Graduate Women in Engineering Network (GWEN)

Sharing Your Voice, Making An Impact
A Graduate Women in Engineering Network Symposium

Call for Posters, Conference Presentations, and Special Format Presentations

The Graduate Women in Engineering Network Symposium will be held Monday, February 7, 2022. 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. The symposium accepts proposals on topics associated with your research. We encourage all presenters to use active engagement strategies when presenting their work at the symposium. Please start thinking about how you will engage your audience.

Incentive for Presenters: Those who are registered for and present at the GWEN Symposium will be eligible for the WIEP Travel Grant drawing. Ten (10) WIEP Travel Grants of $1,000 each will be randomly awarded. WIEP Travel Grant funds can only be used for professional conference travel within the 2022 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:

• The symposium has 5 presentation types (options outlined below). Indicate your top 2 preferences for presentation type when you are submitting and include 3-5 keywords following the abstract to aid the review process.
• Submit an abstract of 250-500 words that includes a brief introduction, a statement about the focus of the presentation, the research you have conducted, findings, and implications. Please keep in mind that your abstract will likely be reviewed by someone outside your field; thus, write for someone who may not be familiar with your research area.
• Presentation types:
  • Presentation types:
    • Poster session
      • 2-minute overviews from each presenter to pitch poster to the audience followed by a 1-hour networking reception for guest to view posters and talk to presenters
      • Goal: Practice and receive feedback on a presentation for a traditional academic conference or present a new type of poster (e.g., one large picture and no text)
    • Traditional conference talk
      • Speaker timing: 10 min presentation + 2 min Q&A
      • Goal: Practice and receive feedback on a presentation for a traditional academic conference
    • Roundtable/World Café – focused use of dialogue to foster collective insight around real-life challenges and strategic questions (Cafe to Go)
      • Each presenter gives a 3 min opening talk with 3 auto-advancing slides to share conversation topics
      • Participants will then group into discussion tables for 10 min discussions, rotating 3 times
      • Goal: Build collective knowledge through conversation; opportunity to discuss research implications, broader impact, and questions that matter
    • Pecha Kucha – 400 seconds to tell your story with visuals guiding the way. Pecha Kucha means chit-chat in Japanese (https://www.pechakucha.com/about)
      • Speaker timing: 20 images, 20 seconds each, auto-advancing slides (6.5 min presentation + 3 min Q&A)
      • Goal: Creative use of images and storytelling to show your research and its impact; opportunity to think creatively about your work and how you convey its impact
    • Popular Press – Convey your research to a lay audience; creative use of presentation format encouraged (e.g., https://www.ted.com)
      • Speaker timing: 6 min presentation + 4 min Q&A
      • Goal: Practice presenting and describing your research to a lay audience; opportunity to explore different creative formats

The deadline for submitting abstracts is November 9, 2021. 

Submit abstract here: https://bit.ly/3BfzAAH

Questions or concerns about submitting to this call, please contact the GWEN Leadership team: wiepgwen@purdue.edu