Although limited in quantity, the MWIS collection is useful for studying the role women scientists play at the University of Michigan, as well as the environment in which these women have to work. The strength of the collection lies in the correspondence and in the topical files, although minutes contain useful information and are a valuable means of exploring the genesis of the organization.
The MWIS records consist of four series: History, Correspondence, Minutes, and Topical Files.
Michigan Women in Science (MWIS), a part of the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women (formerly the Center for the Continuing Education of Women), was formed in March 1972 "during [a] luncheon meeting of two biophysicists, a biochemist, and an astronomer." (See Box 1, folder: History, handwritten notes) Through the years, the goal of MWIS has remained very much the same as when the group first assembled. It is, simply, to provide a forum for women scientists -- faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as interested non-university women scientists -- who seek to overcome gender bias and make the university environment a place where women scientists can work productively. MWIS has worked for these ends by fighting discriminatory acts against women scientists, initiating studies and surveys of both the profession and the people working in it, providing workshops for women scientists, recruiting high school women for careers in the sciences, and offering counseling services specifically aimed at female undergraduate and graduate students in the sciences. In addition to addressing the professional careers of women scientists, MWIS provides a forum in which women interact with and receive encouragement from each other and share their concerns about family and social lives.
