Best Of The Wwest

Deyanira Mendoza Dominguez, a self-described non-boring engineer, has been to 16 countries, which she visited with her husband on their motorcycles to conduct research! You'll hear all about it in this episode. She also lets us in on what kind of challenges are presented to someone immigrating to Canada who is also a woman in STEM, and how those challenges helped her stand on her own two feet and build an empire around her.  Deyanira was made in Mexico, but she is purely Canadian. Deyanira Mendoza Dominguez is an experienced Professional Engineer, Certified Project Manager, and Woman of Action. Her motto is “making the impossible possible”. She is a non-boring Engineer and the first published Mexican woman to complete a continuous two-year return motorcycle journey through the Americas, doing research in 16 countries. She is motivated to support underprivileged girls and to be an equity advocate for women and immigrants. For full shownotes, transcription, and land acknowledgement visit http://i.sfu.ca/tzOITn

In this episode, Major Jessica Ross gives us a glimpse into the Canadian Armed Forces and her life therein - how she joined, how it was to train to get to where she is today, and where she's going. She tells us all about her experience at the Royal Military College of Canada, how the work she did during her master's studies in applied science is bettering the world and Canada, and how Dungeons & Dragons can be applied to team dynamics. Plus, you'll hear just how important hockey is in the military. Major Jessica Ross was born in Vancouver and graduated from Vancouver Technical Secondary School. She joined the Canadian Army and graduated from the Royal Military College with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 2007. After being posted to Maintenance Company of 2 Service Battalion in Petawawa, Ontario, employed as the Maintenance Officer of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Canadian Regiment, and deployed to Kuwait on Operation IMPACT, Major Ross earned a Masters in Applied Science (Chemical Engineering) with a

Dr. Britt Drögemöller moved halfway across the world to pursue a new life in Canada as the Canada Research Chair of Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine - during a pandemic. If that doesn't say "strong, independent woman in STEM," we don't know what does! In this interview with Best of the WWEST producer and host Vanessa, you'll hear about that journey, as well as many other things, including (but not limited to) learning to pivot when opening a lab during a pandemic and really cool research that can avoid horrific medication side effects.  Dr. Britt Drögemöller is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry & Medical Genetics at the University of Manitoba and holds a Canada Research Chair in Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine. Dr. Drögemöller’s research uses genomic and computational analyses to guide the development of novel treatment strategies that offer maximum benefit and minimal harm. For full shownotes, transcription, and land acknowledgement visit http://i.sfu.ca/uAsETZ Rele

This week, the conversation is a candid one about breaking out of the mould shaped by a professional program into an interdisciplinary community. Aadita Chaudhury, doctoral student, tells her story of her journey to realizing that technology can be a tool for liberation, and how she's using the tools and skills she learned in industry to break down prescriptive ways of knowing and critically examine STEM-exceptionalist narratives. Plus, she gives practical advice on how new STEM professionals can begin to change the world for the better. Aadita Chaudhury is a doctoral student in the Science and Technology Studies at York University. Her doctoral dissertation project explores the multifaceted cultural, material and environmental meaning-making, building on her ethnographic research on fire ecology and wildfire management in California. Her research further investigates the practices surrounding both ecosystem and built environment fires around the world to situate how themes of coloniality, valuation and race

In this episode, Captain(N) Seana Routledge is telling us all about her work in the Canadian Armed Forces! How does diversity and inclusion play a role in the organization? What was it like going to the Royal Canadian Military College to study engineering, compared to other post-secondary education? And just what does the Forces do to support the citizens of Canada? You’ll learn all about that and more! Captain (Navy) Seana Routledge enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces in Fredericton, NB in 1996 in the Regular Officer Training Program. She graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston with a baccalaureate in Computer Engineering in 2000. She is currently Deputy Project Manager – Transition in the Canadian Surface Combatant Project Management Office. For full shownotes, transcription, and land acknowledgement visit http://i.sfu.ca/wcuaAj Relevant Links: HMCS St. John's How to join the Forces "Navy commander found enriching career in military," The Star, 2016 "Naval Technical Officer sees

