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Women in Science Project

History of the Women in Science Project

WISP was co-founded in 1990 by Karen E. Wetterhahn and Carol Muller, who shared a concern about the underrepresentation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields at the national level. They developed programs that would foster success in the sciences for women at Dartmouth and launched WISP, which was a recipient of the first Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring. 

Chemical & Engineering News published a 25-year retrospective on Professor Wetterhahn and her contributions to her field, the sciences, and to Dartmouth.

The project has evolved over the years, offering a variety of programs and resources. The current focus is on encouraging undergraduate students to seek out experiences that will help them thrive in the sciences: 

  • Early hands-on research experience
  • Mentoring
  • Role models
  • Access to information
  • Building a community in the sciences

Research experiences

Early hands-on research experiences are a great way for students to immerse themselves in science and to get to know faculty, graduate students and other undergraduates.

Programs for first-year students in the sciences:

Programs open to undergraduates after the first year in multiple disciplines:

To connect with other undergraduates interested in research (STEM and beyond), join DURA (Dartmouth Undergraduate Research Association).

Mentoring

Peer mentoring is an effective way to increase retention and success for students in STEM and to build a community of students with shared interests.

One of the first of these programs at Dartmouth was WISP's Peer Mentor Program which was founded in 1992 by two juniors looking to build a community of undergraduates in STEM. In this program, first-year students were matched with sophomore, junior, and senior mentors who provide them with insider information, advice, and guidance about STEM at Dartmouth. That program is on hiatus, but there are other programs and offices that provide mentoring:

Impact of peer mentoring: quotes from students

  • "I was amazed at how much our interests matched and how much really useful encouraging, comforting information she could give me."
  • "My mentor gave me a lot of advice on courses to take and when to take them–that was extremely helpful!"
  • "My mentor was great, we got along really well, and it was nice to have someone interested in the same things I am, talk about majors and classes and other fun stuff. I am glad I got to meet her - that was the most valuable aspect."

Science community

All Dartmouth undergraduates are welcome to engage with WISP! 

Subscribe to the WISP newsletter:

  • Click here to be added to the mailing list
  • Keep an eye out for information about talks, panels and other science-related opportunities!
  • Coming soon: small group gatherings based on areas of science interest. Schedule and signups will be in the newsletter.

Look for ways to engage in the STEM community at Dartmouth:

  • Join COSO student groups that are in your areas of interest
  • Join student groups in your major department (if there isn't one, try to start one!)
  • Monitor the Dartmouth events calendar and academic department websites for events of interest
  • Find out whether there are mailing lists for academic departments that interest you so that you can get notification about talks and events