Best Of The Wwest

Life sciences is not a widely understood area of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), but Wendy Hurlburt is here to set the record straight. She tells host Danniele about her hopes to establish life sciences as a vital part of the economy and talks all about how LifeSciences BC is a networking hub that advocates for many stakeholders. But Wendy and Danniele don't just talk shop - you'll also find out about Wendy's personal life, including how she manages work/life balance and her favourite activities. Wendy Hurlburt is the President and CEO of LifeSciences BC. She is a career executive with more than 20 years of Global Finance, Operations and Compliance experience in the healthcare and technology sectors. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Lexmark LifeSciences BC Wendy on LinkedIn Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott HolmesProduced by: Vanessa Hennessey Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher!

In this episode, we hear from Vienna Lam, a graduate researcher and the Lab Manager at the SFU Centre for Forensic Research and School of Criminology. She tells host Danniele about her love for learning, which took her from a bachelor degree to a second bachelor degree to a master's degree. You'll hear about her passion for the whole research cycle as well as strategic planning, and you'll even learn what it was like for her to find her first human remains while on an excavation in Fiji, plus much more. Vienna Lam is the Lab Manager and a graduate researcher at Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Centre for Forensic Research and School of Criminology. Vienna’s forensic anthropology research is on the decompositional effects of lake submerged skeletal material and works with the Canadian Drowning Prevention Coalition to examine aquatic deaths in Canada using geospatial tools. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Best of the WWEST Interview with Dr. Gail Anderson (Criminology) Bri

Elyssa Manis has built her company NavaWeb from the ground up, and tells WWEST manager Danniele all about it in this episode. She gives advice for those who are interested in being their own bosses, talks about the positive impact she hopes her work has on the world, and gets nerdy about why she loves web design. Plus, you'll find out about all the great ways to learn digital marketing and web design online and Elyssa answers the question - just what is a "funnel?" Elyssa Manis is the founder of NavaWeb, a one stop shop creative design and digital marketing Agency. She has been a freelance web technologies expert for the past 22+ years and has a strong passion for design and tech in her professional life. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Bissli & Brutus (Instagram) Cathy Olson Create Your Laptop Life The Digital Gangsta Geocities Moist Ophelia: A Moist Page The Pomodoro Technique Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Hol

WWEST manager Danniele had the opportunity to speak with two aircraft engineers from the Red Arrows, the aerobatics display team of the British Royal Air Force. Flight Lieutenant Alicia Mason and Corporal Lydia Ford share what it's like being the only two women currently in the Red Arrows circus, where their current tour is taking them, and how they were able to pursue their dream jobs. A junior Engineering Officer, Alicia Mason's Circus duties include being a resource manager, military commander and professional engineer. This is her third season with the Red Arrows. From Cannock, Staffordshire, Lydia Ford joined the Royal Air Force in 2008 and started her career working on the Tornado GR4, before joining the Red Arrows in 2017. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: A-Levels British Royal Air Force "Queen's Birthday: Red Arrows fly over Buckingham Palace," Newsflare The Red Arrows Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott HolmesProd

What is it like to release a mobile game from start to finish? How does game design foster collaboration? Is there space for the silly and strange in the video game sphere? This week's guest, Leanne Roed, answers all of these questions with WWEST manager and podcast host Danniele, and also tells us about the windy road that led her to where she is as a game designer and artist today. Leanne Roed is a game designer and artist living in Vancouver, BC, Canada. She has worked for several years in the games industry primarily in the mobile space and as an independent game developer. For a full transcription of this episode, click here.  Relevant Links: Alt Games Vancouver Anemone Hug Interactive Cribbage with Grandpas Game Curious Heart Projector Itch.io I Was a Teenage Exocolonist (game), Northway Games Justin Smith Lan's website Sword & Sorcery (board game) Vancouver Film School's game design program   Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott HolmesProduced by: V

Lianna Mah has seen big change at Associated Engineering in her 29 years of being part of the organization. She tells us about the changes she has seen around diversity and inclusion not only at Associated, but in engineering in general. You'll learn about how mentors are an extremely important part of increasing diversity in an organization, along with tips about entering the workforce and thriving in university. Lianna also tells us about the achievements she's had in her career as an environmental engineer. Lianna Mah is the Vice President of Business Development at Associated Engineering, where she is responsible for business development, marketing, and communications. Lianna is an Environmental Engineer with more than 30 years of experience. As a design engineer and project manager, she specialized in the planning, assessment, design and construction of water and wastewater treatment and civil infrastructure projects. Her experience includes projects across Canada and in the Caribbean. For full transcri

Deborah Harford calls herself a "science translator," and tells us all about what that means in this episode. She gives background on the organization she co-founded, the Climate Change Adaptation Team (ACT), explains how studying how animals and humans will have to adapt to climate change is extremely important, and also how her communication and English background factors into this organization that intersects with so many research areas. But it's not all serious - she reveals some non-work related details of her life in the Lightning Round as well. Deborah Harford leads research into adaptation to a range of climate change impact areas, spanning water, food, health, biodiversity, energy, infrastructure, and population displacement with the Adaptation to Climate Change Team or ACT. ACT’s focus includes integrated climate solutions that advance low carbon resilience and co-benefits. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: An Inconvenient Truth (film) The Climate Change Adaptat

Tara Robertson, Diversity & Inclusion Lead for Mozilla, is a diversity champion. In this episode, you'll learn about her passion for an open internet, and why jobs in tech are "awesome." Tara candidly admits she still has a lot to learn, but also talks about her proudest moments and accomplishments. You're going to hear about a lot of things an organization is doing right when it comes to diversifying their workplace and supporting their people. Plus, you'll find out how she lifts heavy things - both for fun and for work. Tara Robertson is an intersectional feminist who uses data and research to advocate for equality and inclusion. Currently working as the Diversity & Inclusion Lead for Mozilla, she has more than 10 years experience making open source and tech communities more diverse and welcoming. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Aubrey Blanche Berkeley Lab - Diversity & Inclusion Firefox Firefox Monitor Highland Games "How to Support Your Transgender Emplo

This time, we look at the trades again and speak with Nemaiah Shaw, who tells us why she loves being an apprentice aircraft maintenance engineer, what it takes to become one, and her excitement for her eventual licensing. She also tells us what it's like navigating a career with low participation of women, her love for learning, and her hopes for the future of her career. Nemaiah Shaw is an apprentice Aircraft Maintenance Engineer with a passion for rotary wing aircraft working at the Langley Airport. As a student Nemaiah had a passion for the subject and it showed in both her academic and practical work. She continues to display this drive and is using her time as an apprentice to gain insight from her colleagues. As an active intersectional feminist and queer person Nemaiah brings a unique perspective to her workplace. She works to create a healthy and welcoming workspace for all. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Bessie Coleman Hozier Langley Regional Airport Northern

In this special episode, podcast producer Vanessa will walk you through the Creating Connections 6.0 conference which took place on May 3-4, 2019 in Vancouver, BC. Creating Connections is a diversity conference focused on attracting, engaging, and retaining women and underrepresented groups in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). You'll hear the conference's knowledgeable and diverse guest speakers weigh in on panels including - but not limited to - "How to be an Ally in the Workplace," "Intersectionality in STEM," and "Being a Role Model." Vanessa also conducts mini-interviews with attendees who give insight into why a conference such as Creating Connections is important and what they learned from it. For more information about Creating Connections, please click here. You can also find one-on-one interviews with two of the conference's keynote speakers, Ella Chan and Michele Romanow. In addition, we provided a recap for Creating Connections 5.0 on the podcast as well, which you can find here. M

"Start now." - "Slow success breeds confidence." These are some key pieces of advice that Michele Romanow gives our listeners in this episode. Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa interviews Michele at Creating Connections 6.0 where Michele was a keynote speaker on May 4, 2019. She shares what her busy everyday life is like, who inspires her, and how iteration breeds innovation, as well as what she does to take breaks from her role as a public figure. Tech titan Michele Romanow is an engineer and a serial entrepreneur who started five companies before her 33rd birthday. A "Dragon" on CBC's hit show Dragons' Den, Michele is the co-founder of Clearbanc, which in 2018 gave entrepreneurs more than $100 million in funding; SnapSave, which was acquired by Groupon; and Buytopia.ca, ranked #3 on the Profit Hot 50 list of fastest growing companies. Named in WXN's "100 Most Powerful in Canada" and listed as the only Canadian on Forbes' "Millennial on a Mission" list, Michele brings her incredible entrepreneurial savvy t

Ella Chan joins host Danniele to talk about all sorts of topics, including starting university and the importance of balancing the A in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics). She tells us about how she became interested in a career in STEAM and even what it's like behind the scenes of her YouTube channel, Sci-Files. Plus, she reveals the nerdy things she does in her spare time and gives great advice for those starting out in university. Fun fact: Ella was also a keynote speaker at Creating Connections 6.0 on May 4, 2019. Ella Chan is an 18-year-old student at the University of British Columbia. Since the age of twelve, Ella has been running her YouTube channel, Sci-Files, where she shares unique science experiments and demonstrations of topics from binary code using Lego blocks to genetics explained with jelly beans. Her videos have been featured on platforms such as "The Kid Should See This" and the Chicago Field Museum's "The Brain Scoop." For a full transcription of this episode,

For Ellyne Kinney, her curiosity and drive to have a successful career started early, and you'll hear all about it in this interview with Best of the WWEST host Danniele. She relives her time working on big deal astronomy projects (Hubble Space Telescope and Goddard Space Flight Center to name-drop just a couple), tells us about her fascination with space, and gives advice on how to be successful both in post-secondary school and in STEM careers.  Ellyne Kinney is a senior solutions engineer of Earth Observations Systems at MDA. Ellyne joined MDA in May 2018 and develops the technical solutions for software systems and space missions for MDA’s customers in Earth Observation and Space Missions Line of Business.   For a full transcription of this episode, click here.  Relevant Links: Five College Consortium, Massachusetts, USA Goddard Space Flight Center Hubble Space Telescope Intelsat Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die (book) MDA Mount Holyoke College OSIRIS-REx - Asteroid Sample Return Mis

In this episode, Rike Moon tells Danniele about her journey from a farm in Germany to her career at Science World in Vancouver. Rike gives great advice for STEM students and professionals, takes us down memory lane to explain how she overcame crippling exam anxiety, and gives us a glimpse into her non-professional life during the Lightning Round. Plus, you will never guess her most memorable moment at Science World - trust us, you just have to hear it.  Rike Moon is the Manager of STEAM Mentor Initiatives at Science World. She has worked in the science museum industry ever since and loves sharing her passion for science with all learners. As a member of the LGBTQ2S+ community she has become an advocate for diversity and inclusion at Science World.  For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: 50 First Dates (movie) BodyWorks Gallery at Science World Canadian Harambe Education Society Collette (movie) Habitat for Humanity LGBTSTEM Day Queering the Museum Project Rike on LinkedIn Scie

This time, Danniele hears from Ania Kwiatkowski, PhD, a nuclear physicist at TRIUMF who is passionate about her work. She talks about the friendly competitiveness of her field, and why she loves nuclear physics so much. You'll hear about how she is working in her dream job, and the advice she has for students to get them to their dream jobs, too. Ania Kwiatkowski is a research scientist at TRIUMF and adjunct faculty at the University of Victoria in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. She focuses on understanding the ground-state properties of radioactive ions using ion-trapping techniques. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links:    "A. Kwiatkowski Awarded the Freedman Award," Michigan State University Ania's research while affiliated with TRIUMF High-resolution mass spectrometry Ion trapping Quantum Computing Rapid neutron-capture process (Wikipedia) TITAN at TRIUMF TRIUMF Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott HolmesProduced b

Host Danniele is joined by Mily Mumford to talk about scifi, bridging theatre and science, and the study of psychological effects of being in space. Mily tells us why she wants to be the "Black Mirror" of theatre and her passion for mental health awareness and support. She also gives advice for students and women in STEM that you don't want to miss.  Mily Mumford is a writer, filmmaker, theatre creator and scientist based in Vancouver BC. After completing her Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience at the University of Victoria, Mily is now pursuing a Master of Science in Interactive Technology at Simon Fraser University where she does work on virtualized health systems for long term space travel. Her production company, Nebula Company, focuses on immersive theatre, film and new media with a political, science fiction lens. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links:     Banff Centre "Black Mirror" Global Brigades Mily on the Internet Movie Database Mily on LinkedIn Nebula Company Thea

Alison Anderson and the Yukon Edition of Best of the WWEST are back! This time, you'll hear from Dana Mills, who spends a lot of time with children and youth - and loves it! You'll hear why it's so important to support youth in their passions and the fascinating research Dana undertook about youth transitioning out of foster care. Plus, find out what she would bring to a deserted island and who inspires her. Dana Mills recently moved to Whitehorse from Ontario and has assumed the role of Youth STEM Outreach Coordinator at Yukon College. She is excited to expand on the STEM programming that has been done in previous years by introducing more year round programming and having more STEM outreach to Yukon’s communities. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links:  Camp Trillium Child Welfare Political Action Team Global Health program at McMaster University Heart Lake First Nation Mount Allison University Ultimate Frisbee Yukon College Kid's Programs   Hosted by: Alison Anderson (@Ali

From being the first employee at her current workplace, to growing a startup, to managing a team that is creating a revolutionary "blood pressure cuff for your brain," Pamela Tannouri tells host Danniele all about her journey through her career. She shares her wins, challenges she's had to overcome, and the progress her team has made in the development of their medical device. Pamela also shares some tips about maintaining work/life balance and Danniele and Pamela close the episode off with a lively lightning round. Pamela Tannouri is the Technology Development Manager and cultural champion for HealthTech Connex. She works with her team of biomedical engineers, software developers and researchers in order to commercialize medical devices that impact the way we approach neurology.  For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links:   Brain Power Score Future Science Leaders at Science World HealthTech Connex How to Change Your Mind (book) by Michael Pollan Love Your Brain Yoga NeuroCatch P

In this episode, you'll hear from Monika Stachura, PhD, about her career as a research scientist and her important work coordinating the UBC program IsoSiM (Isotopes for Medicine and Science) at the University of British Columbia. She also fills us in on how to have a successful interdisciplinary career and how STEM research is heading in a more interdisciplinary direction. Plus, she tells us about her active life outside of work, what she would do if she weren't in her current field, and how to use your network to make connections and thrive. Please note a small correction: Monika has obtained a double-PhD in Bioinorganic Chemistry and Biophysics. Dr. Monika Stachura is a research scientist in the life sciences division at TRIUMF. Dr. Stachura has 2 Master of Science degrees, one in biophysics from the University of Copenhagen Denmark and the second in physics from the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland. She also obtained 2 PhD degrees from the University of Copenhagen in bioinorgani

Danniele sits down with Jennifer Jakobi, PhD, newly appointed WWEST Associate Chair at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. They cover subjects such as how to give students the opportunity to empower themselves, what Jennifer does as the WWEST Associate Chair, why she's so fascinated by her neuromuscular research, and what can help STEM professionals move forward in their careers successfully. Dr. Jennifer Jakobi is an associate professor at the School of Health and Exercise Sciences and Associate Dean of Academic Programs for the Faculty of Health and Social Development at the University of British Columbia's Okanagan Campus. She is also our recently announced WWEST Associate Chair at UBC Okanagan. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Healthy Exercise and Aging Lab (Dr. Jakobi, Dr. Jones, UBC Okanagan) iSTAND on Facebook iSTAND on Instagram iSTAND on Twitter Motor units (Wikipedia) Neuromuscular junction (Wikipedia) The Crown WWEST Associate Chair at UBCO Press Rele