History: WiGS

WiGS was founded in 2006 by a group of graduate students, staff, and postdocs in the UW Genome Sciences Department who noticed an underrepresentation of female scientists in recently recruited students and faculty hires. Led by Joanna Kelly, Charla Lambert, Kiran Dhillon, Laura Certain, Genn Merrihew, Rori Rohlfs, and Diane Dickel, WiGS set out to improve female scientist representation and retention issues within the department.

Since 2006, many positive changes have improved the gender balance in the department, and as COGS we continue to ensure that inclusivity is still a priority and work as advocates for women and other minorities.

Mission of WiGS

Women in Genome Sciences (WiGS) was a group of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars who advocated to increase inclusivity for women and underrepresented minorities in the Department of Genome Sciences at the University of Washington. Our goal was to ensure access to speakers across diverse fields and career trajectories, develop mentorship and outreach opportunities, assist with career advancement and work-life balance, and provide opportunities for discussions about the culture, practice, and impacts of scientific research.  Everyone should have an opportunity to be successful in science, regardless of their gender, race, sexuality, class, age, etc.

Specifically, we:

  • Ensured access to diverse speakers by inviting women speakers for department seminars.
  • Assisted with career advancement by provide access to alternative career and policy talks.
  • Promoted diversity and inclusion through club discussions about the culture, practice, and impacts of scientific research.
  • Developed and participated in mentorship andoutreach activities.
  • Engaged with each other through social events including happy hours, game nights, and other meet ups.
WiGS Invited Speakers
WiGS Career Panelists
WiGS Discussion Panelists

For a complete list of WiGS events, please see the past events page.