Have you ever held an exploded star in your hand? How about a 3D printed one? Doing precisely that launched Dr. Kimberly Arcand down her windy “Candyland” path to where she is today as a data visualizer and science communicator at NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory. In this episode, you’ll also hear about her passion for creating materials that are accessible for all, how important coding is for students and professionals in STEM, and how failing a class can teach you a ton about yourself. Dr. Kimberly Arcand is a leading expert in astronomy visualization and has been a pioneer in 3D imaging, printing, and extended reality applications with astrophysics data. Kim began her career in molecular biology and public health before moving to NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in 1998. Her current projects include sonification of spatial data, screen-based holograms and other intersections of emerging technology and astrophysics. She has co-written seven non-fiction science books including her first two science-related c

Maggie MacPhee is passionate about math - not just learning and teaching it, but also examining it through a social justice lens and changing the narrative around its history. She joins Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa to get nerdy about math and board games, but also to talk about how she as a busy math teacher early in her career deals with stress, what books she’s reading, and what her favourite part of teaching math is, punctuated with lots of laughter. Maggie MacPhee is a grade 7-12 mathematics teacher in Nova Scotia. Maggie studied Mathematics at Mount Allison University before completing her Education degree at St Francis Xavier. Maggie’s favourite math topics are graph theory, board games, and social justice through mathematics.  For full shownotes, transcription, and land acknowledgement visit http://i.sfu.ca/OcXpdQ Relevant Links: Building Thinking Classrooms The Crest of the Peacock: Non-European Roots of Mathematics (book) High School Mathematics Lessons to Explore, Understand, and Respond to

Cassy Weber and MindFuel, the organization she runs as CEO, are very busy - from studying when girls are losing interest in STEM in their schooling journey, to figuring out how to deliver quality programming to communities with limited technology, to consulting on curriculum development initiatives and more. Cassy tells us all about these projects in this episode, and lets us in on some of her personal and professional life as a busy CEO of a nonprofit organization that is truly making a positive impact. Cassy Weber is the CEO of MindFuel. Cassy lives and breathes innovation, progress and inclusion. After a successful tenure in the for-profit industry, working with an array of companies over a 20-year period from Fortune 500s to start ups in order to develop strategic and operational plans, Cassy transitioned to the nonprofit industry to lead MindFuel's sustainability initiative in 2012. For full shownotes, transcription, and land acknowledgement visit http://i.sfu.ca/dSnCKM Relevant Links: Codingville Jim

In this time of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, the discussion of Indigenous participation in STEM is extremely important. Desiree Marshall-Peer, a Cree-Ojibway educator at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, joins Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa to explore decolonizing STEM and education. We cover how Indigenous ways of knowing are being incorporated in and changing mainstream school, what the barriers to Indigenous students going into STEM fields are, and what can be done to bring them more into the STEM fields. Plus, we discuss how oral traditions are valid and important within STEM and even are being incorporated into recent STEM research. For full shownotes, transcription, and land acknowledgement visit http://i.sfu.ca/CDJmQu Relevant Links: A History of the First Nations College Movement in Canada, 1969-2000 Best of the WWEST Episode 79: Indigenizing STEM Education Desiree at University of British Columbia Okanagan First Nations Education Steering Committee Indigenizing Education Truth

June here in Canada is National Indigenous History Month, and the team here at Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology would like to honour the fabulous Indigenous guests we have had on the podcast over the years. In this episode, we highlight some of the main points from their individual episodes, to celebrate their words of wisdom, to thank them for telling us about their struggles, and for teaching us about their lives and cultures. Featured in this episode are: Deanna Burgart P.Eng, Indigeneer Denise Williams, CEO, First Nations Technology Council Desiree Marshall-Peer, Professor, University of British Columbia Okanagan Shaylene Dekock-Kruger, Engineer in Training, BC Hydro Leigh Joseph (Styawat), Ethnobotanist Jocelyn Joe-Strack, Indigenous Knowledge Research Chair, Yukon University For full shownotes and a transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Best of the WWEST, Episode 28 with Deanna Burgart Best of the WWEST, Episode 37 with Jocelyn Joe-Strack Best of the WWEST, Ep

