Best Of The Wwest

Our guest of this episode, Halimat Alabi, has been many places and done many things. Listen as she brings us along on her journey through video game design, film and television, and research and teaching, with lots of laughs and poignant moments. She also gives advice for achieving work-life balance, including balancing family and career, and gives us insight into cutting edge visual analytics research. Formally trained as an engineer, Halimat describes herself as an interactive visualization designer. She is currently an instructor for the Art Institute and doing visual learning analytics research at Simon Fraser University. She received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant for her research, and has published a book chapter called “A Language and a Space: Visualizing Learning Online” in the learning analytics textbook, “Developing Effective Educational Experiences through Learning Analytics.” She has worked in console game development for Sony and THQ and has worked on PSP, PS2, PS3 and W

WWEST Associate Chair Alison Anderson hosts this episode with Dr. Katie Aitken and speaks to her about bird watching, practicing science in the Yukon, and even what birds can teach us about climate change. This episode is the first in a series by WWEST's Associate Chair at Yukon College in Whitehorse, YT. This series gives listeners a glimpse of the lively STEM community in the Great White North. Dr. Katie Aitken is an instructor in the School of Science at Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon, and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta. She coordinates the Bachelor of Science in Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences program that Yukon College offers in partnership with University of Alberta. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Relevant Links: Cavity-Nesting birds Dr. Kathy Martin at University of British Columbia Jane Goodall Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences at Yukon College Yukon Bird Club Hosted by: Alison

What was it like to rub elbows with the first Canadian women pioneering for other women's place in STEM? From the early days of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) to witnessing the early days of the NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering, Dr. Judy Myers has seen a lot in her long career in Zoology. She covers topics such as raising a family while working full time in STEM, how to elevate women's status in STEM, and time saving tips for achieving work-life balance. Dr. Judy Myers is currently Professor Emerita in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. She joined the faculty in 1972 and her research takes an interdisciplinary, collaborative, inclusive approach to the management of environmental pest problems. For a full transcription of this episode, click here.  Links:  Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution Charles Kreb, Professor Emeritus, Department of Zoology, UBC Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia History of

Hear all about improving processes at the City of Vancouver, industrial engineering, and mentoring immigrant women in STEM in this interview with Zhila Pirmoradi, PhD. She'll also share why she gladly lets her professional life be present in her spare time and how she dealt with being a new immigrant to Canada, as well as how she happened to find herself studying Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University. Zhila Pirmoradi is an Industrial Engineer who has her PhD in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University. Passionate to utilize her research in industry, as a Business Process Analyst, Zhila helps the City of Vancouver’s business units identify potential areas for improving effectiveness and efficiency of their processes and value streams. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links:  American Society for Quality City of Vancouver Dr. Gary Wang (Zhila's PhD supervisor) Immigrating Women in Science (IWIS) ms infinity at SCWIST Society for Canadian Women in S

Holly Burton joins WWEST manager Danniele with her "awkward turns of phrase" (her words!) and fills us in on leadership coaching, her passion for elevating women in male-dominated fields, and everything from how she copes with stress to her thoughts on the mining industry. She also lets us in on a not-so-secret tidbit: Very few people know what they want to be when they grow up.  Holly Burton is a leadership coach for women in male-dominated industries. She works one-on-one with ambitious women to help them get promoted and create the careers they actually want in industries they love. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: "Female Leaders Say Unconscious Workplace Bias is Still a Problem," 2017, The Voice (Langara College) Holly's website Holly's talk at DevOpsDays Vancouver 2017: "Gaslighting and Gender at the Workplace" Upcoming Events with Holly Vancouver Women in Male-Dominated Industries (Meetup Group) Holly Burton is a leadership coach for women in male-dominated industries. S

Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa showcases highlights from the podcast! You'll hear from many of our guests about their successes, as well as their struggles and how they overcame them. They'll also give advice for STEM professionals and students in STEM, plus some extra tidbits including some exciting work being done to engage women and girls in STEM and how our guests experience work-life balance. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Hosted by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes Produced by:  Vanessa Reich-Shackelford Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca. Thank you for listening and stay tuned for more interviews with role models in STEM!  

Rahael Jalan, PhD, joins Danniele to discuss her journey from India to Canada, where she settled to help Aboriginal youth excel in mathematics. She speaks about traveling the world to do her work, how she entered mathematics as a student in India, and her passion for sharing the gift of education with those less fortunate. Rahael Koshy Jalan is the founder/director of "Eagles of Tomorrow Education Society." Eagles of Tomorrow’s mission is to provide a comprehensive program in mathematics fundamentals for success in STEM and other areas of learning which require a solid foundation in mathematics. In 2004, Rahael was asked to help with issues that hindered math proficiency among Aboriginal students in Vancouver. The society's program, "Math Yes We Can" and its "Language of Mathematics" workbooks have created an environment where Aboriginal learners can graduate from high school with a solid foundation in mathematics.  For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Eagles of Tomorrow Hidden Figur

