About Us
Women in Chemical Engineering (WChE, "Wick-ee") was founded in January of 2016 with the primary purpose of educating, empowering, and advocating for women in chemical engineering, and their supporters, by providing a safe and open space for dialogue, mentorship, collaboration, camaraderie, and skill building through professional development, community networking, and outreach to primary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions.
We are a group of undergraduate, graduate, faculty and professional women in chemical engineering, as well as male allies. We are a tight-knit community that supports diversity and strives for excellence in our field.
Mission Statement
Founded at the University of Washington (UW) in January of 2016, Women in Chemical Engineering (WChE) is a rapidly growing organization that strives to: educate, empower, and advocate for women in chemical engineering, and their supporters, by providing an open space for dialogue, mentorship, collaboration, camaraderie, and skill building through professional development, community networking, and outreach to primary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions.
All students, regardless of gender, are welcome and encouraged to join and help us advocate for women in this challenging and rewarding discipline!
Guiding Principles
(1) We aim to promote women in chemical engineering while not furthering self-stereotyping or stereotype threat;
(2) We aim to increase and elevate the presence of women voices at the table as critical contributors to drive forward thinking, high-impact change;
(3) We aim to further inclusion by creating a space for all identifications of genders to engage and interact through allyship and advocacy
Statistics
At the University of Washington, for the 2019-2020 academic school year, women made up 35% of the undergraduate population (compared to the 35% national average), 34% of the graduate student population (compared to the 34% national average), and 24% of the faculty population (compared to the 20% national average). See more national data in the 2018-2019 Engineering By The Numbers.
2019 Year-in-Review
With a community stronger than ever, outreach efforts never to be ceased, and full professional development support, WChE has solidified it’s stronghold. With everything that WChE has done thus far, and the countless opportunities out there, we are sure the road can only be brighter ahead. We hope you enjoy our 2019 Year-In-review and we can’t wait to see what the 2020 year has in store for us!
Victoria Dahl, 2019-2020 WChE President