Current News & Events
(to see past news & events click here)
September 2013
WiSER has been shortlisted for the Women Mean Business Empowering Women Award 2013. The Awards are being hosted at Dublin’s Shelbourne Hotel on Monday 7th October, 2013.
This Award recognises the initiatives made by companies and/or individuals to facilitate and encourage the progression of women in their careers through mentoring schemes, training supports, networking events and personal development. The winner of this Award (company or individual) is proactive in their approach to women in the workforce and actively empowers women to develop their career.
August 2013
Professor Eileen Drew speaking to the Sunday Business Post:
"Girls are turned off by the nerdy profile that Computer Science has; there aren't enough positive role models working in the area to convince them otherwise"
"Unless we start addressing the gender split issue at an an earlier age, the analytical sciences, engineering and technology will remain male dominated for a long, lomg time to come". So said Professor Eileen Drew who spoke to The Sunday Business Post. The Director of WiSER said it is frightening for society that a whole set of profoundly important disciplines are dominated by a single gender. Click here to read the full article from The Sunday Business Post, 25th August 2013.
New Director of WiSER
We are delighted to welcome Professor Eileen Drew as the new Director of the Centre for Women in Science & Engineering Research (WiSER), who has taken over from the former Director Ms. Caroline Roughneen. The mission of WiSER is to ‘pursue scientific excellence by ensuring that women’s expertise, knowledge and potential are harnessed to fully contribute to a diverse, innovative and productive scientific community of global consequence at Trinity College.
Professor Drew has been actively involved with WiSER since its establishment in 2006 and comes into this role with a wealth of experience of working directly with gender equality issues for many years. Her particular research interests include gender and STEM, gender equality, work/life balance, the gender pay gap, family leaves, gender in entrepreneurship and leadership and the protection of part-time workers. She will bring this expertise to bear as Director of WiSER as she leads the Centre into its next phase.
Professor Eileen Drew
About Professor Drew
Professor Eileen Drew, B.A., M.Sc., Dip. MIS, Ph.D., has taught in the School of Computer Science and Statistics and Centre for Gender and Women's Studies at Trinity College Dublin. She has undertaken extensive research in the analysis of national and EU data, and has published a number of books in the field do gender and work. Professor Drew has been involved in research, training and consultancy for the EU NOW and Leonardo da Vinci projects, and is currently a member of the International Network on Leave Policy and Research, and engaged as a Gender Expert for two EU funded projects: Social Security Reform in China (EUCSS) and the Network of Women in Decision-making in Politics and the Economy. She was appointed Chair of the Joint Equality Council in ESB in 2007. She is currently Principal Investigator for an EU supported Framework Programme 7 project called INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (INTEGER).
July 2013
Women Mean Business Awards 2013
5 awards in total::
- WMB Businesswoman of the Year Award 2013
- WMB Women in Technology Award 2013
- Newstalk WMB Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013
- Enterprise Ireland WMB Female Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2013
- WMB Empowering Women Award 2013
The closing date for applications is 26th July 2013, click here to nominate.
June 2013
Entries for the 2013 SET Awards
Entries are now being accepted for the 2013 SET Awards. If you have some good projects in the pipeline, then please make sure you enter them.
Entry costs nothing, and if your student is shortlisted it can bring wide recognition and publicity for your teaching and your university.
The Awards are presented at a dinner and ceremony before an audience comprising hundreds of technology students, academics, senior industry executives; as well as senior figures from government, scientific and technical institutions and the media. This year's ceremony will take place at Kensington Town Hall on the evening of 26th September.
The SET Awards, now in their sixteenth year, are Europe's leading awards for science and engineering undergraduates. The presentation ceremony brings together academics from universities across Europe. It has long been an important networking event, as well as a celebration of the best undergraduate teaching.
Please make sure that you read the Rules section before entering a student.
Entries close on 31st July 2013.
Click here to apply : http://www.setawards.org .
Gender Equality Index – Launch Conference
On 13 June 2013, as announced earlier, the European Institute for Gender Equality will officially launch the Gender Equality Index.
The Gender Equality Institute (EIGE) plays an important role in supporting gender equality policies at EU and Member State level.
The Gender Equality Index is a composite indicator on gender equality that reflects the multi-faceted reality of gender equality, and is specifically
tailored towards the policy framework of the European Union and Member States.
