The annual Women in Science & Engineering (WISE) Forum brings together high school and college girls who are interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math (STEAM) with accomplished women professionals in STEAM fields, ranging from academia and healthcare to design engineering and space exploration.

A Two-Part Event

The first half of the evening consists of a Distinguished Leader Panel Discussion. We encourage everyone who allies with girls and women in STEAM to attend. The panel features four distinguished women in STEAM who share their perspectives on working in STEAM fields. Hear about the opportunities and challenges they have faced while pursuing careers dominated by men.

Following the panel discussion is a Networking & Mentoring Reception where attendees are invited to connect. This is an opportunity for high school students to talk one-on-one with and receive advice from women professionals and college students.

Past panelists: executives from DuPont Company; IBM; Mack Trucks; Mars Inc.; Merck; NASA Goddard Space Flight Center; and Sanofi.

Not Just for Women & Girls

Our WISE Initiative and Forum is not just for women and girls. Check out some frequently asked questions below to learn why you should get involved and how to participate.

Is the WISE Forum just for women and girls?

Absolutely not! While the primary goal of the WISE Initiative is to create a supportive community of women employed in STEAM fields and encourage girls who aspire to follow a STEAM career path, all genders can benefit from hearing the stories and experiences shared in the WISE Forum.

I'm not a woman, why should I care about the WISE Forum?

It’s not only women and girls who need to be informed of the challenges unique to their gender in STEAM careers. Because all genders have a role in creating barriers to an equitable workforce, everyone must learn and improve together to create meaningful change.

Other communities are also underrepresented in STEAM fields. While this event is specific to women’s experiences, many discussions and strategies for enacting change also apply to similar challenges faced by other groups, such as people of color and the LGBTQ+ community.

Many WISE participants also share how other aspects of their identity, in addition to their gender, shape their experiences in the workplace and school.

What can I take away from this event as a man or someone who does not identify as a woman or girl?

Listening to the personal experiences of panelists, mentors, and students will give you additional perspective on the challenges women and girls encounter. Some stories may be surprising or unexpected and may help you reflect on your personal contribution to an equitable workplace and learning environment. Hearing about these experiences can help you to enact change and become an even better ally and advocate for women in STEAM careers.

Save the Date

2026 Women in Science & Engineering Forum
Wednesday, November 18, 2026; 5:30-8 p.m.

Presented By

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Location:
Da Vinci Science Center at PPL Pavilion
815 W. Hamilton St.
Allentown, PA 18101

View This year’s Panelists

This Year’s Panelists

Anne Baum, Founder & Managing Director, Vision Accomplished, LLC (Moderator)

Anne Baum is the Founder and Managing Director of Vision Accomplished, LLC, a consulting firm dedicated to leadership development, executive coaching, and culture development. She is the former President of Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital, where she led strategic planning and operations for the first and largest children’s hospital in the Lehigh Valley Region.

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Ayana Ife, Founder & CEO, Ayana Active

Ayana Ife is the Founder and CEO of Ayana Active, a sustainable modest activewear brand designing innovative performance apparel that empowers women through intentional design. With more than 16 years of experience in fashion design and product development, she combines creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship to create solutions for an underserved market.

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Tammy Klotz, Cybersecurity & IT Executive

Tammy Klotz is a vibrant and accomplished executive and best-selling author with over three decades of diverse experience in the manufacturing industry, specializing in cybersecurity and transformational leadership. She offers keen expertise in navigating mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures within both publicly-traded and privately-held companies and is seasoned in security, risk, and compliance leadership.

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Dr. Karen Peralta Martinez, Bioinformatics Scientist, Nestlé Health Science

Dr. Karen Peralta Martinez is a Bioinformatics Scientist at Nestlé Health Science, where she supports pharmaceutical research and development for VOWST, an FDA-approved microbiome therapeutic. In her role, she applies bioinformatics, multi-omics, and computational biology approaches to advance microbiome research, biomarker discovery, and translational development.

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Dr. Ahna Skop, Professor of Genetics at University of Wisconsin-Madison, Co-Founder & Chief Scientific Officer at aMBR Genomics

Dr. Ahna Skop is an internationally recognized geneticist, cell biologist, artist, and science communicator at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she holds joint appointments in Genetics, Cell and Regenerative Biology, Life Sciences Communication, and the Division of the Arts. She is renowned for her pioneering research on the molecular mechanisms of cell division, particularly the discovery and functional characterization of midbody remnants (MBRs) as RNA-rich organelles with emerging roles in cancer and neurodevelopmental disease.

Learn More About Ahna