2020 Wonder Women Networking Evening

SCWIST was extremely proud to host the 2020 Wonder Women Networking Evening, in collaboration with Science World in Vancouver, on 9 March 2020.

Since the inaugural event in 1993, the annual Wonder Women Networking Evening is for everyone who identifies as a woman in STEM interested in learning where their degree can take them. Undergraduate and graduate students find the event particularly relevant, along with postdoctoral researchers and working professionals wanting to sharpen their networking skills and connect with women who are as passionate about STEM as they are.

The event started with more than 30 Wonder Women introducing themselves, their careers, their hobbies, and their quirky Superpowers, often wearing props like colourful hats and propellers. Each attendee also had a printed program containing a biography and contact details of each of the Wonder Women, making it easy for them to connect with the Wonder Women later in the networking session.

The ensuing panel discussion was moderated by past SCWIST board director Danniele Livengood who asked the panel of Wonder Women the following enlightening questions:

• What led you to a career in a STEM field?  Was it what you always wanted to do?
• What role did mentorship or networking play in your career path so far?
• Our resumes tend to celebrate our “wins”, but we all know that things don’t always go as planned.  Can you tell us about something that went “wrong” or “sideways” and how you learned from it?
• What advice would you give to young women starting out in your field?

The networking session of the event consisted of each Wonder Woman standing in a designated spot, enabling attendees to easily have a conversation with her. This was a wonderfully efficient arrangement that allowed attendees to move through the (rather indulgent) dinner buffet of pizza and salad, and then weaving in and out of conversations collecting LinkedIn invites. After the networking session, the attendees were treated to the OMNIMAX® Film Into Nature’s Wild.

As always, the SCWIST directors were on hand to provide more information about the organisation and our wide range of activities. The turnout was tremendous, and SCWIST is proud to have hosted this successful event for the 27th year in a row!

To enhance your networking connections and access unparalleled mentoring support, connect with SCWIST’s Make Possible platform at www.makepossible.ca.