The Women in Science and Engineering Village (WISE) is a student-living program located in the top three and a half floors of Lee Hall on West Campus that supports women studying the various fields of STEM.
Women represent 47 percent of the U.S. workforce, according to the 2010 United States report on women in the labor force, but women are much less represented in STEM fields. At NC State, a school renowned for its programs in engineering and mathematics, women make up a little under 50 percent of the student body (47.9 percent of 2015’s freshman class), a number that is higher than ever before.
The WISE Village serves as a support group for women in their first years of college and hosts students from the Colleges of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Engineering, Natural Resources, Physical and Mathematical Sciences, and Textiles.
“The goal of the Women in Science and Engineering program is to recruit, retain and graduate more women and students of color in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and statistics,” said Katherine Titus-Becker, director of WISE. “More STEM jobs will become vacant in the future, and we need many women, and men, including students of color, to go into these careers in order to fill these vacancies and represent a diverse and global population.”
The program also promotes activity in the community, requiring members to complete volunteer assignments and attend lectures from visiting speakers, among other events. Sophomores complete a “Sophomore Project,” a semester-long initiative that combines service with STEM.
The village also has its own student council consisting of committees dedicated to social endeavors, fundraising and community service. The co-chairs of each committee, along with its president and vice president, are responsible for organizing events for WISE residents, fundraising for the village and local outreach.
“I would say the future of women in science is good,” said Baxter Fernandez, a freshman studying life sciences who resides in the WISE Village. “There is definitely an increase of women coming into science, and it is much more accepted than it used to be. While men still are a majority in most science fields, I feel that is subject to change. I knew I wanted to join WISE before I was even accepted into NC State because I wanted to be around people who would be in similar classes and had similar academic and career goals.”
WISE residents can receive tutoring in math, chemistry or physics three nights a week. Also available are on-site computers and other resources for studying. “WISE Wednesdays” are also hosted weekly in the village’s lounge to allow residents a chance to de-stress and engage in conversation with one another.
Underclassmen are also assigned mentors, upperclassmen women studying in a STEM field, that help them adjust to college and find applicable opportunities. Additionally, the Summer Bridge Program is an initiative that students can take part in before classes even start to adjust to life at NC State.
“I think the future is wide open for women in STEM, there are many opportunities out there for women currently,” said Kasey Ashton, associate director of WISE. “The challenge is getting women in place to be able to take advantage of those opportunities. We need to continue to support outreach and education programs that encourage women and other marginalized populations into STEM fields.”
