Meet the Women in Science and Engineering Staff
Chris
Brus - Director of WISE 319-335-3511,
Email Chris
Chris was born in Nebraska and is a true Midwesterner, having lived in
Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa; and yes, she LOVES
snow! As the second director of WISE, Chris took the reins in October of
1998 and hasn't looked back. Having worked with underrepresented
populations in K-12 and Higher Ed for the last twenty years, most
notably women in STEM, student of color, and scientifically gifted rural
youth, she is a passionate educator and advocate for equity.
Chris has an undergraduate degree in Liberal Studies (music and creative
writing), a Master's degree in Preventive Medicine and Environmental
Health along with certification and registration as a Cytotechnologist
through the American Society of Clinical Pathologists. Among other
things, Chris has worked in pathology labs, coordinated large
federally-funded research grants, developed summer outreach institutes
for K-12 students and educators, and served as the Director of Community
Outreach and Education for the federally-funded Environmental Health
Sciences Research Center, situated on the UI's Oakdale Campus.
Chris sees her primary responsibilities (and those of WISE) as:
- To implement timely and targeted programming for women in STEM to increase their retention from K-12, through college, and into the workforce.
- To educate parents, instructors, and administrators about barriers that still diminish women's genuine participation in STEM disciplines, many of which are built into the system (systemic) and not perpetrated by individuals.
- To act as a catalyst, bringing often overlooked issues to the administrative 'table' so they can be addressed in a visible and transparent way with all stakeholders at the 'table'.
- To provide individual advocacy for any member of the UI stem population as requested.
Please feel free to contact Chris for further information about WISE; to offer comments about how WISE is doing; to provide suggestions about what we should do next; or just to talk!
Angel Cheng - Coordinator, Grad/Post-Doc Professional Workshops
Hi, my name is Yi-Ting “Angel” Cheng,
and I joined the WISE staff in August 2010 as the Graduate
Assistant for Grad/Post-Doc Programs. I am currently pursuing a PhD
degree at the University of Iowa in Counseling Psychology. My
professional interests include diversity and social justice issues.
I am originally from Taipei, Taiwan. And I
completed my B.A. in Psychology/ Communication Studies at the
University of Texas at Austin in 2008. Prior to coming to Iowa, l
worked with Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, serving
children, the elderly, and the disabled with abuse or neglect history.
During my time in Iowa, I have worked as a doctoral practicum counselor
at University of Iowa Counseling Service, Iowa City Shelter House, and
Cornell College in Mt. Vernon. I am currently completing a practicum at
the Iowa City VA Outpatient Mental Health Clinic.
Outside of school and work, I enjoy taking road trips and exploring
different regions of the U.S. (20 states and counting!) Other personal
interests include yoga, movies, photography, and good food.
I am extremely honored to be able to work with the wonderful WISE women
across different undergraduate and graduate programs. Please do not
hesitate to email me
regarding any questions you may have, or ideas that you want to share
with WISE staff!
Sam Vancel - Coordinator, Peer Mentoring Program
/ Ambassadors Program
Hi,
my name is Samantha Vancel and I am the WISE Peer
Mentoring and Ambassadors Coordinator! I am originally from Arizona. I
graduated from Arizona State University in 2009 with a BAE in math
education. I’ve been teaching middle school and high school math for the
past three years. In addition to working with WISE, I am a first year
PhD student in school psychology.
In my free time I enjoy cooking, reading, seeing good movies, and
spending time with my family and friends. I enjoy doing active things
like playing sports, hiking, etc. I also have a dog named Sadie who
keeps me very busy! I am very excited to be working with WISE.
Kaitlin Glagola - Peer Mentoring Assistant and Ambassadors
Student Liaison
Hi! My name is Kaitlin Glagola
and I’m from Plainfield, IL. I started working for WISE in January 2012
as the Undergraduate Assistant. I am a second-year Psychology major and
also a
In my free time, I like to ice skate, something that I have been doing
since I was 4 years old. In high school, my synchronized skating team
qualified for Team USA and I had the amazing opportunity to compete in
France and Sweden with my team. I also really enjoy baking when I have
free time. You can reach me any time of the year at
wise@uiowa.edu.
Please do NOT hesitate to email me if you have any questions about
anything! I am excited to meet everyone!
Kyleigh Kriener - Living-Learning Community Undergraduate Student Assistant
WISE Organizational Chart (updated March 2012)
