[GWAMIT] gwaMIT Newsletter, September 7th, 2020

[GWAMIT]

gwaMIT Newsletter

September 7th, 2020



gwaMIT’s New Logo!

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A little over a month ago, we announced our decision to rebrand gwaMIT to promote inclusivity within our organization, and subsequently launched a logo design competition. We wanted to hear from you—and we did. Over the last month, we’ve received a number of amazing submissions.

Our brief called for a simple, scalable, inclusive logo that doesn’t set boundaries on how womxn are defined. The winning design utilizes open quotation marks to symbolize and give tribute to all voices. gwaMIT is an organization that seeks to give voice to all womxn. The open quotation marks indicate that the story is still being told. The primary brand color is a custom variation of pantone ultraviolet, originally created to convey a sense of dignity, progress, and possibility. It celebrates non-conformity and equality. This color symbolizes  the empowerment of womxn as they  continue to express themselves in a multitude of forms — whether it be bold color, activism, leadership, or other artistic expression.

As part of our effort to create a more inclusive organization, we are additionally choosing to replace “women” with “womxn” (same pronunciation) in our name: we are now Graduate Womxn at MIT. We use “womxn” to signify our support for all femme-identifying and non-binary individuals.  This change reinforces our commitment to gender diversity and intersectional feminism. (Read more about the use of the term ‘womxn’ here<https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/14/style/womxn.html> and here<https://www3.bostonglobe.com/ideas/2017/05/09/womyn-wimmin-and-other-folx/vjhPn82ITGgCCbE12iNn1N/story.html?arc404=true>) In accordance with the new logo, we are also planning to write our organization’s acronym as gwaMIT, rather than GWAMIT. This change will lend itself to ease in pronunciation and highlights our connection to the MIT community.

The artist and author behind gwaMIT’s new logo is Rashina Bhula, Co-President of MIT Design Club, and a Parsons School of Design graduate candidate. Her company, oneofonedesign.co, is a design consultancy and brand strategy studio. After working as a Creative Director at multiple, national organizations, Rashina realized the lack of affordable branding for nonprofits and launched her small studio to ensure that all companies have access to great, affordable design. Thank you Rashina. And thank you to all who entered the competition and strived to make a difference in promoting inclusivity within our organization.

Over the past several months, our board has had a number of thoughtful conversations surrounding diversity and inclusion. While we acknowledge that we still have a long way to go, we want to take this moment to encourage other womxn groups at MIT to begin to have these initial discussions. If you have suggestions for the board or are seeking advice on how to begin these conversations, do not hesitate to reach out to our board. Please stay tuned for updates on gwaMIT’s ongoing efforts on diversity and inclusion. If you have comments for our exec board, please reach out to us at gwamit-exec at mit.edu<mailto:gwamit-exec at mit.edu>.



Recap of gwaMIT’s first virtual Orientation Women’s Welcome Lunch (OWWL)

This past week, gwaMIT hosted OWWL for 2020’s incoming class. Dean Staton and keynote speaker Danielle Wood addressed attendees with inspiring words and hope for the future. If you missed it, stay tuned for the recording (closed captioned), which will be posted on our website in a week.


gwaMIT Mentoring Program

With the start of the semester, the GWAMIT Mentoring Program has opened applications for womxn graduate students to be matched with a mentor. In the program, you will be matched with a mentoring group of up to three graduate students and a mentor from industry or academia. Most of our mentors are women and MIT alumni, and mentoring groups talk about everything from picking a lab to finding a job to imposter syndrome and mental health!

Graduate women mentees are encouraged to meet with their mentoring group every month, and will have access to our program Slack to network with other mentoring groups.

If you are interested in participating as a mentee this school year, please fill out the survey<https://forms.gle/xRieFKxBxBHLz6ba6> by Friday, September 11th.

Please email gwamitmentoring at gmail.com if you have any questions or want more information.

Mentees will be able to enter preferences for mentors based on mentor profiles that will be distributed soon. Mentees will be given priority in selecting a mentor in the order you fill out the above survey, so please don’t wait!


