The ASCEND Network

The ASCEND Steering Committee originated in 2012 when five of the members joined NSF ADVANCE ASAP: Advancing the Careers of Women in STEM at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions (grant #1107034). Hailing from different institutions in the Northwest and Midwest regions of the United States, Chrystal Bruce, Patty Flatt, Sarah Kirk, Liz Roberts-Kirchhoff and Hala Schepmann formed the Mid-Career Chemists Alliance. They regularly met to offer support and advice to one another. Realizing the transformational power of their inter-institutional network, they wanted to share with other STEM faculty. They recruited Mia Bertagnolli, Vicky Turgeon and Mary Katherine Watson and together applied for an NSF ADVANCE grant to create ASCEND.