The Women in Nuclear organization has chosen the student chapter at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for the national 2019 Chapter Excellence Award.
Illinois chapter representatives were presented with the honor during the WiN 20/20 Vision of the Future conference held in late July in Chicago. The Illinois chapter counts approximately 30 members, among whom 10 are particularly active. Both men and women can become members of the student organization.
The national organization focuses on providing professional development and networking for men and women working in nuclear energy and technology fields, and on promoting understanding and awareness of the value of nuclear energy and technology. In the past few years, students, including current PhD student Katherine Hepler and recent graduate Victoria Riso (MS 2018), revitalized the Illinois chapter’s effort to advance the national mission.
Alyssa Hayes, BS 19, last year’s Illinois WiN chapter president, said the honor can be attributed “to everyone’s willingness to step up and a lot more encouragement for (members) to take initiative.”
Other WiN activities over the past few years have included participation in the Girl Scouts’ STEMapalooza 2019 event held in Chicago; outreach events at local libraries and high schools; a tour of the LaSalle, Illinois, nuclear energy plant; and fund-raising events.
The Illinois WiN chapter hopes to continue growing its membership base and encourages undergraduate and graduate students to engage with the chapter. WiN’s first general meeting will be in the second week of the fall 2019 semester, and students who are interested and are not currently on WiN’s mailing list should reach out to winatuiuc@gmail.com.
“We look forward to seeing old and new faces!” said 2019-20 President Gwendolyn Chee.