Did you know? Here is some womxn-related news from around the world:

Michelle Obama and Meghan Markle and other celebrities teamed up<https://www-forbes-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.forbes.com/sites/elanagross/2020/08/19/meghan-markle-is-working-with-michelle-obama-to-register-women-voters/amp/> with When We All Vote<https://www.whenweallvote.org/valerie-jarrett-samantha-barry-meghan-duchess-of-sussex-and-yvette-nicole-brown-to-join-19th-amendment-centennial-voter-registration-week-of-action/> to register female voters and reduce the gender and age voting gap.

Congratulations to Danielle Geathers, MIT undergraduate student body President, for being featured in TIME magazine<https://time.com/5880954/danielle-geathers-mit/>!

Watch this Documentary on Women in the Restaurant Business<https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/31/dining/a-womans-place-restaurant-documentary.html> and how they navigate this male dominated space

Transgender activist Marsha P. Johnson will get a monument in her New Jersey hometown<https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/marsha-p-johnson-new-jersey-monument-trnd/index.html>!! This will be the first permanent monument in the world honoring transgender people.

Read this quirky but hard-hitting comic by French artist Emma that shows how ‘benevolent sexism’<https://www.theguardian.com/books/2020/aug/13/benevolent-sexism-a-feminist-comic-explains-how-it-holds-women-back> holds women back, and also talks about ways we can all stand up for each other by systematically denouncing and discussing instances of sexism in our lives!



COVID-19 Resources

gwaMIT has compiled a list of resources we are aware of to help graduate women in our community. If you know of a resource that isn’t listed, please let us know (gwamit-exec at mit.edu) so we can include it in the next newsletter to share with the community.

MIT Grant for Graduate Students with Children - applications due by September 30th!

https://oge.mit.edu/finances/grad-student-fin-assist/grad-students-with-children-grant/

Expanded back-up child care policy: https://hr.mit.edu/worklife/backupchildcare

MIT Ombuds Office - ombudsoffice.mit.edu<http://ombuds.mit.edu/>

The Ombuds Office is available to offer support and assistance to the MIT community in navigating these challenges and exploring constructive options for success. We are available for phone or Zoom meetings and can also facilitate online sessions and group discussions to help teams function and support good communication skills during this challenging period.  To schedule a meeting via phone or Zoom email kalina_s at mit.edu or call 617-253-5921.

Graduate student short-term emergency hardship funding: https://engage.mit.edu/submitter/form/step/1?Guid=b180ffce-c28f-41f6-908b-387637df6396

GSC DEI open letter for COVID-relief: https://mitgradstudentadvocates.weebly.com/

MIT Summer Opportunities & Resources: https://resources.mit.edu/summer

MIT has created a dedicated website for COVID-related updates: https://now.mit.edu/


Stay at Home Recommendations:

Something to do… help others with a virtual service project! Draw a card for a hospitalized kid<http://www.cardsforhospitalizedkids.com/>, use your crafting skills to provide warm blankets for those in need<https://warmupamerica.org/make/>, donate books to the Little Free Library<https://littlefreelibrary.org/>, write letters to the elderly<https://loveforourelders.org/letters>. Time commitment can be as little as a few minutes and many can be done for free!

Something to read...

Fiction: Binti<https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667918-binti> is a science fiction novella written by Nnedi Okorafor (recommended by our OWWL Speaker Danielle Wood<https://www.media.mit.edu/people/drwood/overview/>!) This is an intergalactic story about a young African woman who leaves her family to study at a prestigious interstellar university

Non-Fiction/ Memoir: Data Feminism<https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/data-feminism> By Catherine D'Ignazio and Lauren F. Klein. The book discusses data science as a form of power: data science by whom? data science for whom? data science with whose interests in mind?

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… For a tale on female friendship spanning generations and vibrators check out Grace & Frankie on Netflix<https://www.netflix.com/title/80017537>! Or check out Mulan<https://www.disneyplus.com/movies/mulan/2jlgPK4K0ilR> which is coming out on Disney Plus this month!

