International Conference of Women in Engineering postponed until 2021

It was announced in May last year (2019) that the University of Warwick has won the bid to plan, organise and host the 18th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES18) for September 2020, however due to the current COVID-19 pandemic the event has been pushed back to 2021.

The conference was previously held at Warwick (ICWES9) in 1991, ICWES18 will now return to Warwick on 1-4 September 2021. The conference, usually held every three years, is the world’s largest symposium for women scientists and engineers and will attract over 500 international delegates from businesses, organisations and universities to the Warwick campus and local region.

The conference will still follow the theme of ‘Global Humanitarian Challenges’, and will bring together participants – academics, professionals, practitioners and students – to discuss topics such as disasters resilience, renewable energy technologies, water and environmental sustainability, smart cities, resilient infrastructures, engineering and global health, and education and training in tackling societal challenges.

All accepted papers will be eligible for inclusion in the next conference, and registration to attend the event will start in January 2021. The call for abstracts for a newly added topic

“Pandemics/COViD-19” is also now open. The closing date is 30 September 2020 and further information is available on our website.

Professor Georgia Kremmyda, from the School of Engineering at the University of Warwick is Elected Board Director of the International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) and Chair of the Conference, she comments: “It was a tough decision to postpone the event for a year, however the health and safety of all is paramount. We aim to come back with a vengeance and make the event bigger than ever before! The event will not only connect women worldwide who are currently working in STEM, but will hopefully encourage more women to pursue a career in Engineering and Sciences and to offer an insight into the excitement and opportunities available.”

Gail Mattson, INWES President, adds: “The International Network for Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) is very excited about The University of Warwick hosting the 18th International Conference for Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES18). Ever since the Women Engineering Society of the UK hosted ICWES9 in Warwick in 1991, women engineers and scientists from around the world have been looking for opportunity to return to this historic setting. Since 2008, when INWES became an official NGO partner of UNESCO, our organization has been recognized and promoted “as a solution to tackle the issue of gender imbalances in STEM”. Our members, representing over 65 countries, will be encouraged to attend to share their challenges and best practices with regards to encouraging girls to pursue STEM careers and a broad range of professional development opportunities for women to succeed and advance into important leadership positions; as well as to expand their networks worldwide. ICWES18 will enable us to make critical strides towards our mission - To build a better future worldwide through full and effective participation of women and girls in all aspects of STEM.”

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