SF State WISE provides opportunities for women in STEM fields to learn from and support one another through presentations, workshops, and the establishment of mentoring communities.
The WISE scholarship, established by Dr. Jan Randall, Professor Emerita of Biology, is awarded to an outstanding woman in the graduate program at SFSU each year.
Our Mission
The SF State Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program supports students, faculty and staff in the areas of science, mathematics and engineering. The SF State WISE program promotes the impact of women on science, mathematics and engineering professions, as well as attempts to increase the number of women pursuing a career in these fields at the local, regional, and national levels. The program aims to provide opportunities for all College of Science and Engineering (COSE) faculty, staff, and students to learn from prominent women scientists and each other through presentations, workshops, and mentoring communities.
Lauren Finkelstein, 2018 Seventh Annual WISE Scholarship Winner
Lauren’s research explores the effects of climate change on the water-energy-food nexus within the groundwater dependent agroecosystem of the Pajaro Valley. Her work is timely, innovative in its approach, and will greatly impact many stakeholders in implementing groundwater sustainability plans.

Amanda Carbajal: Sixth Annual WISE Scholarship Award - 2016
Crystal Weaver: Fifth Annual WISE Scholarship Award - 2015
Crystal is a coastal ecologist who is highly driven by her desire to improve ecological restoration techniques through research. Her Masters thesis work on eelgrass restoration led her into the microbiology field, as she investigated the role of sediment microbiomes in eelgrass transplant survival. Since discovering a new appreciation for microscopic organisms, she has become a microbiology research associate with DuPont Pioneer where she continues to tackle real world problems with research based solutions.


Cara Gallagher: Fourth Annual WISE Scholarship Award - 2014
Cara Gallagher is a Master’s candidate at San Francisco State University’s Romberg Tiburon Center for Environmental Studies. She is currently working with Golden Gate Cetacean Research on the San Francisco Bay harbor porpoise project. Cara is investigating the potential amount of energy removed by harbor porpoises from SF Bay waters and transferred to the coast. As returning predators in SF Bay, it is important to place porpoises back into the context of the SF Bay food web. Cara is also currently working as a research associate with a startup that is investigating the impacts of climate change on mussels and harbor seals in Bodega, California.
Emma Beck: Third Annual WISE Scholarship Award - 2013


Diana Juarez Madera: Second Annual WISE Scholarship Award - 2012
Michelle Slocombe: First Annual WISE Scholarship Award - 2011

College of Science and Engineering Funding Initiatives
For more information contact:
Jasmine Minato
Associate Director of Development
College of Science & Engineering
Email: jminato@sfsu.edu
Phone: (415) 338-2647