Womxn in Science & Engineering (WiSE) is a graduate student led, non-profit UCSB campus organization founded in 2001. We aim to intersectionally promote equal opportunity and inclusion for all members of our campus community, support the scientific and career advancement of traditionally underserved people in academia, and create community for women and gender minorities of all ages in science and engineering fields. WiSE encourages the participation of all STEM undergraduates, graduates, researchers, faculty, and professionals in the Santa Barbara area.
Our Organizing Board
Erica Rivera (she/her)
President
Erica is a fouth-year PhD candidate in the Molecular, Cellular & Developmental Biology department. Erica’s lab primarily studies Alzheimer’s diseases, and her research involves studying tau protein spread, a hallmark of the disease progression. Previously, Erica has served as the chair of outreach for WiSE and helped run the WiSE Mentorship Program. Last year Erica served as vice president of WiSE. Erica appreciates all the great friends she has made through WiSE and hopes to continue to help foster a community of supportive women in STEM. In her spare time, Erica enjoys running, ceramics, hiking, and playing with her dog Pepper🐾.
Sara Matsumura (she/her)
Vice President
Sara is a third year PhD student in the Interdepartmental Program for Marine Science where she focuses on plastic degradation and carbon dioxide removal with kelp. As the vice president of WiSE, Sara looks forward to being on a bad a** team of female identifying students and is excited to create a tight knit community on campus. If she’s not playing beach volleyball, she will be found at home with her cat Reenie or eating/ trying new restaurants in town.
Miriam Urie (she/her)
Treasurer
Miriam is a first year in the Psych and Brain Sciences Department focusing on the science of effective learning. This is her first year as Treasurer on the organizing board, and she’s excited to help facilitate the WiSE events she so enjoyed attending! Outside academics, you can find her reading, drawing, running scenic routes, and trying new restaurants in Santa Barbara.
Sadia Nowshin
Communications Chair
Sadia is a fourth year PhD candidate at the department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. For her research she is developing a facile process for making fuel cell catalysts. She is excited to connect with a larger community of women involved in STEM by serving WiSE. In her personal time Sadia enjoys nature walks, going to the beach and discussing politics.
Anna Boser (she/her)
Outreach Committee Co-Chair
Anna is a fourth-year PhD student at the Bren school of Environmental Science and Management. She studies water scarcity in agriculture with the goal of ensuring food security into the future. She likes to use satellite data and machine learning in her research. She is excited to share her passion for STEM with other women in her first position on the WiSE board: Outreach Co-chair. In her free time, Anna enjoys playing the harp, rock climbing, taking improv classes, and cuddling with her dog🐾.
Polina Zhilkina (she/her)
Outreach Committee Co-Chair
Polina is a second-year PhD student in the Mechanical Engineering department, and her research focuses on computational study of fluid-particle interactions at low Reynolds numbers. Outside of research, she is dedicated to mentoring high school and undergraduate students through various initiatives and organizations, such as GradGuide and Climatry. In her free time, she enjoys learning foreign languages (learning Hindi now!) and dancing (find me at ballroom dance rec center classes!).
Emily Huffman (she/her)
Social Committee Co-Chair
Emily is a third year PhD student in the Interdepartmental Program for Marine Science where she studies the interaction between changes in sea-level and glacial history, specifically in Antarctica and NW Scotland. As a social co-chair of WiSE, Emily is looking forward to helping foster a tight knit community geared towards enhancing female empowerment in STEM! When she is not at the beach playing volleyball or surfing, she enjoys music, crocheting, hiking, and baking!
Heather Childers (she/her)
Social Committee Co-Chair
Heather is a first-year Master’s student at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management where she studies environmental data science with a focus on climate change. She’s looking forward to becoming involved in the community and bringing some new and exciting ideas to the WiSE organizing board this year. In her free time, Heather enjoys yoga, painting, journaling, and baking.
Canan Cabeci (she/her)
Professional Committee Chair
Canan is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Electrical & Computer Engineering department focusing on wireless communications and signal processing. She is currently investigating the impact of low-precision analog-to-digital converters employed in next-generation communication infrastructures. This is her first year on the organizing board, and she is thrilled to be part of the WISE community through serving as the professional committee chair. In her free time, Canan likes to try new recipes, read, dance Argentine tango, and spend time outdoors.
Kim Dang (she/her)
Undergraduate Liason
Kim dang is a third-year electrical engineering student. This is my first year being a part of the WiSE board. I am very excited to help out with connecting undergraduate and graduate students together socially and academically. My hobbies include powerlifting, playing basketball, and watching YouTube videos at 3am.
Pepper
WiSE Dog
Pepper is excited to serve as WiSE dog this year and hopes to support her fellow WiSE members with lots of licks. Pepper has been a WiSE board member for two years and has enjoyed attending many WiSE events. When she is not at work (serving as a hall monitor outside the Kosik lab), Pepper enjoys chasing rabbits, long walks on the beach, and eating treats at her nana’s house. Pepper is excited to sniff many new friends and hopes you will join her at WiSE events this year.