CW3E Scientists Attend Women in the Sciences Leadership Workshop
April 25, 2023
Group photo of the participants of the workshop, with photo credit to Christina Olex who also gave the lectures during the event.
Two CW3E scientists, Dr. El Knappe and Dr. Minghua Zheng, recently attended the “Building Leadership Skills for Success in the Scientific Workforce” Workshop on 12-13 April. The event, which was co-hosted by NOAA and the College of Science-Geosciences at the University of Arizona, brought together 45 women in earth science disciplines from across the United States to train them in leadership and management skills. Attendees came from a variety of backgrounds, including graduate studies in atmospheric and marine sciences, research and support scientists, oceanographers, meteorologists, program managers, and other job titles.
The workshop kicked off with the Dominance, Influence, Steadiness and Conscientiousness (DISC) Personality Assessment, which showed the different personalities of the attendees. One takeaway was the importance of respecting each other’s personalities and working with coworkers in different ways accordingly. The first day also focused on emotional intelligence, with attendees sharing triggers that evoke emotional responses and how to deal with them strategically. They also discussed the traits of good and bad leaders and how to establish trustworthy relationships at the workplace.
On the second day, the focus shifted to unconscious bias, connection, and mentoring. Attendees shared the biases they have experienced, such as gender, race, culture, and education biases. The workshop also provided useful tips for making connections and mentorship.
Dr. Knappe and Dr. Zheng expressed their appreciation for the support they received from the Center to fund their attendance at the workshop, and highly recommend the event to any women scientists in leadership positions in the future. They found it to be a unique opportunity to gain knowledge, practice new understanding, and make networking connections. Overall, the workshop was a great success in training and empowering women in earth science disciplines to become successful leaders.