PoWER: Polymer Women Empowerment & Research

Polymer Women Empowerment & Research

Our Goals:

The goal of this project is to create a leading conference supporting women and gender minorities in the field of polymer science. By holding a conference dedicated to this group, we will empower and support women to enter this field and become leaders. This conference will provide a diverse, inclusive, and innovative environment where participants at all career stages can feel a sense of belonging, develop professional networks, and learn about opportunities. These professional networks will continue to support and enrich participants after the conclusion of the event itself. In the long term, PoWER will increase the engagement and retention of women in polymer science, which will also increase the diversity of American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Polymer Chemistry (POLY) members.

Background:

As of May 2023, women made up 21% of POLY members and less than 20% of corresponding authors in Macromolecules. Even the Polymers GRC, a remarkably inclusive conference by the standards of chemistry, comprised 42% women in 2023. This disparity creates an environment in which women give fewer talks, ask fewer questions after seminars (PLOS ONE 2018, 13, e0202743), gain less exposure, and grow their professional networks less. Research shows that women particularly benefit from networks that include other female leaders (PNAS 2019, 116, 2033).

We believe that there is a need for an event for women and gender minorities in polymer science, a broad field that includes chemistry, engineering, physics, and biology. At Empowering Women in Organic Chemistry (EWOC), a conference aimed at women in organic chemistry that has been held annually since 2019, only 4 speakers have been polymer chemists (all from academia), and less than 5% of attendees self-identify as polymer chemists.

Our Inaugural Conference:

We are hosting a conference at Northwestern University in Summer 2024. While the final date is currently being determined among the planning committee, the selected dates will not overlap with other major polymer conferences, such as Polymer Physics GRC (July 21-26) or the IUPAC World Polymer Conference (July 1-4).

The schedule will include 8-12 speakers, a poster session, networking, and workshops. We will emphasize diversity along multiple axes, not just gender (career stage, race, ethnicity, type of institution/industry, sexual orientation, ability, etc.). In discussions with other women in the field, we have already generated a great deal of enthusiasm, identified potential speakers and workshop leaders, and formed an organizing committee.

PoWER Objectives:

-Foster community and professional networks among women in polymer science

-Share cutting-edge scientific results in an environment that highlights women’s contributions and voices

-Develop professional skills

-Address issues pertinent to women and barriers to success in polymer science

-Increase recruitment and retention for women in polymer science

Audience and organizers:

The target audience is women, gender minorities, and male allies in the field of polymer science. We plan to attract researchers across career stages, in industry, academia (both research and primarily undergraduate institutions), and national labs. We envision 150-200 attendees. To support trainees’ attendance, we will raise money for travel support based on financial need.

The organizing committee includes women across the polymer research enterprise including:

• Jill Alty, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, jillalty@mit.edu
• Katie Houston, Eastman Chemical, kat.houston@eastman.com
• Julia Kalow, Northwestern University, jkalow@northwestern.edu
• Symone Alexander, Auburn University, sla0044@auburn.edu
• Helen Tran, University of Toronto, tran@utoronto.ca
• Sara Orski, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST), sara.orski@nist.gov