GWE is a graduate-student org supporting women in engineering (in body, spirit or identity) across all engineering disciplines at Berkeley. Members attend social events like ice cream socials and Halloween parties, join the Buddies Program to get paired with an older grad student, participate in Grad School 101 workshops, and attend the flagship Speaker Series and Career Panel, where female engineers from academia, industry, and national labs share candid career stories.
Events They Host
Speaker Series
GWE's flagship spring event. Female scientists and engineers share stories about their professional decisions and how they have balanced careers with other aspects of life. All are welcome. 2025 speakers included Sewon Min (April 15) and Patricia Hernandez (May 1).
Career Panel
GWE's flagship fall event. Brings together successful female engineers from academia, industry, and national labs for an evening of honest Q&A. 2024 panelists included faculty, LBNL scientists, and engineers from Genentech and Meta.
Grad School 101 Workshop Series
Fall workshop series covering topics new grad students don't learn in orientation: Bay Area living, advisor relationships, personal finance, fellowship applications. Lunch provided for RSVPs.
GWEbinar Series
Member discussions on topics including unconscious bias, intersectionality, and feminism in STEM.
Girl Scout Volunteering
GWE hosts volunteering events for Girl Scouts and encourages members to volunteer at outreach events hosted by other societies.
Berkeley Rose Garden Volunteering
Members volunteer at the Berkeley Rose Garden, including weeding and tidying before their annual Mother's Day event.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Annual Conference
GWE has sponsored members to attend the SWE Annual Conference.
weSTEM Conference (hosted by UIUC)
GWE has sponsored members to attend the weSTEM conference. Past attendees also hosted a workshop on mentoring at the conference.
International Women's Day Celebration
Annual event celebrating GWE members and allies.
Member Experiences
Ice Cream Social
Held at the start of each semester to welcome new members. A fall 2022 ice cream social is pictured in the photo gallery.
GWE Buddies Program Events
Events tied to the Buddies Program, which pairs first-year grad students with an older GWE member.
Big IDEAs Book and Media Club
Members consume and discuss media on topics such as anti-Blackness in academia, intersectionality, implicit bias, and environmental racism.
Halloween Party / Pumpkin Carving
Annual Halloween social; past years included pumpkin painting (2019) and pumpkin carving events.
Monthly General Meetings
Monthly meetings with snacks where members plan and discuss upcoming events. Any member is welcome.
GWE x SWE Picnic
Joint picnic event with the undergraduate SWE chapter.
Networking Events with LAGSES, BGESS, and Companies
Networking events with partner graduate student orgs and companies including Google, Intel, and P&G.
Summer Picnic at Ohlone Park
First in-person event of summer 2021 was a picnic at Ohlone Park.
Breakfast Socials, Coloring Nights, and Restaurant Dinners
Recurring casual social events held throughout the year.