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 post-secondary education.

This particular Quantum Leaps event will focus on women professionals working in careers related to Geology. Within Geology, hydrogeology which includes protecting groundwater from the byproducts of mining will be a focus. Another focus within hydrogeology will be finding water sources within remote gold mines. Another topic within geology will include underground mining, rock mechanics and geological engineering. The convergence of projects related to solid waste, climate mitigation and adaptation, asset management and wastewater treatment for the project manager of a city will be discussed.

Did these professionals in geology 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.

SPEAKERS

Alexandra Hughes

Alexandra is a hydrogeologist at an engineering consulting company. As a hydrogeologist, she helps companies manage their water. Most of her work is for remote gold mines, where the majority of water is sourced from groundwater (aka. water from deep underground). She helps to find water sources to supply their employee camp (needed for drinking, cooking, showering), to manage the water needed to process the gold ore, and to protect the groundwater from dangerous chemicals that can be byproducts of mining. Most recently, she has been using 3D groundwater flow models to help understand how the groundwater moves. These models allow her to predict out into the future to evaluate if the mining activities will have negative impacts on nearby lakes and rivers. For her job, she gets to spend lots of time outdoors in really cool places, but has also been able to hone her modelling and technical writing skills in the office.

Sierra Mercer

Sierra Mercer is the Mining Manager for the Critical Industrial Technologies program at the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI). With a background in geological engineering and underground mining, she has worked as a ground control engineer, utilizing her expertise in rock mechanics and geotechnical analysis. Sierra has also applied advanced technologies such as drones and LiDAR systems for underground mapping and mine safety. In her current role, she helps Ontario-based companies adopt innovative technologies such as AI, robotics, and 5G to advance the mining sector.

Katelyn Pocha

Katelyn is a Project Manager for the City of Cranbrook and has been with the city since 2015. She is a Professional Geoscientist with EGBC, and prior to her time in Cranbrook, worked in mineral exploration, site reclamation and remediation. Katelyn’s current role as a Project Manager includes leading a variety of projects related to solid waste, climate mitigation and adaptation, asset management, and wastewater treatment. Throughout her career, she has enjoyed travelling throughout British Columbia and Alberta. She enjoys working in local government and spending her free time outdoors hiking and biking with her family.