2019 WiSE Conference Highlights Women in STEM

The Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) Conference is an annual event hosted by Texas State University’s College of Science and Engineering that aims to encourage women to pursue STEM as an exciting and fulfilling educational and career choice. This year’s conference on March 8 will feature Sarah Evans as the keynote speaker and Ali Guarneros Luna as the plenary speaker. 

Evans is the founder and CEO of Well Aware, a nonprofit with a 100 percent success rate that funds and implements clean water systems for impoverished communities in Africa. Her work has earned her much recognition including Toyota’s 2017 Mother of Invention, 2017 Texas Women’s Chamber of Commerce Blazing Star Award  and two finalist spots in the Austin Under 40 Awards. Evans has been featured in many articles both online and in print, and is a contributing author for Forbes, MariaShriver.com, Wandering Educator, The Austin Business Journal, and Stilettos on the Glass Ceiling. 

Luna, senior aerospace engineer at the NASA Ames Research Center, immigrated to the U.S. from Mexico City when she was 14 years old and later earned B.S. and M.S. degrees from San Jose State University. She specializes in satellite design and works with the Office of Safety & Mission Assurance (OSMA) where she has performed in many engineering roles including design, building and testing for a series of suborbital experiments. Luna is an active member in her community and her work has earned her national and international recognition. In 2018 she was a recipient of the Reconocimiento Ohtli, awarded by the Mexican government to individuals who assist Mexican citizens or promote their culture. 

Helen Biller of the Propulsion Technology Team at Boeing Commercial Airlines and Elisa DeFord of the Texas State University Office of Career Services will also speak. 

The WiSE Conference will take place from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 8, 2019 in the ballroom of the LBJ Student Center , 601 University Drive. For more information, visit https://wise.cose.txstate.edu/2019WISE-Conference.html.