Goals
The goals of the International Women in Science and
Engineering (IWISE) program are to enhance the status of
professional women scientists from developing countries and
countries in transition and to assist them in their efforts
to improve conditions in their home countries. These goals
are reached by providing women scientists with opportunities
for collaboration in their scientific areas, leadership
training, and support of projects they undertake that will
improve the educational and social environments in their
home countries.
IWISE addresses one of the four major priorities of
UNESCO - to improve the education of women in developing
countries.
Outcomes
In the past three years, forty-three women scientists
from Albania, Cote d'Ivoire, China, Czech Republic, El
Salvador, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Nigeria, Panama, Romania,
Russia, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and Ukraine have
participated in the IWISE Leadership Program.
The scientific knowledge and project management skills
that participants acquire during the IWISE Leadership
Program, combined with their participation in grass-roots
networks and their first-hand knowledge of women's
development needs, will empower these women scientists to
undertake leadership roles in international development
efforts. Upon successful completion of the IWISE leadership
program, participants are awarded the honorary title of
IWISE fellow. IWISE fellows are given the opportunity to
compete for funding for projects that address pressing
development issues in their home countries.
IWISE scientific development projects include:
- Ethelvina de Escobar improved the technology of the
solar products for use by rural women. Dr. de Escobar's
new masters' program in solar energy at the University of
El Salvador will help spread the technology throughout
the country.
- Nike Osofisan, a computer scientist from Nigeria,
conducted a month-long workshop for female high school
teachers in spring 1997. Now these teachers are
demonstrating that women and girls can help Nigeria join
the computer age.
- Sabine Kone and Valentine Yapi-Gnaore,
agriculturalists from Cote d'Ivoire, work with their NGO,
African Women Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment,
to encourage undergraduate women to major in science and
engineering.
- Mary Mgonja, an agronomist from Tanzania, conducts
research on the drought resistant characteristics of
sorghum and the lablab bean. She follows up by teaching
farmers, 90% of whom are women, how to cultivate and
prepare foods from these crops.
- Teams of women scientists have established two new
women in science organizations in Ukraine.
- Zoya Eremenko developed a program of seminars in
advanced computer techniques that helped prepare
Ukrainian women scientists participate in scientific
projects under contract with international universities
and firms.
How IWISE Works
IWISE promotes the professional advancement of
international women scientists from developing and
transitional countries in their chosen disciplines through
(1) support of their scientific research, (2) leadership
training, and (3) assistance for self-generated
projects.
Scientific Support
Women scientists in developing countries and countries in
transition often have more difficulty obtaining resources to
support their research. They also lack support for travel to
scientific meetings, often their only source of information
about advancements in their disciplines. IWISE addresses
these issues by bringing participants to universities and
major laboratories in the United States to conduct research
with U.S. colleagues and to utilize the resources of U.S.
libraries and laboratories.
Leadership Development
Women scientists are often excluded from decision-making
processes, depriving them of opportunities to develop
leadership skills. IWISE develops leadership skills through
practical training opportunities. These training
opportunities include participation in a scientific
mentoring program and grant writing using brainstorming and
team building techniques. These activities prepare them for
higher leadership positions when they return to their home
countries. Several IWISE participants have already been
promoted to senior administrative positions at their
universities and research institutes.
Follow-on Projects
IWISE obtains funding from foundations and international
development agencies to support alumnae follow-on projects.
IWISE also identifies partners and funders for the
scientific work of its alumnae. IWISE seeks to develop
strong information links through email and the Internet that
will enable the growing IWISE network of international women
scientists to communicate with colleagues regionally and
globally.
More About IWISE
IWISE is a multi disciplinary program of the
International Institute of Theoretical and Applied Physics
(IITAP) operating in partnership with the Iowa State
University (ISU) Program for Women in Science and
Engineering (PWSE). IITAP was established by Iowa State
University of Science and Technology and the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
in 1993 to promote international exchange in science and
technology. The Program for Women in Science and Engineering
was established in 1986 to increase the number of women
pursuing careers in science and engineering. IWISE was
established in 1995 to promote the participation of women
scientists from developing countries in international
scientific projects.
IWISE Development Team
Dr. Mary Ann Evans, IWISE Co-Director
Dr. Ardith Maney, IWISE Co-Director
Dr. James Vary, Director, International Institute of
Theoretical and Applied Physics
For more information contact:
IWISE, 210 Lab of Mechanics, Iowa State University, Ames,
IA 50011
Phone (515)294-5883, fax (515) 294-8627, e-mail
iwise@iastate.edu
URL: http://www.iitap.iastate.edu/iwise/
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