2007

The first symposium of Delft Women in Science (DEWIS) was held on Tuesday 9 October 2007.  The event, entitled “Women Sustaining the Future”, has highlighted the future roles that female scientists will play in development in general, and more specifically in the area of technical and sustainable developments for society. In line with the theme of the 165th anniversary of TU Delft, “Sustainability with focus on Africa”, the DEWIS symposium has dealt with sustainability topics with particular attention for gender issues.

The programme of events included presentations by a selection of inspirational speakers who have examined the role of women in sustainable development. Guest speakers included:

  • Prof. Nancy Hopkins – Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Biology
  • Prof. Klaas van Egmond – University of Utrecht, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Director of the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP)
  • Dr Minneke Bosch – Maastricht University, Centre for Gender and Diversity and Member of the Executive Board of the European Platform of Women Scientists
  • Dr Patricia Osseweijer – Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Applied Sciences
  • Dr Esther Blom – Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management

In addition, the symposium has also featured the presenting of the first DEWIS Prize , which was awarded to the most promising female PhD candidate of the year, as decided by an independent jury.

By staging the “Women Sustaining the Future” symposium, DEWIS hopes to provide a multifaceted look at the significant contributions female technical scientists make in the search for solutions to societal problems, both now and in the future.  At the symposium, the topic of the presentations and discussions have revolved around how issues regarding sustainability and gender are related and influence one another.

Venue

The symposium was held on Tuesday 9 October 2007 in the Cultural Centre at the Delft University of Technology (Mekelweg 10) from 1:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Free entrance.