December Newsletter 2013

Message From the President

Season’s Greetings SCWIST Community!

As I settle into my December routine of gift shopping, sugar cookie baking and getting together with family and friends, I can’t help but think about the year I’ve had and what I’m planning to do for 2014. While I’m not someone who likes to write a list of specific New Year’s resolutions like losing ten pounds or giving up unhealthy things like chips, I do like to look back on the last year and write a list of my accomplishments. It’s a good reminder of my success and helps me identify areas of improvement.

Since I know you have better things do as we countdown to Christmas than read this post, I’m going to keep it short and offer a few of my lessons this past year. Part of my inspiration for this comes from a leadership workshop I recently took. One of our assignments was to create a personal mission. So, here’s my modified version and I hope you are inspired to reflect on your year, figure out what you want to accomplish and perhaps come up with your own mission statement.

• Listen more, talk less
• Act with integrity and fairness
• Perform one act of service each day
• Don’t judge others – we’re all equals on this planet
• Smile at strangers
• Show appreciation regularly for the important people in your life
• Lead by example
• And, most importantly, always ensure your actions are aligned with your intentions! This is one of the most challenging ones I find but it’s probably the most important.

… read more

From the Blog

Interview with the President of SCWIST for International Innovation

Established in the 1980s, when there was a dire need for the promotion of women in the science and technology sectors, SCWIST continues to work towards equal representation for women in Canada. Rosine Hage-Moussa explains how her personal experiences have led to her current position, and reveals the role of the media in the persistence of outdated ideas concerning women in STEM.

Could you open with a brief history of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST)? How has the Society developed since its inception?
SCWIST was founded in 1981 by a small group of women in Vancouver, British Columbia. This was the same year that 1,300 women, concerned about women’s rights being excluded from the new Charter of Rights, intensively lobbied MPs, resulting in the inclusion of women’s rights in Canada’s constitution. Since this time, a number of programmes have been developed which continue to support women and girls in science. These include summer science workshops and conferences to keep young girls engaged in maths and sciences, and our annual XX Evening – an event which introduces girls to inspiring role models. We have also developed toolkits for teachers so that we are able to bring knowledge and demonstrations into the classrooms.

Today, we offer specialized support for immigrant women in science and provide them with the tools they need to adapt and succeed in a new environment. We also recognize the importance of networking as a way for women to feel supported, and much of our programme has evolved to meet this need… read more

Terrace Quantum Leaps Conference

On Nov 12, Northwest Science & Innovation Society (NSIS) had their 6th Quantum Leaps Conference. It was held in partnership with the University of Northern BC at their Terrace, BC campus. 38 young women in Grades 10 to 12 from Terrace and Kitimat attended to hear a wide range of local women talk about their experiences in science, technology and engineering. Their keynote speaker was Amy Klepeter, RN, Associate Professor and Nursing Program Coordinator at UNBC. She was joined by 9 professional women including a Dentist, an Environmental Scientist, a Civil Engineer, a Metallurgist, a Forester, and more. Some feedback from the attendees:

“I feel experienced! My third year here! I’m very excited about graduating and continuing my education in some form of science. I feel Quantum Leaps had really inspired and motivated me.” read more

Recognition

SCWIST Outreach Director, Sandy Eix, has received Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Waterloo!

“ Highlights for Sandy so far have been the development of a 5000 square foot physics gallery in Science World, creating a preschool science resource project, managing Body Worlds, and this fall, using her talents as an amateur musician in the creation of a music technology exhibition.

Sandy is the volunteer director of Outreach programs for SCWIST, and runs a lunchtime science club at her daughter’s school. In her not-so-spare time, she plays enthusiastic Cape Breton fiddle music, zooms around Vancouver on a bicycle, and is often up to her elbows in an art project with her 9 year old.” read more

Congrats Sandy!

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