
Graduate Women in Engineering Network (GWEN)
VISIONThe Graduate Women in Engineering Network strives to empower and connect women engineering graduate students. MISSIONTo provide a supportive environment for the purpose of sharing information and strategies to enable women engineering graduate students to achieve success personally, academically, and professionally. Program Objectives
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Program BookletAbstract BookletCalling all graduate women in engineering! Grow your confidence. Present your amazing work. Cultivate your networks. The Graduate Women in Engineering Network (GWEN) will host the 2nd annual GWEN Symposium on Tuesday, February 7, 2023 at Purdue University. Sharing Your Voice, Extending Your Reach2nd Annual Graduate Women in Engineering Network Symposium The GWEN Symposium is an opportunity for women graduate students to build community, support your peers, hear about exciting research, and learn from inspiring alumnae. Registration open December 1, 2022 through January 27, 2023 at: https://cvent.me/8ddebyRegistration is $20 for COE Graduate Students and $100 for others. Registration includes all sessions and meals (i.e., continental breakfast at the Plenary talk, Keynote Luncheon, and the closing Network Reception & Poster Session with hors d'oeuvres and open bar). Registered COE graduate students who attend the Opening Plenary, all professional sessions, the Keynote Luncheon, and the Networking Reception will be eligible for one of the five door prizes of $1,000 each. Names drawn at the end-of-day Networking Reception must be present to win. Winners must be current COE Graduate student. 9:00am Sign-in Opens (Registration table outside of STEW 302/306)9:00-9:30am Get your professional Headshot taken 9:30-10:15am Opening Plenary (with continental breakfast)
10:15-10:30am Transition & Break
10:30-11:30am Session 1*
11:30-11:45am Transition & Break 11:45-1:30pm Keynote Luncheon hosted by Sandia National Labs
Keynote Panel of Alumnae:
1:15-1:45pm Get your professional Headshot taken
1:30-1:45pm Transition & Break 1:45-2:45pm Session 2* 2:45-3:00pm Transition & Break 3:00-4:00pm Session 3* 4:00-6:00pm Networking Reception with Poster Session Beer, Wine & Hors d'oeuvres hosted by the Women in Engineering Program
*COE Grad Student Presentation Sessions begin with advice from alumnae on strategies for success followed by research talks from your peers across the College. Questions, please contact the GWEN Leadership team: wiepgwen@purdue.edu Individuals of all races, genders, and backgrounds are welcome. |
The Graduate Women in Engineering Network proudly announces the 2nd annual symposium for graduate women in the College of Engineering. Sharing Your Voice, Extending Your Reach Call for Posters, Conference Presentations, and Special Format Presentations. The GWEN Symposium will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2023. It is an opportunity for graduate students to build community, share the impact of their work in new and engaging ways, and learn from inspiring alumnae. Incentive for Presenters Those who are registered for and present at the GWEN Symposium will be eligible for the Women in Engineering (WiE) Program Travel Grant drawing. Ten (10) WiE Travel Grants of $1,000 each will be randomly awarded. WiE Travel Grant funds can only be used for professional conference travel within the 2023 calendar year at which the awardee presents their novel research. Names will be drawn at the end-of-day Networking Reception. Must be a current CoE graduate student and present to win. Key Points
Presentation Types
Questions, please contact the GWEN Leadership team: wiepgwen@purdue.edu |
2023 GWEN Symposium: FAQs for Presenters, click here. |
Congratulations to the 2022 WiE Travel Grant winners who were selected from presenters at the 1st annual GWEN Symposium held February 7, 2022.