To know more about it please look here: http://eige.europa.eu/content/event/gender-equality-index-launch-conference
People who cannot attend the conference are invited to follow the whole conference in direct and online via VIDEO-STREAMING:
http://eige.europa.eu/content/video-streaming-gender-equality-index-launch-conference
Don’t miss it. Together we are writing history for gender equality.
The Centre for Women in Science and Engineering Research (WiSER) are pleased to invite you to the upcoming event:
“Balancing Parenthood with an Academic Career”
Panel Discussion
Speakers: Professor Celia Holland, Head of School of Natural Sciences
Professor Sinead Ryan, Head of School of Mathematics
Professor Catherine Coxon, Geology
Dr Antoinette Perry, Clinical Medicine
Date: Tuesday, 11th June
Time: 1.00 – 2.00 pm (Tea/coffee and sandwiches will be available from 12.30 pm)
Location: Auk Room, 1st Floor, Zoology Building. (Map: http://www.tcd.ie/Maps/map.php?q=71)
How do you juggle teaching, research, childcare and personal commitments, and still stay sane?
Academic careers often feature long hours and varied demands, but they can also offer greater flexibility than many other working environments. For women and men working in academia or hoping to pursue an academic career in the future, the prospect of juggling the multiple roles involved may appear challenging.
This event will provide an open and honest discussion on the subject from academics who have met these challenges. The panellists will discuss their own experiences, and the things that they found can make a difference.
We invite you to come along and contribute to the discussion, and ask the questions you want answered about combining your academic career with parenthood.
Registration: All TCD Staff and postgrads are welcome. Click here to register:
If you have any questions please contact wiser@tcd.ie.
April 2013
Research Europe- "EU fails to push gender equality in academia"
“The worrying counter-trend is that since 2008-12, there’s been a levelling off” in equality improvements” stated by Prof Eileen Drew, Acting Director of WiSER who is also a member of the Helsinki Group. She then went on to say that “It will require very proactive interventions to have faster improvement". Click here to read the full article.
March 2013
Provost's address at INTEGER events
"Universities should lead the way when it comes to gender representation in the workplace"
"There can be no diversity or innovation when half the population is under-utilised." So said the Provost of Trinity College when he spoke at the INTEGER Partnership group meeting in TCD on 8th March, to mark International Women's Day. The Provost stated that "targeted action" is needed to improve the situation for women in academia, and that organisational change is required to make these improvements happen. Click here to read his full address.
WiSER Public Lecture - 6th March
"Approaches to Equality for Women Faculty in Science: Changing Institutions, Changing Individuals – Lessons from the MIT Story”
Professor Nancy Hopkins, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Wednesday 6th March, 6.30pm To celebrate International Women's Week, Professor Hopkins will discuss her work as an advocate for women in science over almost two decades since her appointment in 1995 by then-MIT Dean of Science Robert Birgeneau to chair the First Committee on Women Faculty in the School of Science. . Click here to watch the lecture.
L'Oréal UK & Ireland For Women in Science Fellowships
What would £15,000 do for your research? Applications are now open for the 2013 L'Oréal UK & Ireland For Women in Science Fellowships. Click here for more info.
Other Events
Irish Research Council Seminar - "Considering the sex and gender dimension in your research ”
Monday 25th February, 11.00am - 4.00pm Researchers want to make a difference. But what if, without realising it, your research was only applicable to half the population...
The Irish Research Council is running a seminar on the gender dimension in research, consideration of which will now be a requirement for all new Council applications. The seminar is aimed at students, postdocs, PIs and Research Office personnel. To find out more, click here to download an information leaflet (PDF, 355 KB) or email info@research.ie.
January 2013
We are delighted to welcome Professor Eileen Drew as the new Acting Director of WiSER.
Professor Eileen Drew, B.A., M.Sc., Dip. MIS, Ph.D., has taught in the School of Computer Science and Statistics and Centre for Gender and Women's Studies at Trinity College Dublin.She has undertaken extensive research in the analysis of national and EU data, and has published a number of books in the field do gender and work. Professor Drew has been involved in research, training and consultancy for the EU NOW and Leonardo da Vinci projects, and is currently a member of the International Network on Leave Policy and Research, and engaged as a Gender Expert for two EU funded projects: Social Security Reform in China (EUCSS) and the Network of Women in Decision-making in Politics and the Economy. She was appointed Chair of the Joint Equality Council in ESB in 2007. She is currently Principal Investigator for an EU supported Framework Programme 7 project called INstitutional Transformation for Effecting Gender Equality in Research (INTEGER).