Enjoy breakfast and network until the conference officially begins at 10 a.m. 

Elisia Meyle

Chair — 2024 Gender Equity in the Chemical Sciences Conference Committee

Kristin Finch, Ph.D.

Associate Chief Diversity Officer
Office of Inclusive Excellence
Gonzaga University
finchk@gonzaga.edu

“From Drug Discovery to DEI: Appling My Skillset as a Chemist to Cultivate an Inclusive Community in Higher Education”

Abstract
As a trained chemist, leaving the bench behind is never an easy decision, but the critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills developed through the PhD and post-doctoral fellowship makes one competitive for a variety of non-tenure track academic positions, including academic administration. This presentation will examine the decision-making process to pursue a career in academic administration, with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion. It will highlight the academic journey of an Associate Chief Diversity Officer from a land grant research-intensive university to a private teaching-focused liberal arts Jesuit school, including challenges faced and lessons learned along the way that can be applied to many career paths. The talk will conclude with an exploration into the day-to-day life of a university administrator and the future of DEI in higher education in today’s polarized climate.

Bio
Dr. Kristin Finch is the Associate Chief Diversity Officer in the Office of Inclusive Excellence at Gonzaga University. In this role, she advances the representation of the diverse communities at the university and supports the professional development of faculty and staff. Dr. Finch earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with Paul Hergenrother. After graduate school, she completed a postdoctoral fellowship at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN while concurrently teaching as an adjunct faculty member at LeMoyne-Owen College.

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After Kristin Finch's presentation, remain in CIF 4031 for a Q&A session. 

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“Conflict Resolution and Strengthening Workplace Relationships” 

Location: Campus Instructional Facility, (CIF 4031)

This session teaches practical conflict resolution strategies to strengthen workplace relationships through effective communication and collaboration, empowering attendees to turn conflicts into opportunities for growth and cohesion.

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Elahe Ganji

Ph.D. Associate Director
myCHOICE The University of Chicago

eganji@uchicago.edu

Elahe blends her multi-disciplinary doctoral and postdoctoral training with her academic administration experience to create and administer programming that is tailored to fostering the professional growth of trainees across BSD, PME, and PSD. Prior to joining myCHOICE, Elahe earned her doctorate in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and distinguished herself as a Beckman Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Illinois. Her leadership in initiatives such as Women in Engineering, the Perry Initiative, and 21st Century Scientists Working Group at the University of Illinois, underlines her unwavering commitment to empowering doctoral and postdoctoral trainees.
 

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“Self-empowerment: Dealing with Impostor Syndrome”

Location: Campus Instructional Facility (CIF 4035)

In this workshop, participants will examine how imposter syndrome works and why marginalized populations are more vulnerable to experiencing it. They will also get to explore building a personal (metaphorical) toolkit to help combat imposter syndrome in their own lives and in their communities.

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Amie Baumeister, M.Ed.

Assistant Director, Gender Equity at the Women's Resource Center
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

baumstr2@illinois.edu

Amie Baumeister is a two-time alumna of the University of Illinois, having earned a B.A.L.A.S. In English and an M.Ed in Education Policy, Organization and Leadership with a focus in Diversity & Equity in Education. She previously worked as a high school English and Journalism teacher and as a graduate assistant for the Office of Diversity & Social Justice Education. In her role as the Assistant Director of Gender Equity at the Women's Resources Center, she leads the efforts to explore gender equity across its many intersections and support the leadership of students as they work to improve campus climate and promote gender justice globally.
 

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Boxed lunch will be served in the hall outside CIF 4031.

Alumni Panel: Exploring Careers in Chemistry

This panel is an informal networking opportunity in which panelists representing diverse careers in chemistry will answer audience questions about their career trajectories, professional experience and insights learned along the way.

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Jordan Axelson, Ph.D.

Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer
Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
axelson2@illinois.edu

Jordan Axelson is an alumnus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, receiving her B.S. in Chemistry in 2010. After completing her PhD in inorganic synthetic chemistry at the University of California Berkeley under the direction of Prof. Jeffrey Long in 2016, she returned to Urbana to join the instructional faculty here at the University of Illinois. In addition to teaching, Jordan has strong interests in science outreach, communication, and writing and held an AAAS Mass Media Fellowship at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel during the summer of 2017.

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Sarah Perlmutter, Ph.D.

Medicinal Chemist
AbbVie
sarah.j.perlmutter@gmail.com

Sarah Perlmutter received her B.A. in Chemistry from Smith College in 2011. She then worked for three years as a research technician at first Cabot Corporation doing materials chemistry research, followed by Ra Pharmaceuticals doing peptidomimetic drug discovery. In 2014 she moved to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and joined Prof. Paul Hergenrother’s group. While there her work focused on the development of Gram-negative antibiotics. After completing her Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 2020, Sarah moved to AbbVie where she is now a Medicinal Chemist.

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Brenda Wilson, Ph.D.