Join WWEST manager Danniele for a lively interview with Angie Byron. Topics include the vast world of open source programming, how Drupal and open source can change the world for the better, and Angie's mission to push some of that change forward. You'll also find out little tidbits about Angie in her life outside of Drupal. Angie Byron is the Senior Director of Product and Community Development at Acquia. She is also a Drupal core committer, recipient of the Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award for Best Contributor, co-author of the O'Reilly book Using Drupal, and an open source evangelist who lives and breathes Drupal. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Acquia Adventure Time Drupal Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth for Nintendo 3DS ScratchJr - coding for young children VIC-20 - one of the first inexpensive home computers Guest: Angie Byron (@webchick) Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes Produced by:  Vanessa Reich-Shackelford F

In this interview, Negar Roghanian tells us all about her life as a PhD student in Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. You'll hear about Negar's work producing a coating material that extends the life span of concrete pipes, her journey from her home country of Iran to Canada, and her passion for creating sustainable, eco-friendly materials that will support infrastructure for decades to come. Negar Roghanian is a research assistant and PhD candidate at the SIERA (sustainable infrastructure research) group at UBC as part of the department of Civil engineering. Her research focuses on developing sustainable coating for rehabilitation of corroded pipes. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Hoor-Ava Persian Choir Nanyang Technological University, Singapore "New coating material protects concrete pipes from corrosion," Journal of Commerce Shiraz University, Iran "SIERA's PhD Candidate Negar Roghanian selected for UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award," SIERA a

Jo Miller chats with WWEST manager Danniele about sponsorship versus mentorship. What does it mean to have a sponsor? How is a mentor different? And how can this propel women in technology so they can lead and thrive as women of influence? This President's Dream Colloquium minisode is chock full of advice and inspiration for any woman who is striving to be more of a leader in their field. Jo founded Be Leaderly after meeting too many women with leadership potential that outshone their current positions. In her day job, Jo is CEO of Women’s Leadership Coaching, Inc., and creator of the Women’s Leadership Coaching® system, a roadmap for women who want to break into leadership. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Be Leaderly Grace Hopper Celebration Harvard Business Review, "Why Men Still Get More Promotions Than Women" Jo Miller at the President's Dream Colloquium Playing Big by Tara Sophia Mohr Society of Women Engineers The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal  Guest: Jo Miller (@

As part of the President's Dream Colloquium, Danniele speaks with Dr. Danielle Gaucher all about gendered language in job advertisements - how does gendered language influence women's participation in STEM? How does social science research help to implement best practices in creating job advertisements? And how is visual attention a part of gendered language? Listen to find out!  Danielle Gaucher (PhD, University of Waterloo) is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Director of the Intergroup Relations and Social Justice Laboratory at the University of Winnipeg, MB, Canada. She studies how social inequality is maintained at individual and institutional levels with the goal of providing insight into social change, redress, and the re-engagement of member of vulnerable groups into the system. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links:   1984 by George Orwell Dr. Gaucher - publications Dr. Gaucher's talk at the President's Dream Colloquium Sandra Bem (psychologist known for her work in gen

This week, we are joined by Leigh Wall, Apprentice Truck and Transport Mechanic, Student Recruiter, and Public Speaker. Hear all about Leigh's passion for engaging women and girls in Trades, her advice for women and girls who are considering those Trades, and fun facts like her favourite word (which goes a little skin deep!). Plus, Leigh relays her experiences in her apprenticeship program as the only woman out of 15 participants. Leigh Wall is a Student Recruitment Specialist at Vancouver Community College, as well as an Apprentice Truck and Transport Mechanic. As a natural progression and out of a love for where she trained, Leigh became a student recruitment specialist with Vancouver Community College, where she shares her enthusiasm with others every day. A female ambassador for the trades, Leigh also speaks regularly on the importance of diversity in the workplace. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Media appearances by Leigh Minerva BC's Women Leading the Way™ program Myers-B

It's time for another mini episode as part of the President's Dream Colloquium, this time with Dr. Steven Spencer, Psychology Professor and Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Chair in Social Psychology at The Ohio State University. Danniele chats with Dr. Spencer about the exciting work he and others at the Engendering Success in STEM Consortium are undertaking to create environments in which women and girls can reach their true, actual potential in STEM. Dr. Spencer is the Robert K. and Dale J. Weary Chair in Social Psychology at The Ohio State University. Dr. Spencer does research on motivation and the self, particularly on how these factors affect stereotyping and prejudice. In examining motivation and the self, he also examines how implicit processes that are outside of people’s awareness affect people’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Engendering Success in STEM Claude Steele Dr. Steven Spencer at the President's Dream Colloquium Dr. Steven Spen

Fire Safety Engineering, big families, and coming to Canada from Kenya to study and work - these are all topics covered in this interview between WWEST manager Danniele and Jane Gachuche, consultant and Fire Safety Engineer in Training. Plus, get Jane's advice for students and young STEM professionals (sneak peek: she loves co-op programs!) and hear how she has navigated being a woman in STEM - both in university and beyond. Jane is a project consultant in building and fire safety engineering at Jensen Hughes Consulting in Richmond, BC. Jane earned her degree in Civil Engineering from Carleton Uniersity in Ottawa. After graduating, she moved to Burnaby, BC for her first job and has been in BC for four years. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Carleton University Fire Safety Engineering Fire Underwriters Survey Jensen Hughes Consulting Post-Secondary Co-Op/Internship Program Guest: Jane Gachuche  Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Ho

