Support future women scientists

The Women in Graduate Science (UOWGS) organization at the University of Oregon strives for gender equality by focusing on the professional development of women and all marginalized genders in all disciplines of science, enabling them to become successful contributors to their fields. Your generosity will help provide social and financial support for all scientists from marginalized genders at UO.

Though half of the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) Bachelor’s degrees awarded in 2020 went to women, we made up only 35% of the STEM workforce in 2021. Women continue to face substantial (and increasing) barriers to success in science, made clear by the National Science Foundation’s 2023 report on diversity in STEM. UOWGS’s mission is to support graduate scientists from marginalized genders as they enter their careers, reducing these barriers and getting that number closer to 50%.

Your support helps UOWGS offer financial support to STEM students through scholarships, including the Parenting Award, which helps support graduate students with children ease the financial burden of childcare that can slow down the process of graduate training, and the Undergraduate Transition Award, which assists a student with the process of advancing to graduate school. The Graduate Travel Award helps students attend conferences to present their research and meet other scientists in their field, and the Undergraduate Research Award helps fund a student’s summer research project.

Students participating in Girls' Science Adventure Days, a UOWGS program

 Beyond scholarships, your donation will help UOWGS’s outreach programs to engage K-12 students with science. These events and workshops, led by UOWGS members, provide young students the opportunity to perform hands-on experiments, meet role models, and build confidence in themselves as scientists. Thanks to your support, UOWGS has been able to offer enrollment in Girls’ Science Adventure Days (GSA) for free for the past two years, helping break down access barriers for girls interested in STEM. For graduate students, UOWGS also hosts seminars where speakers share their journey in science, provides career development and networking workshops to bolster our career prospects, and holds quarterly social events to build our support network.

We want to thank you in advance for your contribution and helping us continue to achieve our mission!

Sincerely,

Clara Rehmann

President, Women in Graduate Science

Tickets are now sold out. If you have questions about tickets, please contact Allison LaSalvia at alasalvi@uoregon.edu.