Four students posing for a photo indoors

Women in STEM

International Women's Day 2024

Group photo

In honor of International Women's Day on March 8, we spoke with undergraduate students, graduate students and faculty members who inspire inclusion throughout the college's eight academic departments. 

Meet these remarkable women

Club Spotlights

Our women-led clubs focus on creating a community to empower women in engineering
Group of women stand together for a photo
The Society of Women Engineers Club at UC Davis celebrated National Engineers Week (Feb. 21-24, 2023) with tea. (Savannah Luy/UC Davis)
  • Club of Future Female Electrical Engineers (COFFEE)

  • Founded in 2018, the Club of Future Female Electrical Engineers (COFFEE) at UC Davis is an organization aimed towards promoting academics, retention and community among women in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering.

    Learn more about the Club of Future Female Electrical Engineers
  • Female Association of Civil Engineers (FACE)

  • Female Association of Civil Engineers (FACE) is a community of civil engineers who aim to support women and non-binary students pursuing civil engineering and environmental engineering. 

    Learn more about the Female Association of Civil Engineers

  • Society of Women Engineers (SWE)

  • The Society of Women Engineers (SWE) empowers women to achieve their full potential in careers as engineers and leaders, expand the image of the engineering and technology professions as a positive force in improving the quality of life, and demonstrate the value of diversity and inclusion. For more than seven decades, SWE has given women engineers a unique place and voice within the engineering industry.

    Learn more about the Society of Women Engineers

  • Women in Computer Science (WiCS)

  • Women in Computer Science (WiCS) supports, empowers and motivates the growing community of women in computer science.

    The club prepares women for the tech industry, in addition to inspiring women to explore educational and professional opportunities in computing through creating a powerful community, providing mentorship and helping them to succeed.

    Learn more about Women in Computer Science

  • Women Machinists' Club (WMC)

  • Created in 2020, the Women Machinists' Club (WMC) at UC Davis believes that every developing engineer should have the chance to work with their hands. However, machine shops are often male-dominated, and students of underrepresented genders report experiencing discrimination in these environments. That’s why WMC serves as a space for interested students of underrepresented genders to learn skills and support one another.

    Learn more about the Women Machinists' Club

Women Graduate Student Spotlights

Our spotlights celebrate the achievements of our women graduate students, who are helping #EmbraceEquity in engineering.

Qingxiaoyang Zhu

Graduate Student Spotlight: Qingxiaoyang Zhu

  • by College of Engineering Communications
The ultimate goal of my research is to increase the equity and accessibility of procedural knowledge for everyone. I'm fascinated by exploring how to create scaffolding tools for common users to consume knowledge by leveraging advanced techniques, such as language and image processing.
Portrait of Kylie Cooper in a zero gravity room

Graduate Student Spotlight: Kylie Cooper

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I was drawn into engineering because I’ve always loved figuring out how things work. My love for aerospace engineering blossomed during undergraduate studies at UC Davis, when I joined the Space and Satellite Systems (SSS) club and gained hands-on experience with CubeSat (small satellite) design
Toluwanimi Odemuyiwa

Graduate Student Spotlight: Toluwanimi Odemuyiwa

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I decided I wanted a career where I could explore new things. Cue my decision to pursue a Ph.D.! I chose UC Davis as the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering had a great variety of professors and a great connection to Silicon Valley. 
Stephanie Nawas

Graduate Student Spotlight: Stephanie Nawas

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I enjoyed computer science courses in undergrad, but didn't realize that I could possibly pursue a Ph.D. until I was a senior! I had always thought that Ph.D. degrees were for geniuses, not people like me. Continuing my studies at UC Davis has been such an amazing experience, and I feel incredibly lucky to have been accepted here under such a supportive advisor. 
Person sitting at a welding table with sparks flying off machinery