As part of the President's Dream Colloquium, WWEST manager Danniele chats with Shari Graydon of Informed Opinions for this minisode. Shari, an award-winning author, advocate, and speaker on the topic of women in media and advertising, shines light on the statistics of expert women participation in the media and lets us in on the exciting future initiatives of Informed Opinions. You can see Shari's talk at the Colloquium here. An award-winning author, advocate and speaker with 25 years of experience on both sides of the microphone, Shari Graydon founded and currently leads Informed Opinions, a non-profit project of Media Action working to amplify women’s voices. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Elizabeth Sheehy at Informed Opinions Informed Opinions Shari Graydon at the President's Dream Colloquium Guest: Shari Graydon (@sharigraydon) Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes Produced by:  Vanessa Reich-Shackelford For more from We

Best of the WWEST welcomes Dr. Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, California. Danniele chats with Maria in this minisode about how she ended up in a STEM field, her most memorable moments as a former chairholder of WWEST at UBC from 1997-2003, and how one can successfully balance a demanding career and family obligations. Dr. Maria Klawe joined Harvey Mudd from Princeton University after serving 14 years at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Klawe is a renowned lecturer and has given talks at international conferences, national symposia, and colleges across the U.S. and Canada about diversity in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and industries, gender and gaming, and lessons from her own career in STEM industry and education.  For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Grace Hopper Celebration President's Dream Colloquium on Women in Technology Dr. Maria Klawe at the President's Dream Colloquium Guest: Dr. Maria Klawe (@mariaklawe)

Best of the WWEST chats with Cybele Negris, CEO of Webnames.ca. What have been her most memorable moments in her career? What does she do to achieve work-life balance? And what is her dirty little secret? Find out in this episode! You'll also learn about board governance, what her university experience was like, and her advice for students and young people who are heading into university and the workforce. Cybele Negris is CEO & Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s original .CA Registrar and accredited registrar for hundreds of domain extensions as well as provider of webhosting, email and web development and many other services. Cybele is a four-time winner and Hall of Fame Inductee of Canada's Top 100 Most Powerful Women, was named BC Business Top 50 Most Influential Women, honoured with Business In Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business Award as well as Top 40 Under 40 winner and nine-time winner of PROFIT W100. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Canary Foundation and the

WWEST Assistant Coordinator and new host, Vanessa, sits down with Anne Simon, PhD, a virologist, professor at the University of Maryland, and the Science Advisor for the "X-Files" television series. Dr. Simon gives an overview of her work and laboratory, gives advice for both students and professors in STEM, and speaks about her greatest accomplishments. We also get a small glimpse into the new and exciting "X-Files" season, and fun facts such as who - dead or alive - she would like to have dinner with. This episode is a cross-over with Not Another X-Files Podcast Podcast. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Anne Simon at the University of Maryland CRISPR (family of DNA sequences in bacteria) Dressage (horse riding) Frances Kelsey Dr. Margaret Fearon, Canadian Blood Services The Real Science Behind the X-Files: Microbes, Meteorites, and Mutants by Anne Simon Simon Lab's recent publications list The X-Files  Guest: Anne Simon, PhD (@annealiz1) Hosted by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford (@

Danniele interviews Janet Fraser, PhD, BC Green Party MLA candidate. Janet lets us into her world of serving as a Trustee with the Vancouver School Board, studying chemistry and working as a project leader and manager of clinical trials; and juggling career and family. Janet dispenses advice to young STEM professionals and students, and gives us a rare glimpse into STEM in Vancouver schools. Janet Fraser, PhD, was born in the UK and earned Chemistry B.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Bristol. Since then she has been an academic researcher, a drug development project manager, an at home parent, a non-profit administrator, and a politician. For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: BC Green Party Field Hockey at the University of Bristol Indigenous Writes by Chelsea Vowel Janet's bio at the BC Green Party Julie Payette Kate Atkinson (author) Vancouver School Board budget vote Guest: Janet Fraser, PhD (@janetrfraser) Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: “Posit

This episode we're talking to Victoria Camp, an Engineer in Training working in geological engineering at BGC Engineering Inc. She talks to us about getting to explore many different facets of geological engineering, what her time at university was like, and the places she loves to travel (for work and fun!). Listen for her advice to young STEM professionals and students, and a fun fact about herself that up to this point, not many people have known! Victoria is a geological engineer with BGC Engineering Inc, a geotechnical consulting firm based in Vancouver. In the past two years at BGC, after graduating from UBC, Victoria has been involved with a number of projects including performing seismic assessments for large infrastructure projects in BC and Alberta, as well as supporting the design and construction of a dam in the Northwest Territories.  For a full transcription of this episode, click here. Links: Air Cadets BGC Engineering Inc. Dream Big: Engineering Our World movie impostersyndrome.com Mansfield