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First Annual GWEN Symposium
February 7, 2022
Sharing Your Voice, Making An Impact
A Graduate Women in Engineering Network Symposium
10:00 - 10:45am Opening Plenary - Speaker: Amy Penner (BS ABE 2007 Purdue; MS ABE 2008 Purdue; MBA Oxford Brookes) R&D Principal Engineer, PepsiCo, Chicago, IL
10:45 - 11:00am Transition & Break
12:00 - 12:15pm Transition & Break
12:15 - 1:15pm Luncheon & Keynote host by Sandia National Laboratories - Speaker: Dr. Megan Nyre-Yu (BS IE 2009 Purdue; MS IE 2016 Purdue; PhD IE 2019 Purdue) R&D Science & Engineering - Human Factors, Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM
1:15 - 1:30pm Transition & Break
2:30 - 2:45pm Transition & Break, Put up posters
3:45 - 4:00pm Transition & Break
4:00 - 5:30pm Networking Reception and Poster Session (list of posters) - cocktails & hors d'oeuvres hosted by the Women in Engineering Program
*COE Grad Student Presentation sessions begin with advice from alumnae on strategies for success followed by research talks from your peers across the College. |
Meet the GWEN Leadership Team
![]() Suzanne Zurn-Birkhimer | Associate Director
Dr. Zurn-Birkhimer is the Associate Director of the Women in Engineering Program and oversees GWEN. Here is her bio.
Why GWEN is great
"The Graduate Women in Engineering Program is near and dear to my heart. I was involved in a similar program during my graduate years. Not only did it allow me to build a community of women scholars, I was able to grow personally and professionally. I am excited that we continue to bring these amazing opportunities to students today."
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![]() Cathy Deno | Administrative Assistant
Cathy is one of the Women in Engineering Program's Administrative Assistants. She works with the mentoring program teams and the WE Link recruitment team. Here is her bio.
Why GWEN is great
"I love that GWEN offers our women graduate students not only the opportunity to network with women outside of their disciplines but also a safe place to practice unique ways of presenting their research at the annual symposium."
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![]() Olivia Brandt | PhD Student | Materials Engineering
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
Olivia is from Los Angeles and obtained a bachelor's degree in materials engineering from the University of California, Riverside in 2019. Olivia's PhD research is focused on understanding ceramic processing techniques that are used to create heat exchanges. Besides GWEN, Olivia is active in the American Ceramics Society where she is chair of the President's Council of Student Advisors. In her spare time, Olivia enjoys playing the piano, cycling, and watching her favorite TV shows.
Why GWEN is great
"GWEN is an exceptional program that offers networking opportunities with alumnae and students within different engineering disciplines and provides a space for academic, personal, and professional growth through unique programming. GWEN has given me resources and skills that I could not have obtained through my own engineering discipline and has allowed me to make connections that I would have otherwise missed if I was not involved."
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![]() Burla Ondes | PhD Student | Industrial Engineering
Burla received her B.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Florida at Gainesville in 2019. Her PhD research is focused on deriving performance bounds for multi-objective simulation optimization algorithms. In her free time, she enjoys swimming, visiting springs and reading novels.
Why GWEN is great
"GWEN is an extraordinary program that offers many opportunities for women graduate students such as networking with alumnae and fellow women graduate students along with the opportunity to grow professionally and personally. It also provides a welcoming environment for women graduate students in any discipline of engineering which is extremely important especially in graduate school."
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![]() Elizabeth Sanders | PhD Student | Engineering Education
Hometown: Central Illinois
Elizabeth is an Engineering Education PhD student, originally from Central Illinois. She completed her B.S. in Chemical Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and her M.S. in Higher Education from the University of Michigan. Her current research focuses on human-centered design, ethics, and empathy in engineering. Outside of school, she likes to spend her time making music, doing art, being outdoors, or enjoying some live music!
Why GWEN is great
"GWEN is an incredible program that intentionally centers community among women graduate students. I love that GWEN provides an inclusive and welcoming space for women graduate students to connect across disciplines and create meaningful, lasting friendships!"
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![]() Anne Serban | PhD Student | Chemical Engineering
Anne received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 2020. She is part of the Beaudoin group and is currently working on understanding the adhesion between energetic particles and their binders. In her free time, Anne enjoys being outside and trying new foods.
Why GWEN is great
"GWEN provides opportunities to meet fellow women in engineering and helps build networks; this was especially meaningful to me as I joined Purdue during COVID."
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GWEN Partners:
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