Graduate Student Spotlight: Sophie Orr

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I saw how instrumental engineering methods were to creating cost-effective, novel scientific studies and wanted to apply those methods to my own research. I had an amazing experience at UC Davis as an undergraduate anthropology major, so I knew I wanted to return to Davis for my doctoral program. 
Shanice Taylor

Graduate Student Spotlight: Shanice Taylor 

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I was inspired to study engineering, specifically chemical and biomolecular engineering, after seeing how much the field related to my childhood hobby of designing and constructing structures from toy components. In my field, biomolecules like DNA and proteins are engineered to build unique biological systems for health and energy purposes (i.e., pharmaceuticals, biofuels, biomaterials and specialty chemicals).
Nicki O'Shea

Graduate Student Spotlight: Nicole O'Shea

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I was quickly enticed by materials science, which I sometimes describe as a junction of physics, chemistry, math, and art, when I took the Introduction to Material Properties course at my community college and was introduced to crystallography, phase diagrams and the materials tetrahedron. 
Portrait of Mingzhen Feng

Graduate Student Spotlight: Mingzhen Feng

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I love the beauty of engineering. It's a bridge between science and real application. I liked physics and chemistry in high school, especially the lab classes, so I decided to study materials science and engineering after I learned that it’s a major that deals with both physical and chemical properties.
Portrait of Meera outside in a rocky landscape with trees and a canyon in the background

Graduate Student Spotlight: Meera

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I absolutely love working with my hands and the satisfaction that comes from seeing tangible results. I have always found great joy in solving puzzles and overcoming challenges. I am thrilled to be on this journey and grateful for the opportunities that have allowed me to pursue my dreams. 
Portrait of Lucy Knowles in a lab

Graduate Student Spotlight: Lucy Knowles

  • by College of Engineering Communications
My research aims to improve the production of energy from biological waste products, diverting waste from landfills and producing a sustainable form of energy. I use enzymes produced by fungi to break down the main component of plant biomass, cellulose, into fermentable sugars.
Portrait of Janis Patiño near the ocean

Graduate Student Spotlight: Janis Eneida Patiño Higuita

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I have always been a curious person, and I enjoy understanding how things work. This curiosity led me to pursue engineering. I love chemistry, and I also enjoy spending time outdoors. Therefore, environmental engineering seemed like the perfect field to combine my passions and skills.
Portrait of Hannah OToole in a lab environment wearing lab coat and other PPE

Graduate Student Spotlight: Hannah O'Toole

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I was inspired to study engineering by my high school calculus teacher, who recognized my knack for problem-solving and suggested I look into the field when applying to colleges. I was also very interested in medicine and pharmacology, which led me to apply for biomedical engineering (BME) programs to get a blend of the engineering mindset with the medical aspects and applications.
Theodora Triano

Graduate Student Spotlight: Theodora Marina Triano

  • by College of Engineering Communications
I am currently doing research on characterizing cancerous tissue within the THz band (between the microwave and infrared spectrums) to help identify the presence of cancer within the body through a simple and painless saliva sample. I love applying my interests in physics and photonics to help identify a very real problem that we all have been impacted by one way or another.
Portrait of Ece Goktayoglu

Graduate Student Spotlight: Ece Goktayoglu

  • by College of Engineering Communications
Throughout my high school life, I was good at these STEM-related classes, and I enjoyed them. I wanted to continue to study these topics for the rest of my life. That is the reason why I pursued studying engineering. I cannot say that engineering is an easy field, but what motivates me the most is to show that women can indeed be very successful in the engineering field.
Portrait of Doreen Joseph

Graduate Student Spotlight: Doreen Joseph

  • by College of Engineering Communications
When I started undergrad, I was an IT major intending to concentrate on Information Security, because I had looked at a cyber security engineering degree and thought it was too hard. During my first semester, I met with my Honors College advisor and when she looked at my credentials, and the math class I was taking "for fun" at the time (Calc 3 Honors), she questioned why I was not in a more challenging program.