Science communication, podcasting, rats, and parasites - these are all things that Dr. Kaylee Byers is passionate about, and she tells us all about it in this episode. You’ll also hear about the van she equipped for research on rats during her graduate studies, building community even during a pandemic, and the concept of one health with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes while recognizing the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.  Dr. Kaylee Byers is the Deputy Director of the British Columbia node of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and a postdoctoral fellow in the School of Population and Public Health at the University of British Columbia. Kaylee is the co-founder of Nerd Nite Vancouver and co-hosts the Nerdin’ About podcast. For full shownotes and a transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative Ed Yong Exploring By the Seat of Your Pants Nerdin' About (podcast) Nerd Nite Vancouver Sam Neill Vis

Imagine having to think about your gender nonstop. Imagine it getting in the way of the work you set out to do. Imagine feeling ignored, devalued, and dismissed even by the subtlest of actions or comments. This is something women and non-binary folks constantly face in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and Project SINC (Shaping Inclusive Network Cultures) is getting to the root of it as part of Engendering Success in STEM (ESS), a Consortium devoted to testing the long-term efficacy of interventions that harness the power of positive social interactions to mitigate subtle gender bias. Dr. Sonia Kang and Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould, project leads, get into the nitty gritty of their exciting research, their findings, and how their studies are helping them to understand the importance of interpersonal aspects of professional success. Get in touch with Project RISE here! Find our other episode about Engendering Success in STEM here! (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely rec

How can we save lives and keep search and rescue teams safe? These are questions that led Carlyn Loncaric to found VodaSafe, a company that is creating a product that will be to waterfront rescue what the AED or portable defibrillator has been for CPR. Despite feeling that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields were not always a welcoming space for women, she pursued her passion for engineering and entrepreneurship, while burning a hole in a kitchen table, exploring the great outdoors, and drumming up a storm. You'll hear all about that in this episode! (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.) Carlyn Loncaric is the founder and CEO of VodaSafe. Carlyn is an engineer with over ten years of lifeguarding experience. Witnessing first-hand the trials and tribulations of water rescue led Carlyn to envision sonar equipment as a simple tool in hand that would help save lives, VodaSafe and its AquaEye® were born. Carlyn believes that VodaSafe’s AquaEye® will be to water

Memma Uponi is only in her second year as a Mechanical Engineering student, but she's already making a huge impact. In this episode, she joins Mily Mumford, WWEST Research Coordinator, to chat all about how she's creating space and networking opportunities for Black women engineering students in North America, how she strives to build community that helps community, and her big goals and dreams. Plus, she tells us fun information about herself in the lightning round. Memma Uponi is a 2nd-year mechanical engineering student with a double minor in business and robotics at the University of Toronto. She is a Yale Young African Scholar, Power Girl Africa, and a Girls in STEM advocate. She is dedicated to creating long-lasting, sustainable impact across Africa and solving major problems around the world using Engineering and Robotics.  For full shownotes, guest bios, and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/rsriDm Hosted by: Mily Mumford Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott HolmesProduced by

In this episode, Podcast Producer Vanessa talks with Dr. Toni Schmader and Dr. Hilary Bergsieker about exciting research conducted by Engendering Success in STEM, a Consortium devoted to testing the long-term efficacy of interventions that harness the power of positive social interactions to mitigate subtle gender bias. In particular. Drs. Schmader and Bergsieker give us information on project RISE, or "Realizing Identity-Safe Environments," of which they are the co-leaders. Project RISE harnesses our understanding of implicit bias, intergroup contact, and social identity threat to create a more “identity safe” workplace culture. You'll learn all about what that means, plus, how the research is having impact in real-life scenarios. Get in touch with Project RISE here! (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.) For full shownotes, guest bios, and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/FhcCZF Hosted by: Vanessa Hennessey Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holme

