January 2014 SCWIST Newsletter

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Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology

Promotes, encourages and empowers women and girls in science and technology

IN THIS ISSUE

January 2014

Important Reminder:

New Year New Beginnings Party on Thursday Jan 23 is also an Extraordinary General Meeting to approval the new bylaws. Our first official notice was sent out last week, this is a reminder that at the meeting, voting members are expected to have reviewed the bylaws.
View New Year New Beginning Event Information & Bylaws

Message From the President

Happy New Year SCWISTies!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday filled with lots of laughter, relaxation and great food!

2014 is going to be a big year for SCWIST! Having been awarded a significant grant from the government of Canada, we’re eager to have all of you participate in an important project focused on helping women in STEM careers. This will be the biggest project SCWIST has ever undertaken and I would like to invite you all to learn more by attending our New Year, New Beginnings party on Thursday, January 23 at the University Women’s Club. This will also be your chance to review and vote on our revised bylaws.

This event is open to SCWIST members in good standing and will be an opportunity to connect with the SCWIST board of directors, SCWIST founders and fellow members. I hope to see many of you there!

On another note, I am saddened to inform you that I’ll be stepping down from my position as President of SCWIST this month. I will be needed by my family for the next several months and I won’t be able to devote as much time to the organization. We will be appointing an Acting President immediately who will be introduced at the January 23rd networking event and I hope you will have a chance to meet her.

Thank you for the opportunity to help lead this important organization. I may be stepping down but you certainly haven’t seen the last of me!

I look forward to seeing you all soon!

read more

From the Blog

Opportunities to get involved with SCWIST

We currently have two vacancies on our Board of Directors (Secretary, and Director of Volunteers). Members interested can email [email protected] for more information.
Development of partnership policy: If interested in joining the working committee to draft policy regarding the way SCWIST manages partnerships, please email [email protected]

Updates from Ms Infinity

We are currently accepting new volunteers for the ms infinity eMentoring program. eMentoring is an eight-week program that pairs a young woman in Grade 11 or 12 with a woman currently working in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math). Sessions run twice/year, once in the Fall and once in the Spring. Pairs are matched based on mutual interests and the career aspirations of the student. Both mentors and mentees come from all over the province, allowing girls access to women they might never have to opportunity to meet in their hometowns. Throughout the eight weeks, girls are introduced to careers they didn’t know existed, learn about what it takes to get through university, and discuss the unique challenges and benefits of being a woman in science. Mentors get the opportunity to share their passion and inspire the next generation.

Each week, the ms infinity Program Coordinator sends out a discussion topic or question for the pairs to talk about over the next few days. All correspondence is done over email with optional opportunities to Skype and/or share photos of work environments. Requirements for volunteers are minimal – you must complete an application form and provide two references. You are welcome to participate in as many sessions as you like. The time commitment is approximately an hour per week for each 8-week session, depending on the relationship that develops with your mentee.

The Spring session is going to run from Apr 6 – May 31. Women from all backgrounds and all fields are encouraged to apply. We may not have a match for everyone expressing interest each session depending on the requests of the students (we like to match as closely as possible). We are especially in need of additional mentors in Medical fields (physicians, medical researchers, nurses, veterinarians, etc). We currently have a large number of young women on the wait list for the Spring session, and would like to see as many of them matched with mentors as possible!

If you are interested in applying to become an eMentor, please contact Jeannine McCormack, ms infinity Program Coordinator, [email protected]

Community Outreach

SCWIST team at the Science Fair Foundation Fun Run (Sunday May 25)
Interested in running a fun 5K alongside with SCWIST members? Speed is not a factor, as long as we have fun running! Email [email protected]
For more information on the run, visit http://www.sciencefairs.ca/Fun-Run.aspx

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Upcoming Events

 

New Year – New Beginnings Party

The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) is pleased to invite you to our third annual SCWIST New Year Celebration, New Year, New Beginnings.

Join us on January 23rd to hear some important updates about our major Status of Women (SoW) project as well as meeting the project coordinator.

SCWIST is pleased to share a draft of our revised bylaws for your review. Members are asked to consider them and be prepared to vote on them during the event. View Bylaws
View Event Information

Register for the Event

SCWIST Brown Bag Series

Two Part Series

Topic: Goal Setting: How to Achieve Your Career Objectives

  • Date: Jan 29th, 2014
  • Time: 12:15pm-1:45pm
  • Place: UBC Point Grey Campus, Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre (Room 225)

Have a goal or hope for your career future? Unsure how to get started on achieving it? Come join us as guest speaker Michelle Berner, a UBC Human Resources Coach, gives us tips on how to do just that and more!… read more.

Topic: Measure Your Success: Evaluating Your Progress

  • Date: Feb 26th, 2014
  • Time: 12:15pm-1:45pm
  • Place: UBC Point Grey Campus, Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre (Room 225)

Unsure where you stand when assessing your progress? Want to learn how to highlight your achievements and identify your strengths and weaknesses? Come join as our speaker Michelle Berner returns to help us effectively evaluate ourselves!… read more.

For upcoming meetings in this series please check the SCWIST events calendar.

Cafe scientific – Getting to the HEART of Preventing Cardiovascular Diseases

  • Date: Feb 6th, 2014
  • Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

find out more information & register for the event

Save the Date!

XX Event (Wednesday Mar 5) at Science World. Learn how to survive and thrive in your chosen science and technology career. This women-only event for networking and lively discussion is one of SCWIST’s most popular events with over 200 people attended last year!

 


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