WIGS+ is an organization that helps foster relationships among women and gender minorities in the University of Chicago’s Physical Sciences Division (PSD) for mutual encouragement and to promote women and gender minorities in STEM by creating a supportive environment through engaging speakers, open discourse among the departments in the PSD, and quarterly social and/or professional development events.
Programs
Autumn Quarter, 2022:
Fall Brunch - Thursday, Nov. 17, 2022; 11:00am-1:00pm; ERC 161.
Winter Quarter, 2023:
Interview Skills Workshop with Briana Konnick - Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023; 12:00-1:00pm; ERC 301B.
Spring Quarter, 2023:
Networking Night - Thursday, May 18, 2023; 6:00-8:00pm; ERC 161 and Atrium
Join
If you are a student who is interested in becoming a WIGS+ member, please sign up here. Don't forget to click "Subscribe" on the left to actually subscribe to our mailing list!
If you are a student who is interested in joining the WIGS+ Executive Board, please apply here. Currently, we are seeking a Treasurer, a Social Media/Outreach Coordinator, and an Event Coordinator.
Contact
Email our Co-Presidents, Liv Laxton, at olaxton@uchicago.edu and Radhika Sharma, at radhikasharma@uchicago.edu
Meet the WIGS+ 2022-2023 Executive Board:
Olivia (Liv) Laxton
Co-President, 2022-2023
Liv is a third year PhD student in the Chemistry department studying chemical biology and received her BS in Chemistry from Haverford College. She previously served as co-president of Women and Gender Minorities in Chemistry (WiC+) and is very interested in increasing inclusion and diversity within the sciences.
In her spare time, Liv enjoys working out, exploring Chicago, and trying new food!
Radhika Sharma
Co-President, 2022-2023
Radhika is a MS in Applied Data Science student at the University of Chicago. Prior to UChicago, Radhika has worked with McKinsey and Company and Essence Global, where she specialized in transforming global businesses using data analytics. Radhika holds a Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the University of Delhi and has previously held the position of Head of Growth and Organizational Structure for AeSha Foundation, a non-profit based out of New Delhi, where she helped co-design micro-innovations with rural immigrant women to build sustainable livelihoods.
Apart from everything data, Radhika is an ardent reader, a performance poet and a former classical dancer. She takes pride in her music playlists, loves to cook, photograph and explore museums/monuments in her free time.
Maia Czaikowski
Event Coordinator, 2022-2023
Maia is a third year PhD student in the Chemistry department. She previously served as co-president of Women and Gender Minorities in Chemistry and is passionate about inclusion and community-building in the STEM fields.
In her spare time, Maia enjoys seeing plays and musicals in Chicago and running on the Lakefront trail. She is looking forward to planning excellent professional development events for WiGS+ members this year!
Aleksandra (Aleks) Ninova-Parris
Advisor
Aleks is the PSD Director of Diversity and Inclusion. She joined UChicago in November 2021. She previously worked extensively in student-facing diversity and inclusion roles with student organizations, student leadership team, and peer mentorship teams at Kennesaw State University in GA. Aleks is passionate about student success, diversity and inclusion, and intercultural competence.
Originally from Bulgaria, Aleks considers GA her US "home base". She enjoys cooking and eating, exploring new places, andspending time with her spouse and their two dogs, Bruno and Julez.
Event Photo Gallery:
