Syracuse Sun

Professors Shikha Nangia and Marina Artuso have been named faculty co-directors of Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE). Founded on campus 25 years ago, the program supports women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Nangia is a professor and interim chair of biomedical and chemical engineering in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). Artuso is a distinguished professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). They succeed outgoing co-directors Shobha Bhatia and Katherine Lewis.

Nangia joined the University in 2012 as a tenure-track professor. Her work involves creating computational models to examine the body’s blood-brain barrier at the molecular level. These findings help develop drugs that can penetrate the barrier to advance medicinal treatments for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

Artuso is an experimental physicist who works in experimental particle physics. Her research focuses on properties of beauty and charm quarks and on novel instrumentation needed to study their decay properties. She came to the University as a research assistant professor of physics in 1993, was appointed a professor of physics in 2005, and recently was named a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

WiSE faculty co-directors serve as advocates, engaging with university leadership, the campus community, and external audiences. They also develop strategic vision for the organization, offer budget input, and actively participate in programming. WiSE was created by faculty members with goals to increase representation and retention of women faculty members in STEM fields, highlight women scholars, and develop advising and mentoring programs.

WiSE serves members across 18 departments in six colleges: A&S, ECS, School of Information Studies, School of Education, School of Architecture, and David B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics. It presents social, academic, and professional development programming for undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, and faculty members.

One program hosted by WiSE is the career-focused Future Professionals Program.

“Faculty present workshops, act as mentors, offer portfolio reviews,” says WiSE director Sharon Alestalo. “Their active involvement helps direct how we can support faculty success.”

WiSE also supports recruiting women faculty in STEM. When founded there were 18 women faculty members teaching in 10 A&S and ECS departments; today there are 174 tenure-track or non-tenure-track women faculty members working in 18 areas. STEM women faculty associated with WiSE have attracted more than $104 million in research funding over the last five years.

WiSE also supports programming for Women of Color in STEM.

The organization is open to all undergraduate students, graduate students postdoctoral scholars ,and female faculty members along with their allies from any gender identity interested or working within STEM fields.