Something to listen to… Continuing on with the theme of female friendship, Michelle Obama’s new podcast episode<https://open.spotify.com/episode/67ixgWUlHwa1mptT4GkmWh?si=TIUw7J6TQ6mv4XgZpMZfZg> discusses their beauty and how they sustain you through ups and downs!

Something fun… get some fresh air safely! Take a socially-distanced walk or bike around town (try the Minuteman Trail<http://minutemanbikeway.org/>!).


Virtual Events & Opportunities

GSC Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee Welcome Event

When: Wednesday, September 9 from 5 PM – 6 PM

Where: https://mit.zoom.us/j/92505567939

Contact: gsc-diversity at mit.edu

URL: https://forms.gle/npBZEppcB1U3epWPA

- Our official kickoff event for 2020-2021 year!

- All graduate students welcome

- Learn about the committee, how to get involved, and meet new people: https://gsc.mit.edu/committees/diversity/

All graduate students are invited to the Graduate Student Council Diversity, Equity, <https://gsc.mit.edu/committees/diversity/>

& Inclusion Committee<https://gsc.mit.edu/committees/diversity/>'s orientation event for the 2020-2021 year. Please join if you are interested in getting more involved in advocacy work and want to connect with other student advocates and their movements. No prior experience in advocacy work is required to attend - come learn more and hang out with us!


The Social Scientist Mentorship Program

The Social Scientist is a nonprofit initiative for career guidance and advice in the STEM fields. In order to provide resources for all, The Social Scientist is an online platform for STEM mentorship. Our core program model aims to provide a global community of higher education students and professionals that are accessible and willing to dedicate their time for mentorship. We are an interdisciplinary group of diverse mentors that engage with young students and advocate for those already immersed in the STEM fields.

https://www.thesocialscientist.org

We connect with mentees in an informal setting to encourage a relaxed and easy conversation. The Social Scientist mentors can speak upon their education, career path and provide valuable insight on the nature of their work. From graduate students to industry directors, all of our mentors have diverse backgrounds and endured their own struggles and success with their career trajectory. We currently have enlisted STEM volunteers from across the world in Academia, Engineering, Industry, Writing/Publishing, US Government, Technology, Mathematics and Alternative Careers. We follow up with every inquirer after their chat to ensure a high-quality interaction with the mentors and establish an ongoing relationship between them and The Social Scientist. Additionally, our mentors have set up ongoing communication with their mentees to provide stable and long-term mentorship. Mentorship is critical at every stage of one’s career and we aim to create opportunities in STEM that are not equally and widely available. Currently, 67% of our mentors are women in STEM.


Welcome Celebration for our 2020-2021 MLK Visiting Scholars

Wednesday, September 16th; 12:00 – 1:00pm EST; Zoom link available upon registration

Since 1991<https://mlkscholars.mit.edu/>, the MIT MLK Visiting Professors and Scholars program has committed to honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by increasing the presence of underrepresented minority scholars at MIT. For Academic Year 2020-2021<https://news.mit.edu/2020/mit-hosts-seven-mlk-professors-scholars-0902>, MIT is hosting seven accomplished scholars representing different areas of interest from all over the United States and Canada.

Though we wish we could welcome our scholars with a gathering of colleagues (and a meal!), we will still be introducing them to our community the 2020 way – via zoom lunch hour. Join us in welcoming the 2020-2021 cohort to our virtual campus!

**Please let us know in the registration form<https://forms.gle/vHYt9apakSpv3Mnq7> if there is anything you need to make this event more accessible**

CLICK HERE to register for this event!<https://forms.gle/vHYt9apakSpv3Mnq7>


US Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Conference

The DOE sponsored U.S. Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) conference will take place on December 8 and 9, 2020 (it will be a virtual conference):

https://www.c3eawards.org

https://www.c3eawards.org/2020

The conference includes cash awards for winners of the poster competition so please share this email with female-identifying undergraduate and graduate students or postdocs working in any of the following energy areas:

