The Organizing Committee of the Belt and Road Alliance for Sensing and IoT Collaboration (hereinafter referred to as BRASIC) officially launched The Global Leadership Development Program for Women in STEM on July 2, 2021.

BRASIC had invited professional women from different fields as our coach team, included:

· Dr. Peggie W. Koon, Former President of International Society of Automation (ISA) .

· Dr. Wei Cai, Executive Director, Energy Transformation Tech Leader, Inclusion & Diversity Leader, GE Research.

· Dr. Jan Peters, Visionary MD and founder of Katalytik, MBE awarded by Queen Elizabeth.

· Dr, Ashley Huderson, Director of Engineering Education and Outreach at the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

· Dr. Eliane Karsaklian, Social Psychologist, Author, Cultural Strategy & Diversity Expert Clinical Professor at UIC

· Dr. Gretal Leibnitz, Co-Principal Investigator (Co-PI) and Assistant Program Director for the NSF.

This serial online course had attracted more than 300 people from universities and enterprises at home and abroad. In the Q&A part, attendees from different countries exchange their thoughts and opinion actively.

During a month-long thematic serial online course, our coach team provided professional management and leadership training, and exchange experiences and knowledges for women that working in the STEM field or those who expect to improve their management ability, leadership, communication skills and international vision.

Section One: How to Successfully Lead Change

Speaker: Peggie W. Koon, Ph.D.

Did you know that if you're a woman working in a STEM field, you are already poised to be a member of change leadership in your organization?  Now you're probably saying but I'm just an engineer, or I just manage a small group, or I am the junior member of my automation team, or I'm just an instrument tech.

When it comes to leading change, oftentimes the change effort begins with change agents in the trenches - with the people closest to the change – those who "see" or "envision" the change and understand how making a change will benefit the organization.

But "seeing" the need for (or the opportunity to) change can be fruitless and discouraging if you don't know how to move your vision from "seeing" to "seizing" that opportunity presented by the change.

In this session, we will discuss key foundational skillsets every successful member of "leadership" or change agent must have to successfully lead change.

Section Two: Own Your Career Development: Challenges and Opportunities

Speaker: Peggie W. Koon, Ph.D.

There have been many studies about challenges for woman at workplace. Despite progresses made in advocating and advancing women at workplace overall, women in STEM field have their unique challenges. In this session, I will share with you some observations and statistics about women in corporations and offer suggestions on how to build your career by establishing your brand and leveraging organizational support.

Section Three: Imposter to Superhero: women leading the way in engineering

Speaker: Jan Peters MBE

Few people can put their hand on their heart and say they have never suffered imposter syndrome or self-doubt.  Even the most senior women in the UK Royal Society and Royal Academy of Engineering have been heard to say – "someone always believed in me more than I believed in me".

While there is no simple solution for Imposter Syndrome, there are strategies to help us navigate our way to be authentic and rewrite the inner narrative that feeds our self-doubt. While for some Imposter syndrome is an infrequent visitor, brushed aside with a strong self-talking to, for others it can be debilitating, preventing us from speaking up at important moments. This session explores strategies to draw on and help you believe in the real you.

Section Four: Succeeding in STEM: how to create safe spaces to learn and thrive in STEM

Speaker: Ashley Huderson, Ph.D.

Increasing the number of women in mechanical engineering and mechanical engineering technology will require overcoming significant barriers currently in place in both the preparation for these majors and the culture of the ME and MET workforce. Issues such as increasing undergraduate support and retention, focusing on public awareness and marketing, developing stronger professional skills, offering richer practice-based experiences, and shifting culture and climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion are all key components in increasing the number of women. Despite these low numbers, the women who do persist in STEM do so using various tactics and techniques.

Safe spaces are environments that allow individuals from similar identities to feel comfortable sharing their STEM experiences. In this section, we will discuss these tactics and approaches that women in STEM use to thrive in STEM.

Section Five: Leveraging Women's influence in the International Business landscape

Speaker: Eliane Karsaklian, Ph.D, HDR

With the internationalization of companies around the world, it is imperative for women to be cognizant of their strengths and find their ways to contribute their ideas and skills. By bringing their hard and soft skills to the business environment, women should secure their position in working internationally.

Women will integrate a diverse team of international professionals by adding a particular perspective to negotiation and management. Based on scientific research conducted by prominent international academics and linking the basic laws of physics with culture, the training will open up to a myriad of possibilities women working on STEM will be able to seize in the international market place.

The training will be open with two situations experienced by Dr. Karsaklian. One of them incolves a Chinese woman who took the lead in a successful negotiation with two international men (one American and one Australian). The second one involved a Brazilian woman facing a team of French men looking for an international agreement between their respective companies. Based on these illustrations, we will understand the role of woman in the international business settings.

On July 29, 2021, The Global Leadership Development Program for Women in STEM -2021 training series has been successfully concluded.

The implementation of The Global Leadership Development Program for Women in STEM has provided a professional and efficient platform for female scientists and managers from enterprises and universities at home and abroad to share experience and make connections, which has been highly praised. At the same time, it will accumulate popularity and lay a solid foundation for the later training program of BRASIC.

The organizing committee of BRASIC decided to hold such event in every year regularly, for the majority of females who work in STEM field, and create more platform and opportunity, give more resources and trust, to further strengthen exchanges and mutual trust between the Chinese and foreign women. Making open, trust and cooperation become the base of the sustainable development of science and technology community.