Grad WiE Network
VISIONThe Grad WiE 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
Individuals of all races, genders, and backgrounds are welcome. All events and activities are held in person on the West Lafayette campus. |
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The Grad WiE Network will host the 4th annual Grad WiE Network Symposium Sharing Your Voiceon Tuesday February 25, 2025 at Purdue University
A professional development workshop will be held on Monday, February 24, 2025 The Grad WiE Network Symposium is an opportunity for women graduate students to build community, support your peers, hear about exciting research, and learn from inspiring alumnae.
4th Annual Grad WiE Network Symposium Schedule of Events
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP TENTATIVE AGENDA Monday, February 24, 2025
2:45 pm Sign-in Opens
3:00 pm Welcome
3:10 - 5:00 pm Developing Your Mission
5:00 - 6:00 pm Networking Reception
SYMPOSIUM TENTATIVE AGENDA
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
9:00 am Sign-in Opens
9:30 - 10:15 am Opening Plenary (with continental breakfast)
10:30 - 11:40 am Student Presentation Session 1
11:50 - 1:30 pm Alumni Keynote & Luncheon
1:45 - 2:45 pm Student Presentation Session 2
3:00 - 4:00 pm Student Presentation Session 3
4:00 - 5:30 pm Closing Reception, Networking & Awards (with Hors d'oeuvres)
Questions, please contact the Grad WiE Network Leadership team: wiepgwen@purdue.edu Individuals of all races, genders, and backgrounds are welcome. |
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FAQs about Abstracts FAQs about Talk Types FAQS for Presenters FAQs for Attendees |
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Congratulations to the 2024 WiE Travel Grant winners who were selected from presenters at the 3rd annual Grad WiE Network Symposium: Sharing Your Voice, Taking Your Next Leap held February 13, 2024.
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2024: Sharing Your Voice, Taking Your Next Leap
2023: Sharing Your Voice, Extending Your Reach
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Meet the Grad WiE Network Leadership Team
 Suzanne Zurn-Birkhimer | Associate Director
Dr. Zurn-Birkhimer is the Associate Director of the Women in Engineering Program and oversees the Grad WiE Network. Here is her bio.
Why the Grad WiE Network is great
"The Grad WiE Network 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 the Grad WiE Network is great
"I love that the Grad WiE Network 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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 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 the Grad WiE Network is great
"The Grad WiE Network 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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 Angie Rojas Cardenas | PhD Student | Materials Engineering
Hometown: Bogota, Colombia
Angie received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Universidad Nacional de Colombia (UNAL) in 2022. She is currently pursuing a PhD in the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University. Her undergraduate research work focused on visualizing the stress on a confinement elastomer using mechanophores. She is currently working on a research project under the guidance of Prof. Chelsea Davis (MSE) and Prof. Amy Marconnet (ME) on Thermally conductive polymers.
Why the Grad WiE Network is great
"The Grad WiE Network is an exceptional program that actively promotes diversity and inclusion within the engineering community. By fostering connections with other women in engineering and even alumni, it provides a valuable opportunity to create a strong support network. I wholeheartedly encourage all graduate women in engineering to join us at our various events. Here, they will discover a welcoming and nurturing environment where they can forge meaningful friendships and find the support they need to thrive in their academic and professional journeys."
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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 the Grad WiE Network is great
"The Grad WiE Network is an incredible program that intentionally centers community among women graduate students. I love that the Grad WiE Network provides an inclusive and welcoming space for women graduate students to connect across disciplines and create meaningful, lasting friendships!"
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 Morgan Smith | PhD Student | Materials Engineering
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Morgan received her B.S. in Nuclear Engineering from Purdue University in 2023 and is continuing on to ger her PhD in Materials Engineering. She currently works with Dr. Okuniewski studying the microstructural properties of U-Zr fuel for advanced reactors. Outside of Grad WiE Network, Morgan is interested in nuclear policy and is a member of the Nuclear Engineering Student Delegation as well as the graduate representative for Purdue's Women in Nuclear chapter. In her free time, she enjoys playing her cello and cozying up with a good book.
Why the Grad WiE Network is great
"The Grad WiE Network provides so many opportunities to engage with your peers as you navigate being a graduate student and the unique experience of being a woman in engineering. The network has provided me with a greater sense of community with the graduate students here at Purdue and helped me with the transition from undergraduate to graduate school."
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 Shanmukhi Sripada | PhD Student | Mechanical Engineering
Shanmukhi is from New Dehli, India, and obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering in 2021 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Dehli, India. She worked as an R&D engineer at Dassault Systèmes Solutions Lab before joining Purdue University as a PhD student. Her research is focused on minimizing the thermal resistance in the stator-winding assembly in electric motors. On the computational side, she is working on developing a Physics informed Neural networks model for accurate estimation of thermal properties of materials. She is also the Chair of Women in Mechanical Engineering at OMEGA (Official Mechanical Engineering Graduate Association). In her spare time, she plays Badminton, attends Zumba classes, and reads books.
Why the Grad WiE Network is great
"By joining the Grad WiE Network, I established valuable connections with fellow women engineers, including graduate students, professionals, faculty, and alumni, who share my dedication to making significant contributions in the field of engineering. Participating in the Pop-In events and presenting at the symposium not only allowed me to network with women who share similar goals but also enabled me to develop lifelong friendships that I hold dear."
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