Women in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Michigan
Check out our feature on the U-M ECE website!
Mission
WECE is a student-run, diversity-focused organization whose purpose is to foster community among women and other gender minorities in the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) fields at the University of Michigan. WECE is dedicated to assisting in the recruitment and retention of minorities in ECE industries and academia. WECE focuses on the professional and academic development of individuals committed to innovation and excellence in electrical and electronics engineering fields. Although WECE is intended to support women and gender minority individuals, membership is open to UM students with an interest in the mission of WECE.
History
Near the end of the Fall 2019 semester, Enakshi Deb (current president) sat down with her EECS 280 partner, Isha Bhatt (former President) and had a conversation about their experiences being ECE students at the University of Michigan. Enakshi, as a recently declared Electrical Engineering student, was surprised how lonely the major felt. As minorities in both gender and race, they agreed there was an opportunity to foster a more collaborative environment within the department. In that moment, the seedling of WECE grew and blossomed over the course of winter break and the beginning of 2020. Due to the group’s formation during COVID-19, WECE has never held an in-person meeting. Despite these obstacles, WECE has grown and now has ~100 members including both undergraduate and graduate ECE students. What started as a small Slack space of only 10 members has now become an essential part of the community.
Executive Board
Contact us at wece-officers@umich.edu
Leah Kim
President
Beck Krebs
Vice President
Veronica Contreras
ECE Graduate Representative
Louise Willingale
Faculty Advisor