March is Women’s History Month!
This year’s national theme is Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination: Celebrating Women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. This theme is meant to honor generations of women who throughout American history have used their intelligence, imagination, sense of wonder, and tenacity to make extraordinary contributions to the STEM fields.
As part of our Women’s History Month celebrations, the Women's Center and CWIT are partnering to showcase six talented women in engineering and IT fields at UMBC. The future of women’s history is being created as we speak and there is importance in sharing our lived stories now. We invite you to join us throughout the month of March to learn more about these women, their experiences, and their dreams.
Abigail Williams, CWIT Affiliate
Junior Chemical Engineer major & President of
Society of Women Engineers 
Describe what
sparked your interest STEM and the journey to choosing your major.
I always knew that I would do something STEM related. My
father majored in physics and electrical engineering in college and he taught
me all my math and science since I was homeschooled kindergarten through 12th
grade. I always took to it more than arts and humanities. I originally was
going to major in chemistry. My mother was my guidance counselor and said,
"Are you sure you want to do that? Maybe you should try chemical
engineering." I took a look at the curriculum was intrigued. The rest is
history.
Tell us about an
internship, research experience or project that you are proud of.
I'm currently on the CE21-MD (Computing Education for the
21st Century) project as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Susan
Martin, Dr. Penny Rheingans, and Dr. Marie desJardins. It has been an
eye-opening experience. I've met a lot of people, learned many skills, and
developed an interest in computer science. I am now taking CMSC 201 because
this research project piqued my interest.
Who are your role
models in the engineering or IT field?
Dr. Taryn Bayles in the CBEE department is my academic
advisor and my role model. She is such an inspiration in so many ways. She is
one of the reasons that I am so glad that I came to UMBC.
Explain your
experience as a woman in a STEM major, including the challenges as well as the
rewards.
In the chemical engineering department, I've not
experienced a gender disparity quite as severe as the computer engineering and
mechanical engineering departments. It's not unusual to have around a third of
the class be women. Additionally, the department is headed by Dr. Julia Ross
and the director of the undergraduate program is Dr. Bayles, my advisor. I've
been fortunate to have these role models. There are still challenges, though. I
have to work a bit harder to have my voice heard, particularly in science and
math classes outside of my department. Even though the percentage of women in
chemical engineering is higher than other engineering and IT disciplines, there
is still a relatively small number of people who fully understand my struggles.
The rewards, however, are numerous. There is an immense satisfaction when I do
well on an assignment. I learn so many things that are absolutely fascinating.
The moment of clarity, prompted by understanding of a particular concept, is
addicting. Since there are not a large number of women chemical engineering
majors, we band together and support each other. I took on a CWIT mentee last
semester - a freshman chemical engineering major. Mentoring her has been such a
great experience. Connecting with other women in my department is always
rewarding and forges friendships that will last beyond graduation. Yes, my major
is difficult and it has its struggles. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.
The Center for Women In Technology (CWIT) is dedicated to increasing the representation of women in the creation of technology in the engineering and information technology fields. CWIT efforts begin with nurturing a strong group of Scholars, grow to building community resources for other women in these majors, extend to fostering a healthy gender climate and ITE pedagogy in College of Engineering and Information Technology (COEIT) departments, and finally expand into outreach efforts to increase interest in technical careers. A successful program for female-friendly engineering and information technology education at UMBC will help make UMBC a destination for women (and men) interested in technical careers and serve as a national model for other universities.
Learn more about our community at http://www.cwit.umbc.edu/
For more information about Women’s History events and happenings, visit: http://my.umbc.edu/groups/womenscenter/news/24724
