From finding balance between work and home to strategizing against subtle forms of gender bias, the topics covered at the inaugural Empowering Women in Science and Engineering (EWISE) conference at Cornell, June 22 and 23, were tailored especially for women.

Is there a "right" time to have children? What is the wisest response to discrimination in the office or lab? What is "success," anyway?

These and other questions were discussed in workshops and talks by 130 participants at the conference, "Exploring Pathways to Your Success." The event was jointly organized by Diversity Programs in Engineering and the CU-ADVANCE Center, whose goal is to increase recruitment, retention and promotion of women faculty in engineering and sciences.

EWISE was one step in addressing the underrepresentation of women in science and engineering fields at Cornell, organizers said. While there has been progress in leveling the playing field, EWISE organizers said they wanted the event to forge connections among women in such fields -- from faculty members to undergraduates.

"There is a need to bring together cohorts of these women, to recognize their successes and challenges and to expose them to strategies and skills for developing opportunities for career pathways," said Sara Hernandez, assistant director of Diversity Programs in Engineering and an EWISE organizer.

Opening a day of workshops June 23, Shelley Correll, Cornell associate professor of sociology, described her research into gender stereotypes and how they influence women's decisions as they choose career paths. Though studies show that young girls and boys tend to have equal capabilities in math, when girls are made to believe they aren't good at math, their performance drops, and they subsequently shy away from careers in math, science and engineering. Correll called this phenomenon the "stereotype threat."

"If left unchecked, gender stereotypes will contribute to the underrepresentation of women in technical fields," Correll said. The good news, Correll said, is that when beliefs change, so do outcomes.

Other workshop topics ranged from the practical to the personal. Johnson School associate professor Kathleen O'Connor shared strategies on approaching salary or job negotiation with confidence. A panel of women professionals that included Christiane Linster, Cornell neurobiology and behavior associate professor, and Lisa Schneider, Cornell's director of Engineering Learning Initiatives, shared stories on juggling family life with work and offered advice and encouragement on how to do it.

Discussing the meaning of "success" on a panel, Susan Henry, dean of Cornell's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, defined it as striking a degree of balance between the personal and professional. Several panelists attributed much of their success to role models and mentors who encouraged them early in their careers.

Later in the day, Purdue University sociologist Gwendolyn Johnson said her research has shown that many women in male-dominated fields still face subtle or overt bias.

In addition to the workshops, participants heard from opening speaker Gina Lee-Glauser, associate vice president for research at Syracuse University, and closing speaker Mark Glauser, associate professor of mechanical, aerospace and manufacturing engineering at Syracuse University. The married couple shared insights into their personal struggles and professional lives as engineers.

EWISE organizers hope to make the event biennial and to extend it beyond the Cornell community in coming years.

One participant, environmental toxicology graduate student Kristine Hope, identified with many of the panelists and topics.

"It was nice to be able to hear different women's experiences and to know that maybe some of the things we're dealing with are not uncommon," Hope said. "There is a support base here."