from 12:00-1:00 pm EDT: https://engage.mit.edu/event/5708054

[cid:image002.png at 01D621EC.1A1301A0]



"COVID-19 Night School" by HGSU-UAW

"COVID-19 Night School", is a series of interdisciplinary Zoom talks about COVID-19 and pandemics presented by members of our union for the general public. Please find below the registration link<http://tinyurl.com/COVIDNightSchool> and information on upcoming events. There is also an open call for presenters in the series! See information below!

[cid:image003.png at 01D621EC.1A1301A0][cid:image004.png at 01D621EC.1A1301A0]



Want to help? Donate to <http://www.rosiesplace.org/> Casa Myrna.

Casa Myrna is Boston's largest provider of domestic violence awareness efforts and of shelter and supportive services to survivors.

Donation link: <https://secure2.convio.net/rsp/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20111a?1400.donation=form1&df_id=1400&NONCE_TOKEN=CF65E0DEAA0AAA5E6ADC46CFC19E2C6A> here<https://casamyrna.org/donate/>

"We are acutely aware that social distancing and heightened stress can create very dangerous circumstances for those in abusive relationships, and we expect to see violence escalate. That is one of the many reasons we remain determined to assist survivors and the community. Together, we can provide support for families living in violence. Your donation will help uplift the most vulnerable in our community to escape abuse, maintain housing, buy food and access healthcare."

As graduate students ourselves, the GWAMIT Executive Board is aware that students do not have large stipends, and many of us use what we have for families of our own. We want to emphasize that we support you in taking care of yourself and your immediate loved ones in this moment. Nevertheless, if you are able to use some of the funds you otherwise would have spent for restaurants, bars, shows, travel, and other leisure, consider donating to our common cause.



["You could certainly say that I've never underestimated myself, there's nothing wrong with being ambitious." - Angela Merkel]

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/gwamit/attachments/20200504/6bd1f360/attachment-0001.html
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 46903 bytes
Desc: image001.jpg
Url : http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/gwamit/attachments/20200504/6bd1f360/attachment-0001.jpg
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.png
Type: image/png
Size: 123960 bytes
Desc: image002.png
Url : http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/gwamit/attachments/20200504/6bd1f360/attachment-0004.png
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.png
Type: image/png
Size: 322013 bytes
Desc: image003.png
Url : http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/gwamit/attachments/20200504/6bd1f360/attachment-0005.png
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.png
Type: image/png
Size: 377526 bytes
Desc: image004.png
Url : http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/gwamit/attachments/20200504/6bd1f360/attachment-0006.png
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image005.png
Type: image/png
Size: 11986 bytes
Desc: image005.png
Url : http://mailman.mit.edu/pipermail/gwamit/attachments/20200504/6bd1f360/attachment-0007.png