Basic Energy Science, Built Environment and Infrastructure, Climate and Environment, Developing World, Energy Education, Energy Efficiency, Fossil Energy Emissions Mitigation, Nuclear Energy, Policy and Finance, Power Distribution and Energy Storage, Renewable Energy, Transportation

The 2020 U.S. C3E poster competition

Students and early-career researchers are invited to participate in a poster competition at the annual U.S. C3E Symposium and Awards, which will be held online in December. The poster competition exposes symposium attendees to cutting-edge research in a variety of clean energy fields. A poster committee with wide-ranging expertise will select the most compelling poster submissions for presentation at the symposium with an eye toward diversity of institution, topic, and discipline. The poster presenter must be a female-identifying undergraduate student, graduate student, or postdoctoral researcher currently undertaking the research project presented.

Enter by Wednesday, October 7 at 11:59 pm ET. Check out details and apply.<https://mit.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=1a57a715520513505ca5cda89&id=5f9cc2ca11&e=46ff92d2e6>

Related: Are you joining the C3E competition? Do you need help on your poster? MITEI will match you with a mentor to help coach you through the process. For more information, please contact Diane Rigos<mailto:rigosa at mit.edu>.


The Neoliberal University and Academic Feminism

September 17, 2020; 6:30-8:30PM; Zoom event (Register<https://mit.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wabDzoixQ8GYAGGELcSz6w>); More info<https://www.gcws.mit.edu/gcws-events-list/feminisms-unbound-neoliberal-university>

Panelists: Dr. Eng-Beng Lim, Associate Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Dartmouth College. Dr. Iyko Day, Associate Professor of English and Critical Social Thought, Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Jigna Desai, Professor of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies and Asian American Studies, University of Minnesota

This panel takes its inspiration from our insistent critique of the academic corporation in which we find ourselves working today. Increasingly, our new colleagues are temporary and underpaid hires, who are nevertheless often expected to give service beyond teaching. Our senior administrators, compensated at the same levels as the corporate structure, are hired as much for their fundraising abilities as for their academic inclinations or interests. Juggling multiple jobs, our students are enmeshed in an aggregation of precarity that is not only financial: their protests of the institution’s raced, gendered, sexed and classed inequities, for instance, are repurposed into website photographs designed to advertise the institution’s openness to critique. Particularly as women, as queer, as trans, and as first-generation, the discomfort with an institution that is hostile to them is transformed into a burden to reform the institution. Does our activism and theorizing alleviate or intensify these inequities? How is the genealogy of such processes, which we often hear ourselves take for granted as deeply unethical, connected to the humanist values we espouse and teach? Some senior administrative positions, such as Diversity Officers, for instance, are the result of our successful struggles to force the administration to be ethical. What if the neoliberal university is not, in fact, antithetical to our goals or practices as feminists and principled social actors in the institution? Finally, how might we think both critically and imaginatively about the temporal implications of the neoliberal university today and our place in it: the claim now made on all of our time; our conception of “free” time; our justification of time spent away from the institution’s demands; the disproportionate burden of time placed on some students, staff and faculty?


The IDHR Student Advisory Committee is looking for more students to join this year!

MIT’s Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response<http://idhr.mit.edu/> Office (IDHR) is dedicated to preventing and addressing discrimination and discriminatory harassment across the Institute. The Student Advisory Committee<https://idhr.mit.edu/our-office/get-involved/student-advisory-committee> is made up of undergraduate and graduate students from across the Institute who provide feedback and input to the IDHR office regarding our messaging and outreach campaigns and help us most effectively engage with the student body. In addition to monthly committee meetings, the student advisory committee has two subcommittees focused on: 1) institutional advocacy and 2) messaging & partnerships. To get involved, contact idhr-education at mit.edu<mailto:idhr-education at mit.edu>​​


MITxHarvard Women in AI Group

Are you interested in Artificial Intelligence? Curious about neural networks, GANs, reinforcement learning, neuro-symbolic approaches, or program induction? If you don’t know what any of those are, but want to learn, think, and discuss not only the technical side of machine learning and AI, but the ethics of AI and applications to biomedicine, cognitive science, environmental sciences, and more! Then we’d love to have you join the MITxHarvard Women in AI Group!!

