image: Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski is vice president of Global Academic and Research Relations for Elsevier. view more
Credit: Elsevier
A new research networking portal designed exclusively for female scientists and engineers to provide crucial career development exposure within Chicagoland's research community, was launched today as part of the Chicago Collaboration for Women in STEM professional development program.
The Chicago Collaboration for Women in STEM is a joint initiative of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. It is aimed at enhancing the recruitment and advancement of women faculty in STEM disciplines at the two universities and women researchers at two Department of Energy (DOE) national laboratories, Argonne and Fermilab. The portal is built on Elsevier's SciVal Experts platform and is the first professional development network for women researchers affiliated with the participating institutions.
"In the past 10 years we have made great strides in increasing the presence of women in STEM careers, which is a vital part to broadening the pool of research scientists in the U.S." said Holly J. Falk-Krzesinski, vice president Global Academic & Research Relations for Elsevier. "The next step to fuel the talent pipeline is supporting these women in their respective careers, making them more discoverable and enhancing their networks."
The nascent site currently features more than 150 profiles of female researchers involved in the professional development program. It is an integral part of a three year partnership between Northwestern University and the University of Chicago to help advance female faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The aim of this and other planned programs is to:
- Identify local obstacles our women faculty see to success in the sciences
- Encourage women to be deliberate and purposeful in planning their careers
- Broaden women's view of leadership possibilities
- Create and expand women's networks
- Develop model programs and policies for the academy
The goal is to encourage more women at the four institutions to participate in the professional development program and to have their profiles added to the site as well, expanding the networking opportunities and discoverability of women scientists and engineers. Funding for the site's development was provided by Elsevier's SciVal and Global Academic Relations (GAR) groups and Northwestern University through its SciVal Experts implementation, Northwestern Scholars.
"This multi-institutional Research Networking System is designed to stimulate networking and collaboration across disciplinary and institutional boundaries while promoting women in STEM disciplines," said Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, associate provost for faculty, Northwestern University. "We hope that it will serve as a prototype for collaborative efforts to launch similar sites in other locations."
"Though women now receive half the doctorates in science and engineering in the United States, they make up only 21 percent of full science professors and only about 5 percent of full engineering professors" said, Mary Harvey, associate provost for program development, University of Chicago. "A networking site that female science faculty can leverage to identify potential female research collaborators is an important step to improving these numbers."
About Northwestern University
Northwestern University is one of the country's leading private research and teaching universities. It has two campuses located on Lake Michigan: the 240-acre main campus in Evanston, about 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, and a 25-acre campus in Chicago. A third campus is located in Doha, Qatar. Northwestern has approximately 8,000 full-time undergraduate students, 8,000 graduate and professional program students and 2,000 part-time students. A member of the Big Ten conference, its athletic teams are called the Wildcats. Founded in 1851, Northwestern now has 12 schools and colleges: the Judd A. and Marjorie Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences; the School of Communication; the School of Continuing Studies; the School of Education and Social Policy; the Robert R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science; the Graduate School; the Medill School of Journalism, Media, Integrated Marketing Communications; the School of Law; the J. L. Kellogg School of Management; the Feinberg School of Medicine; the Henry and Leigh Bienen School of Music; and Northwestern University in Qatar.
About University of Chicago
Founded by oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, the University of Chicago is a private, nondenominational, coeducational institution of higher learning. Scientists at the University are working at the cutting edge of virtually every field of science, from cosmological astrophysics to molecular genetics and from high-energy particle physics to psychoneuroimmunology. Many recipients of the Nobel Prize have been researchers, students or faculty members at the University at some point in their careers. Web site: http://www.uchicago.edu.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including more than 15,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier Group plc is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV. Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.
Contacts:
Megan Fellman
Northwestern University
fellman@northwestern.edu
847-491-3115
Steve Koppes
The University of Chicago
skoppes@uchicago.edu
(773) 702-8366
Iris Kisjes
Elsevier
I.kisjes@elsevier.com
t: +31 20 485 3072
m: +31 6 1320 7570