Women in STEM often lead within systems that weren’t designed with them in mind—yet they are expected to navigate those systems, create impact, and drive change all the same. Understanding how power, influence, and decision-making actually operate can be the difference between working harder and leading more strategically. Drawing on her experience as a former federal healthcare research executive, clinical psychologist, and leadership consultant in STEM environments, Dr. Mira Brancu introduces a practical four-level framework for strategic influence. This session helps make invisible workplace dynamics visible—so participants can better understand where they have leverage and how to use it intentionally across individual, team, organizational, and systems levels. Through real-world stories from research, clinical, and academic settings, Dr. Brancu brings these concepts to life and offers concrete strategies participants can apply immediately. Attendees will explore how to: Identify where power and influence show up across individual, team, organizational, and systems levels; Make invisible workplace dynamics visible and use them as a strategic advantage; Lead with greater agency when shaping teams, culture, and decisions; Apply a practical framework for advancing both individual impact and collective progress in STEM environments. Designed to meet participants wherever they are in their careers—from early-career professionals building momentum to experienced leaders shaping teams and systems—this session offers practical tools for sustained influence and meaningful change.

eXXec is the Society of Women Engineers' Executive Leadership Program, created to empower engineers to effect change within organizations through a holistic approach to professional development. Designed for experienced engineers and technical leaders, eXXec delivers actionable, high-performance strategies in an intimate setting of influential peers. From recognized leadership assessments to executive coaching and ongoing connection, this experience is built to accelerate your growth at the highest levels. Sign up by March 15 to receive FREE registration to WE26!

The real winners of the Winter Olympics? Technologists. From AI to drones, behind every camera angle, photo finish, replay, and real-time stat is powerful technology at work.
Check out the innovations powering some of our favorite winter sports.

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CERN features six scientists for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Every year, on 11 February, CERN celebrates the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. In an effort to amplify diverse voices in STEM, six women scientists from CERN open up about their careers and the lessons they hope to pass on to the next generation.

AWIS is offering Opportunity Scholarships for Career Re-entry to help STEM professionals return to the workforce after a career break. The scholarships can help cover various expenses such as job search costs, commuting expenses, family care needs. If you’re looking to restart your STEM career, apply by February 28.

Partnership opportunities at U.S. WE Local conferences offer strong brand visibility, meaningful in-person engagement, and direct access to engineers and technologists across career stages. From high-impact networking experiences to on-site branding and sponsored sessions, WE Local partners play an active role in shaping the conference experience while building lasting professional connections.

Career strategist and author Melissa Lawrence presents a science-backed method for building a meaningful career within matrixed scientific organizations. Grounded in behavioral science and industry research, Your Worthy Career moves beyond generic career advice to address how advancement actually works in science-driven environments. The book provides a structured framework for making intentional career moves, increasing visibility in cross-functional teams, and identifying growth opportunities that don’t follow traditional career ladders. In Your Worthy Career, readers will learn how to: assess roles and opportunities based on fit, influence, and long-term direction; build strategic visibility with stakeholders in matrixed organizations; navigate cross-functional decision-making and competing priorities and recognize and pursue non-linear career paths within scientific organizations. While written with pharma and biotech professionals in mind, the framework is applicable to careers across science, engineering, healthcare, and other research-driven fields.

The SFPE Foundation and its co-hosting partners invite researchers, practicing professionals, and experts to submit abstracts for the 2026 WUI Fire Engineering Summit. This is an excellent opportunity to showcase your innovative projects, cutting-edge research, and valuable insights in the fire protection and safety engineering field. The abstract submission process allows the Program Committee to select presentations and posters for inclusion in the conference program. It will enable them to identify relevant and high-quality content that aligns with the objectives and highly technical focus of the conference. Presentation abstracts should provide sufficient scope and results to determine the quality and applicability of the engineering concepts that would be presented. Presentations must be noncommercial in nature. All abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of experts and independently rated.

Trust in the workplace is easily broken, but trust can be rebuilt — and when it is, it transforms how we work together. On February 19 at 12 p.m. ET, Minda Harts will share practical strategies for turning workplace tensions into productive conversations, reframing trust as a learnable skill.

There’s still time to nominate a woman engineer who inspires you! There are many women engineers who are not famous, even in their own niche, and deserve recognition for the impact they have made as engineers and individuals. They are the unsung women we know and cherish and who we want others to know. They are ordinary women engineers who have made significant contributions and who lead interesting and fulfilling lives, but are not necessarily famous and may not have received other recognition. They are women who work behind the scenes, not in the limelight, but who make real change in the workplace and in our communities. Take a moment and nominate a woman engineer whose story is one that you feel SWE and others should hear.