We are a new initiative spanning both MIT and Harvard, composed of undergraduate and graduate students, seeking to provide a welcoming, supportive community for students excited about AI (no prior background is needed!!)

Our group centers around two prongs: 1) aiming to bring together students of all backgrounds to talk about AI in a supportive community via Zoom paper reading sessions, lightning talks, project sessions, and a fun Slack page! and 2) developing outreach material to get other students excited about AI! We’ve already begun an interview series with amazing women in tech from professors at Harvard, MIT, and Caltech to researchers at DeepMind and Microsoft! This will be posted on our website and YouTube shortly, and we are eager to have more student interviewers on board! If you want to meet other cool students at MIT and Harvard or want to help with our interview series, outreach, and more, please sign-up here: https://tinyurl.com/mitharvardwai<https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftinyurl.com%2Fmitharvardwai%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR09t8hzcjSGIrTn9svLmU5Xhisb1llWs8ly84av5cDf406_47KdVAEuqBo&h=AT1QrLxISgTmJtxzinOvL3tkkcrqcnRyrang_ahmhjmgHzblO5YayvhoLx4euu9Y4KcMHJt4vbf9BbPHiFWnzY8LuV8voyXFims5iCAonHXAMvb6S_fD9Cuv4Wv8RzcWcVhCq-xvtQg>

Feel free to check out our initial website https://web.mit.edu/women-ai/ or reach out to wai_exec at mit.edu  if you have questions or want to learn more!!


Join GrasshoppHer’s #braveboldboundless

Looking to build your resume and meet company executives?

Want to help solve problems of social equity in the workplace?

We have the perfect opportunity for you!

We are GrasshoppHer, a mobile app for both companies and individuals that connects female and non-binary mentees and mentors, and we are organizing our inaugural #braveboldboundless Ideathon! In the wake of the BLM movement and the COVID crisis, it has become apparent that our workplaces are not as equal as we initially thought. And in true millennial fashion, WE’RE DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

We want to hear from YOU on how the workplace can become more inclusive across racial and gender lines. Additionally, by participating you will have the chance to win:

  *   A $500 cash prize
  *   Mentorship from a sponsoring company on implementing your idea
  *   An invitation to a winners-round table with sponsoring companies
  *   And many more!

Additionally this ideathon is a great opportunity to build your network as we will have representatives from major firms in consulting, banking, media, tech, retail, CPG and many other industries!

If sparking meaningful change within workplaces across the nation is something you are interested in, check out our ideathon flyer.<https://rlink.re/l/235386c1/c1b5/44e3/bea9/714763a5e230>


Tufts Women in Tech 2020 Conference

Tufts Women in Tech 2020 is the 4th annual conference celebrating female and non-binary technologists! WiT will be an entirely virtual experience on Sep. 19-20, and we are excited about our amazing lineup of speakers, panelists, and workshops. You can also head to the virtual career fair to connect with 20+ companies! We understand that Sep. 19-20 overlaps with Rosh Hashanah, so in addition to providing recordings of all sessions, we’ve partnered with the Tufts Career Center to hold Networking Nights on Sep. 21-24. Visit tuftswit2020.weebly.com<http://tuftswit2020.weebly.com> for more info, or head to bit.ly/2020tuftswit<http://bit.ly/2020tuftswit> to register!


Fit For Everybody - Call For Volunteers

Everybody is improving women's clothes sizing and fit based on real women's bodies. By having women take and submit their measurements, Everybody will advise women's apparel designers how to improve their garment sizing to be more inclusive and accurate.

Everybody is looking for female-identifying volunteers to take and submit their measurements from home through our website. All shapes, sizes, and ages over 18 are welcome and encouraged to participate. Participants will be entered to win a luxury gift.

