KWiSE DC Chapter

On October 26, 2024, the Washington D.C. chapters of theKWiSE held a joint annual
symposium, “Unlocking Potential: Women in STEM,” at the University of Maryland, College
Park. The event aimed to connect graduate students, post-docs, and junior and senior scientists,
fostering future collaborations and introducing KWiSE to a broader audience to attract new
members.
The symposium featured keynote addresses from Dr. Hyun Lillehoj, a distinguished senior
research scientist at U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Dr. Dong-Yun Kim, an experienced
statistician at the National Institutes of Health, offering scientific insights and career advice from
their experiences as women in STEM. The afternoon sessions shifted to networking and non-
scientific topics, including financial planning and mental health, with small group discussions
facilitating deeper connections and shared experiences.
Attendees, over 65% of whom were graduate students and early-career scientists, gained
valuable perspectives on building successful and sustainable scientific careers and learned about
each other’s research. The symposium successfully promoted knowledge sharing, community
building, and collaboration among women scientists.