Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, and Technology

Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science, & Technology (WISEST) focuses on creating effective programs to empower women (and other underrepresented groups) to pursue, impact, and succeed in the fields of science, engineering, and technology. See some of our Faces of WISEST success stories. 

WISEST is thrilled to launch its new 5-Year Strategic Plan which will help focus and re-energize our organization as we continue to grow and respond to the needs of our stakeholders, click here for more details.


What makes WISEST effective?

WISEST has over 40 years of creating awareness of and breaking down the barriers to diversity in science, engineering, and technology, and focuses on the following priorities:

  • Engage: providing hands-on experiences and outreach opportunities to challenge perceived perceptions.
  • Educate: promoting curiosity-based academic and career opportunities for participants.
  • Equip: equipping students to succeed through mentorship and role models.

Our Programs 

Participants work as paid research assistants on a project in an area that is underrepresented for their gender for six weeks in July and August. Young women and gender-diverse students do research in the College of Natural and Applied Sciences.
Grade 6 girls and gender-diverse students along with their teachers experience a day of hands-on activities in science, engineering, and technology.
A one-day conference where high school girls and gender-diverse students in grades 10-12 engage in hands-on activities, meet role models and discover diverse career paths in science, engineering, and technology.
Two networks - WISER and UA-WiSE - for women and gender-diverse undergraduates, graduates, and early-career professionals in science, engineering, and technology.
Variety of volunteer opportunities for students, past program participants, young professionals, and more.

WISEST in the Community

At WISEST, we’re always seeking new ways to get involved in the community. We’re devoted to assessing the needs of our community and coming up with practical ways in which we can address those needs.


Give to WISEST

We are located on campus and are thankful for the opportunity to access available space and resources at the U of A, including in-kind contributions. However, we do not receive any core funding from the university, and instead, rely almost entirely on donations from corporations, foundations, individuals and the public sector to develop and deliver our innovative programs.

Donate to WISEST

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