Holy Cross to Host Second Annual Women in Science Day

The College of the Holy Cross will host the second annual Women in Science Day on March 24, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. at the Integrated Science Complex, a one-day event aimed at maintaining and enhancing the involvement of women in the STEM disciplines.

Holy Cross Women in Science Day will provide more than 150 high school girls from area schools, as well as 200 undergraduate students, the opportunity to engage with successful female professionals in a variety of science fields through interactive lab demonstrations, alumnae panels, inspiring speakers, and a networking session.

Presented in partnership with XCHROM, a student group aimed at helping girls in the Holy Cross and Worcester communities gain confidence in STEM-related fields through mentorship, the event has nearly doubled its capacity for high school students in its second year. High school students will participate in interactive lab demonstrations offered by the Departments of Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Mathematics & Computer Science, as well as STEM-specific browsing sessions, with representatives from the College.

Undergraduate attendees will benefit from three alumnae panels – STEM in Healthcare, STEM in Research, and STEM in the Workplace – as well as a networking session. Twelve accomplished Holy Cross alumnae currently working in STEM-related fields are set to return to the Hill and offer their advice and guidance to current students.

"The inaugural Women in Science Day was a tremendous success, and it was so inspiring to witness the wisdom and support that local high school students, current undergraduate students, and alumnae had to offer one another," said Grace Cavanaugh, a senior chemistry and psychology student on the pre-health track at Holy Cross and a steering committee member for the event. "Given the gender imbalances in most sciences, events that promote such collaboration and confidence are especially important in our society today."

This year's keynote address will be given by Dr. Helen Boucher ’86, director of the infectious diseases fellowship program and staff physician in the Division of Geographic Medicine and Infectious Diseases at Tufts Medical Center and Associate Professor of Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. Boucher was an English major at Holy Cross and went on to earn her medical degree at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Dr. Boucher serves on the Board of Trustees of the Physicians of Tufts Medical Center and she is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the College of the Holy Cross.

Holy Cross Women in Science Day 2018 is made possible by a generous gift from Dr. Cheryl Martin ’84, by a grant from the National Science Foundation to Prof. Geoffrey Findlay, and by contributions from the Office of the Science Coordinator, and the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Computer Science, Physics, and Psychology.