Join Vanessa, Best of the WWEST producer, for a chat with Dr. Yane Valdez, a woman of many hats. Hear about how this immunologist, mom, science communicator, and artist made her way to Canada from her home country of Peru and what spurred her on to become an immunologist. She also tells us about her work empowering Latin American communities with knowledge of immunology and her passion for mentorship. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.) Born in Perú, Dr. Valdez began her research under the supervision of Dr Gilman of John’s Hopkins and UPCH. Dr. Valdez led a research team investigating the molecular epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori bacteria, an inducer of gastric ulcers and cancer. She then completed her Master of Science with Dr. Townsend at the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, studying fundamental questions on how T and B cells communicate to produce an effective immune response. Dr. Valdez did her doctoral studies in

Growing up as a self-described "weird kid," Noushin was drawn to science at an early age. She came to Canada from Iran when she was 15 years old, and despite language barriers and adjusting to a new culture, she thrived and became the researcher and economist she is today. Noushin tells us in this episode with host Dr. Lesley Shannon about how fostering perseverence has kept her going even through difficult times and why she is passionate about her work. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.) Noushin Nabavi is a cell biologist in training. She received her PhD in cell and systems biology from the University of Toronto in 2011 working on deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in stem cell differentiation to bone. She worked on several research projects before transitioning to a role in the BC Ministry of Health as a Science Policy Fellow where she is still, now working as an Economist. For full shownotes and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sf

In our fourth episode of the miniseries by the WWEST Associate Chair program hosted at iSTAND at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), host Maxine (iSTAND Communications and Resource Design Assistant) speaks to Dr. Marge Holman, professor of Kinesiology at the University of Windsor, and Reina Iizuka, Defensive Back of the University of Manitoba's Bisons football team and first woman to play on the team. Dr. Holman tells us about her extensive career in sports medicine and kinesiology and the parallels between how women are treated in sports and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Reina speaks to her experience being the first woman to join the football team at University of Manitoba and tells us how sports can be more welcoming to women and girls. Together, Dr. Holman and Reina give us a well-rounded conversation about the inequalities in both sports and STEM and how we can learn from them to do better. iSTAND is the Integrative STEM Team Advancing Networks of Diversity, w

In this episode, our host Dr. Lesley Shannon is joined by Nora Keegan, a grade 10 student whose research on the effects of hand dryer noise on children was published in the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. If this interview doesn't inspire you, then we don't know what will! Nora talks about her love for science, the experience of conducting research and being published in a major publication at such a young age, and much more. Nora Keegan is a grade 10 student in Calgary, Alberta. She loves science, and in grade 5 she did a study on hand dryer noise. She found that hand dryer noise can actually damage children’s hearing. She published her results in the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. Since then, she has met with manufacturers to discuss the issue of testing as she found that the noise manufacturers claimed their hand dryers operated at did not match her results. As well, she was a keynote speaker at a noise conference where she shared her findings. She hopes that people will listen to h

Joining us in this episode is Denise Williams, CEO of the First Nations Technology Council. From her childhood dreams of being an astronaut while raised in a logging camp, to studying at Vancouver Island University, to her acceptance at Simon Fraser University to pursue an executive MBA, Denise - as she describes - “meandered” through her education to the position she is in today, leading a non profit that connects with different levels of government, provides education and scholarship opportunities to Indigenous youth, and attempts to mend the digital divide between Indigenous communities across Canada. You will hear all about that and so much more in this interview. At the intersection of Indigenous sovereignty, technological advancement and a rapidly expanding technology and innovation economy, Denise has the privilege of working with Indigenous peoples, governments, academics, technology futurists and social change makers to map an ecosystem that will result in fair and equitable access to the tools and