Our website is www.fitforeverybody.com

Our Facebook is @fitforeverybody2

Our Instagram is @_fit_for_everybody_

Our Twitter is @FitEverybody


MindsMatterBoston - Call for Volunteers

Minds Matter Boston is a college access organization that pairs mentors with first-generation, low-income  high school students from local communities to support them to prepare for, apply to, and succeed in college. As part of our general recruitment efforts, we are intentional about recruiting mentors who reflect the backgrounds of the young people we work with, mainly first generation to college and/or people of color.  We take responsibility for creating a diverse and inclusive space for our students and believe that this is only possible when we have more volunteer leaders who reflect, celebrate, and affirm the multi-dimensional identities of our students. There is more info at Minds Matter Boston online<https://www.mindsmatterboston.org/mentors> as well! If anyone is interested in learning more, they can email our Program Associate, Jada Alexander (jada.alexander at mindsmatterboston.com) and set up a call to discuss the mentor position further.


Correlation One  East Coast regional Datathon

Hosted by Citadel LLC and Citadel Securities in partnership with Correlation One, the Data Open is launching the Fall season with East Coast Regional Datathon<https://www.citadel.com/careers/the-data-open/apply/>, which will take place virtually this September!

The Data Open challenges students from the world's best universities to tackle real-world social challenges in topics such as urban traffic, renewable energy, and education.

Taking place between September 14-21, teams will have a week to work on their submissions, with the flexibility to showcase their skills on their own schedules. Top performing students have the opportunity to win $25,000 in cash prizes, exclusive recruiting opportunities with Citadel, and global recognition.

When: September 14 - September 21

Where: Virtual

Prizes: $25,000 + Exclusive recruiting opportunities with Citadel LLC and Citadel Securities

Here's the link to sign up<https://www.citadel.com/careers/the-data-open/apply/>!

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the event, feel free to email roysi at correlation-one.com.


New Student Advocates for Survivors Group

Student Advocates for Survivors, or SAS, is a new student group advocating for better MIT policy supporting survivors and educating students about reporting and support options. This includes advocating for more training for all students and staff around responding to sexual assault, as well as advocating for better Title IX policy and mental health resources at MIT.

We are looking for more people to join us! Here is a list of projects we are beginning to work on. If you are interested, add yourself to sas at mit.edu here. Anyone is welcome to join regardless of your past experiences.

Additionally, if you have any ideas of what we can do to support survivors, please fill out this anonymous form. Feel free to also share any experiences with Title IX, VPR, S3, etc.


Department of Energy Resources Job Opportunity - Emerging Technologies

The Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources Emerging Technology Division is currently hiring a Program Coordinator to support our electric vehicle and Clean Cities Coalition programs. This is a great opportunity for someone at the early stage of their career looking to gain experience in energy policy focused on electric vehicle and infrastructure deployment, the interaction of electric vehicles with electricity rates, energy resilience, and grid support. While the focus will be on electric vehicles and the Clean Cities program, the position will also be involved other projects, programs, and policy development related to clean energy emerging technologies like energy storage. You can find the job posting here<https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__massanf.taleo.net_careersection_ex_jobdetail.ftl-3Fjob-3D2000052Q-26tz-3DGMT-2D04-253A00-26tzname-3DAmerica-252FNew-5FYork&d=DwMFAg&c=lDF7oMaPKXpkYvev9V-fVahWL0QWnGCCAfCDz1Bns_w&r=SUJ0tmD2TxBovaoBCr21o-OoRDEaTwnylQ5HExAKRTk&m=Mk6Xh1bwaEKJIM-9H9OflrskonPGniTmQ6Y3uYxj1-o&s=MunM8Y9EOQBReBIc20wM9DlEfgZdCNmb1qrE3mCoGcY&e=>.

The Department of Energy Resources has a commitment to help create a clean, affordable, and resilient energy future for the Commonwealth. Within that commitment is an underlying aim to actively support diversity, equity, and inclusion in the work we do and in our own workplace. The ideal candidate would be committed to developing a strong understanding of the importance of intersectional environmentalism within the work done at DOER, the criticality of incorporating a diverse perspective in all of the work that we do, and a commitment to inclusivity in all aspects of the job, both internally, within DOER, and externally, among partner agencies, industry stakeholders, and the general public.