Professor of Microbiology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Associate Director for MCB Undergraduate Education; Sandia Senior Faculty Fellow, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation; Adjunct Professor of Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine; Professor of Biomedical and Translational Sciences, Carle Illinois College of Medicine.
wilson7@illinois.edu

Brenda Anne Wilson, PhD, is currently Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the Department of Microbiology and Associate Director of Undergraduate Education in the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences; Department of Biomedical and Translational Sciences in the Carle Illinois College of Medicine; Department of Pathobiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine; and Senior Faculty Fellow in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology (AAM) and an American Society for Microbiology Distinguished Lecturer. She earned her BA degree in Biochemistry and German from Barnard College. She was a DAAD Graduate Fellow in Biochemistry at Ludwig-Maximilians Universität München, Germany. As an AAUW national doctoral fellow studying antibiotic biosynthesis, she earned her PhD degree in Chemistry from Johns Hopkins University. She then was an NIH Postdoctoral Fellow in Microbiology at Harvard Medical School, where she began her studies on bacterial protein toxins. Her first tenured faculty appointment was in Biochemistry at Wright State University School of Medicine. Her current research work focuses on the bacterial pathogenesis and bacterial toxins, development of therapeutic biologics, genomic technologies and applications involving microbiomes and their roles in health and disease, climate change impacts on health and microbiomes, and development of technologies and applications for biosecurity, including detection and risk assessment of Dual Use Research of Concern (DURC) objects, publications, and activities.

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Graduate student panel: Fostering Confidence, Curiosity, and Community

What if I don’t belong here? How do I find community? What the heck is going on? We’ve been there before. A group of students will answer all the questions you’re dying to ask as you start your grad school journey!

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Panelists

Lela Manis

lmanis2@illinois.edu

Lela is a third-year chemical engineering graduate student in the Baron Peters Lab. Her research is in the field of computational catalysis, with a focus on polymer upcycling strategies. In her free time, she like spending time with her two cats, crocheting, and kayaking.

Joenisse M. Rosado-Rosa

jrosado2@illinois.edu

Joenisse is a rising sixth year in the Chemistry Department working for Prof. Jonathan Sweedler. Outside of the lab, she loves to do trivia, cook, and play board games with friends.

Rachel Schaaf

rschaaf2@illinois.edu

Rachel is a third-year chemistry graduate student in Paul Hergenrother's lab working on anti-cancer research. During her undergraduate career at Colgate University, she was on the track and field team and double majored in math and chemistry.

Archana Verma

archana3@illinois.edu

Archana is a rising fourth year PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering pursuing research in Physical Chemistry as a member of the Jackson Lab. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 2021. She is fiercely passionate about supporting women in STEM, advocating for accessible mental health care, and combating climate change. In her free time, you can find her dancing, reading, cooking, playing badminton, making art, spending time with friends, or volunteering in the community.

Jill Wenderott, P.hD.

Anne Stevens Assistant Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
Drexel University
Co-Founder, Women Supporting Women in the Sciences
jill.wenderott@drexel.edu

“Building gender equity in STEM: experiences in professional organizations and lab spaces”

Abstract

Improved representation in STEM has a myriad of benefits including increased innovation, more inclusive work environments, enhanced morale, and accelerated problem solving. Despite the link between equity and excellence, underrepresentation persists. Women make up ~29% of the STEM workforce, and those identifying as LGBTQ+ are 17-21% less represented in STEM fields than expected. Significant barriers to gender equity in STEM exist such as negative work environment experiences, lack of support structures, and inadequate mentorship and sponsorship, along with feelings of invisibility or not belonging. This talk will discuss my experiences in both professional organizations and lab spaces to address these challenges. Through my work with Women Supporting Women in the Sciences (WS2) and the Association for Women in Science (AWIS), two initiatives – one involving low-cost, hands-on kits for K-12 students and the other a mentoring program for STEM professionals – have been successful at improving self-perception of young girls as scientists and connecting women as mentors with those early in their STEM careers. I will conclude with a discussion of my efforts and experiences building an equitable and inclusive lab space for graduate and undergraduate students.

Bio

Jill K. Wenderott is the Anne Stevens assistant professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University. Her research group aims to realize functional inorganic and hybrid materials for use in energy and environmental applications. Jill was part of an international team awarded the 2020 American Physical Society Innovation Fund to support their organization, Women Supporting Women in the Sciences (WS2). She also served as President of the Association for Women in Science – Chicago Area Chapter (AWIS-CAC) from 2020-2022.

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After Jill Wenderott's presentation, remain in CIF 4031 for a Q&A session.

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Paul J.A. Kenis, Ph.D.

Elio Eliakim Tarika Endowed Chair and Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Head, School of Chemical Sciences
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Past recipients of GEICSIL award

Elisia Meyle

Chair — 2024 Gender Equity in the Chemical Sciences Conference Committee

Flowerpot Decorating on the Bardeen Quad

Thank You!

Speakers

Kristin Finch
Jill Wenderott
Elahe Ganji
Amie Baumeister

Panelists

Brenda Wilson
Jordan Axelson
Sarah Perlmutter
Lela Manis
Joenisse M. Rosado-Rosa
Rachel Schaaf
Archana Verma

2024 GEICS Conference Planning Committee

Elisia Meyle (Burke Group)
Angela Thomas (Mehta Group)
Sharon Roth (Mitchell Group)
Glenn Blade (Mirica Group)
Vanessa DaSilva (Guironnet Group)

Sponsors

Department of Chemistry and Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign