The WGS Spring 2023 Student Conference is now accepting proposals! Any undergraduate or graduate student from any college or university across the state of Iowa is welcome to submit a proposal. The most important information that needs to be included in the proposal is:
- A short abstract describing the project (250 words)
- The Title of the project/presentation
- What format the project will take
- The Presenter(s) name and contact information.
Student’s are encouraged to work on their project with a faculty sponsor, but it is not required. If you are working with a faculty sponsor we would love to have them join you at the conference, but it is also not required.
Presentations can take the form of research project, creative project, pedagogy, activist work or other thematic work within the field of gender, sexuality, identity and feminism. The deadline to submit a proposal is Monday, March 20th, 2023 at 11:59pm.
Proposal Submission Form
This years conference is going to take place on Saturday, April 15th from 9 AM-4 PM at the Iowa State University Student Innovation Center. The conference is free and open to anyone to attend. Lunch will be provided. If you plan to attend the conference, but do not plan to present at the conference please submit an attendee registration form at the link below. If you have any questions or needs please email wgsconference@iastate.edu. Registration is heavily encouraged, but not required.
Conference Attendee Registration Form
Keynote and Opening Speaker!
The Women’s and Gender Studies Spring Conference; Building Solidarity and Envisioning Justice, is happy to announce this years speakers! We are excited to have Max Mowitz (they/he) and Courtney Reyes (she/her) joining us from One Iowa! Max will be kicking us off as our opening speaker and Courtney will be giving the keynote address.
Max Mowitz (they/he) is Program Director at One Iowa, Iowa’s statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization, overseeing organizational programming, direct service, and community education via LGBTQ training. Max has been active in LGBTQ advocacy work since coming out in high school, focusing on comprehensive LGBTQ education to the broader community as a component of queer liberation. Max is a certified Community Health Worker and specializes in topics related to the trans and nonbinary community, LGBTQ birth work, LGBTQ-inclusive healthcare, and mental health.
Max serves as founder and board member for the Iowa Trans Mutual Aid Fund. Max is pursuing their birth and postpartum doula certification and is practicing as an gender-affirming doula, serving Trans and Nonbinaryindividuals as they come out, access gender-affirming care, and live as their authentic selves. Max is passionate about justice and the liberation of all marginalized peoples. Max is a harpist, powerlifter, baker, abolitionist, and a spouse to Austin and partner to Jacqueline.
Courtney Reyes (she/her) is a stay-home-mom turned executive director. She currently runs One Iowa and One Iowa Action, the state’s leading LGBTQ organizations. Courtney’s leadership style is focused on empowering and caring for her team to be their very best. She often wears her heart on her sleeve and leads with a motto of “I cry at work.”
This passion paired with a drive to make actual change for LGBTQ Iowans throughout the state and her ability to connect with people on a real level make her a highly effective advocate and leader. Courtney is disrupting what nonprofit life looks like while raising her three kids in Des Moines with her wife. Courtney is a graduate of Iowa State University and currently serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council for the college of Human Sciences.
More details about the conference schedule will be updated here soon. Check out the FAQ page and past conference schedule to learn more about what to expect!