Upcoming WEST Events

9/23: WEST's 20th Anniversary/12th Annual Awards Celebration<https://www.westorg.org/2020-09-23-20th-anniversary-awards-networking>

9/24: Women and Wealth: Setting Your Course to a Strong Financial Future<https://www.westorg.org/2020-09-24-women-wealth-financial>

9/30: Gender Parity Panel Discussion<https://www.westorg.org/2020-09-30-gender-parity-panel>

10/6: Making better decisions: Pre-mortem analysis and other cognitive tools for better outcomes in life, love, and work<https://www.westorg.org/2020-10-06-better-decisions>

10/7: Book Club - The Likeability Trap<https://www.westorg.org/2020-10-07-book-club-likeability-trap>



WEST Dynamic Pod Mentoring

In the fall of 2020, WEST will pilot a non-traditional, dynamic pod mentoring program.

The 2020 pilot program will be small with 8 mentors and 20 mentees. It will consist of four 2-hour sessions. Mentors and mentees will participate in:

  *   A kickoff meeting on 9/29 (with training information, goal setting exercise, 1 sample pod session)
  *   3 meetings on 10/13, 10/27, and 11/10 (includes networking and 2 pod sessions in each 2 hour meeting)

Total time commitment: four bi-weekly meetings, starting at 6:00 pm and ending at 8:00 pm

In each session, mentees will:

  *   Explore up to 2 topics, with feedback from 1 mentor and up to 3 mentees (i.e., a pod) per topic
  *   Expand their network with 30 minutes of structured networking
  *   Discuss a specific challenge/goal and come out with concrete and actionable feedback

The cost of participation for the pilot program is $50, currently open to WEST members only. If you belong to an underrepresented group in STEM and need a scholarship to cover the cost of a year-long WEST membership and a spot in this mentoring program, please email info at westorg.org<mailto:info at westorg.org>.



"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 Virtual 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 Virtual Grad Courses for Fall 2020 (**Open to all grad students!):

6.S978 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, 1-3pm, Taught Virtually, Instructor: David Nino (dnino at mit.edu)

6.928J Leading Creative Teams<https://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, Taught Virtually, Instructor: David Nino (dnino 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) and David Niño (dnino at mit.edu<mailto:dnino at mit.edu>)



Become a gwaMIT department rep!

gwaMIT is accepting applications for the position of department representatives! As a gwaMIT department rep, you'll build connections across MIT and help in the personal & professional development of graduate womxn. It is also a powerful means to bring about department-level change and strive towards a more equitable and inclusive MIT. The position lasts for one year, with an option for renewal. Read more about the role and responsibilities here<https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BepM4QWy2tUO7ju1dkIOt69lb9wJb_DIs9Us_ljVqUA/edit>. Fill out the short application form here<https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfxO1KrUGe7rS_tvZsAW8jOOMFNBnv5BdAi4ssn1svoKUqV9w/viewform>. Womxn who are members of underrepresented and minoritized groups are encouraged to apply. The departments with openings are: Sloan, ChemE, Arch, PolSci, HASTS, Humanities, Writing, NSE, CCWCE, CMS, CSB, MAS, CRE, CCE, CTL, EECS. If the position is currently filled, but you are still interested in being involved with gwaMIT, email us to let us know! We have multiple avenues for engagement in gwaMIT's activities and initiatives.



Charitable Giving

Running low on period products this month? Consider buying Always brand products. To combat period poverty, Always has made the pledge<https://always.com/en-us/about-us/end-period-poverty> that during August and September, for every period product purchased at a participating store, a period product will be donated to a girl in need. You can also get involved (for free!) by watching Instagram Live Sessions<https://always.com/en-us/about-us/end-period-poverty> - for every viewer, they will donate a month’s worth of period products.

Is Period Poverty a new topic to you? Read up on what this is and how you can help end this barrier at Period.<https://period.org/>


“...be your whole best self...in some way, leave this place better than you found it”

-Dean Blanche Staton, at the gwaMIT Orientation Womxn’s Welcome Lunch, address to 2020’s incoming class

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