SCWIST Quantum Leaps is a virtual career conference uniquely designed for girls from grades 8-12 interested in or curious to explore careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). This conference gives girls a glimpse into what women in STEM fields do in their careers.

During these events, girls can meet women professionals who have been successful in their STEM fields and meet other like-minded girls who have similar aspirations and interests. This event will help them know more about the STEM fields they are interested in and discover new STEM fields. Quantum Leaps also aims to aid students in the transition between high school and higher education.

This particular Quantum Leaps event will focus on women professionals working in careers related to Chemical Engineering, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. They also have expertise in science communication and facilitating learning. Did they have a fixed plan for what they would like to do five years after high school? How do they ease into changing their career focus? Did they know that they wanted to pursue these careers when they were in university? Girls will get the opportunity to interact with these women to get the answers they need at the event.

AGENDA

• 6:00-6:25: Speaker 1 and Q&A session
• 6:25-6:55: Speaker 2 and Q&A session
• 6 :55-7:00 Conclusion

SPEAKERS

Sandra Amador

Sandra Amador is an experienced quality professional with over 30 years in the field of Continuous Improvement and Quality Assurance in various manufacturing environments. She is a Chemical Engineer and has worked in a variety of industries, from pharmaceuticals, compressed gases, and welding rods, to food manufacturing, automotive, and shipbuilding. Sandra has been leading teams under different titles; her favourite title is the change agent.

She also teaches at BCIT part-time studies and the University of Manitoba flexible learning programs; the courses she delivers are related to operations management and quality, and her emphasis is on ensuring the new learners open their minds to working well with teams and managing tools effectively and with common sense.

Being a trained professional in a STEM-related field has provided many interesting learning opportunities and developed her critical thinking.

Sandra enjoys volunteering and has collaborated with other associations such as MOSAIC, Dress for Success, and Let’s Talk Science among a few others. Encouraging young generations to explore career opportunities in fields that are not traditionally the main choices is a goal close to her heart.

Hannah Shariati

Hanna is a 3rd year PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia in the department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. She completed her undergraduate studies in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia in 2021. Throughout her undergraduate degree she had the opportunity to work in many different lab environments which gave her the ability to try many techniques and figure out what she is passionate about. These experiences included volunteering in Dr. Bruce Mathieson’s lab studying steroid hormones in goldfish brains, working for the Canadian Plant Virus Collection to classify agricultural viruses, and at Alectos therapeutics working on pre-clinical drug development for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. She currently works in Dr. Calvin Yip’s lab where she combines molecular biology, biochemistry, and cellular biology to understand how our cell’s recycling pathway, Autophagy, works in a specific and efficient manner.