Sigma Delta Epsilon records

Graduate Women in Science (GWIS), formerly known as Sigma Delta Epsilon, is an international professional organization for women in science. It was established as a scientific women's fraternity on May 21, 1921, at Cornell University by Adele Lewis Grant. It was founded as a fraternity for women pursuing graduate degrees in the sciences. In 1922, a similar local group for women at the University of Wisconsin-Madison agreed to merge with Sigma Delta Epsilon, establishing a national fraternity. Its purpose was “to further interest in science, to provide a fraternity for the recognition of women in science, and to bring them together in a fraternal relationship.”

Sigma Delta Epsilon was incorporated in the state of New York in April 1922. It held its first national conference on April 20, 1922. It joined the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) as an associate member in 1936 and as an affiliate member in 1939. In 19701, the fraternity changed its name to Sigma Delta Epsilon Graduate Women in Science, and again to Graduate Women in Science (GWIS) in April 2016.

Graduate Women in Science offers grants, awards, and fellowships. It serves an international network of women scientists and promotes the participation and representation of women in science-related events. The GWIS National Meeting is held annually in June. It also sponsors mentoring, webinars, and seminars featuring its members' research. As of 2024, the society publishes four electronic newsletters on successive weeks in each month: GWIS Connect, GWIS Lead, NEWS DIGEST, and the member-only GWIS Empower.

Membership in the Graduate Women in Science is open to anyone with at least a bachelor's degree in a STEMM discipline (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Medicine) or equivalent professional experience.