ONWiE Summit 2021

     

Dr. Eden Hennessey (she/her) is a Social Psychologist who researches and mobilizes knowledge related to diversity promotion and discrimination reduction. Her most recent work assesses the consequences of confronting gender bias in science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM). Dr. Hennessey advocates for equity and inclusion on university campuses and combines arts with data to impact world-wide audiences. She is deeply committed to her work as the Manager of the Student Centre for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CSEDI) at Wilfrid Laurier University and as the Research and Programs Director of the Laurier Centre for Women in Science (WinS).

Title: Women and Girls in STEAM: Engineering Inclusion

Abstract: Have you ever thought about who pursues engineering and why?

This interactive talk presents research evidence on the experiences of women and girls in engineering, highlighting the variety of factors that contribute to gender imbalance. Social Psychologist Dr. Eden Hennessey utilizes data and images from a recent photo-research exhibit to illuminate the stories of diverse women in engineering professions. Finally, attendees will learn about actions that promote inclusion in science and technology, so that all people can see themselves as engineers.

 

Panel 1: Effective high school outreach models

Moderator:

Kelsey Lavigne is a Diversity, Inclusion and Community Programs Coordinator with Western Engineering Outreach. She has been working with Western Engineering Outreach for the last five years to design, develop and facilitate their STEM Outreach programs to surrounding communities of diverse populations. One of Kelsey’s main focuses is just for girls programming, including ONWiE Events, Girls Club and a high school mentorship program called ENGSquad, and more

 

 

 

 

Panelists:

Cassandra Abraham is a Coordinator at the University of Toronto and Director of Blueprint. With close to 10 years experience supporting STEM education, her primary role is creating and managing outreach programs for pre-university students from underrepresented groups and underserved communities. Cassandra received her BSc from Saint Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. After University, she worked as an Education Officer, then an Education Director at an environmental education and non-profit research organization in The Bahamas.

 

 

 

Soundous Ettayebi is the Manager of Indigenous Outreach at UBC Geering Up. For the last three and a half years, Soundous has been working closely with Indigenous communities across British Columbia to create accessible STEM programs for their youth while incorporating the communities’ cultural knowledge. Her team focuses on supporting underserved and underrepresented youth and making them feel included in STEM. Soundous received her BSc from the University of Guelph and Masters of Management from Sauder School or Business at UBC.

 

 

Nika Zolfaghari is the Manager, Equity and Community Inclusion in the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science at Ryerson University. She is responsible for creating a culture which is inclusive of all identities inside and outside of the classroom for students, staff, and faculty members. She is passionate about empowering youth, particularly young women, to consider a rewarding career in engineering through the management of a full range of pre-university outreach programs designed to inform, educate and excite students about engineering as a field of study and profession. Nika has a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering, and Master’s of Applied Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Her work has allowed her to partner with colleagues across the country to create initiatives that are affecting change one step at a time.

 

 

 

Panel 2: Building inclusive experiences for engineering students

Panelists:

Tom Duever is Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science and a Professor of Chemical Engineering at Ryerson University. In his 30-year career as a strategic leader, award-winning instructor and accomplished researcher, he has led two Ontario universities through significant facility expansions and programming
innovations, changing how engineering is taught and practiced. Since arriving at Ryerson University in 2014 as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Architectural Science (FEAS), he has been leading initiatives within the Faculty to enhance the quality of the student experience. Under his guidance, he has helped create six new graduate programs as well as the FEAS All-In-Approach to education, an innovative whole-student support program. Support for co-operative internship opportunities has been increased and, due to his prioritization of career readiness curriculum, students are more fully prepared for the workplace. His numerous academic and professional collaborations have enriched teaching and learning and advanced the engineering profession, most recently in the areas of equity and inclusion. He is a registered Professional Engineer in Ontario, a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He holds PhD, Master’s and Bachelor degrees in Chemical Engineering from the University of Waterloo.

 

Jillian Henderson graduated from the Biomechanical Engineering program at Queen’s University, where she is now completing a Master’s in Mechanical and Materials Engineering with a specialization in Collaborative Biomedical Engineering. The focus of her research is aiding in the creation of the standards for the Accessible Canada Act, primarily working with individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication devices. Alongside aiming to make assistive technology more accessible, she is working to understand the psychological effects caused by the subtle ostracism women face within engineering.

 

 

 

Tessa Krause completed her Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics at Queen’s University in 2020. During her undergraduate degree, she was involved with the Formula SAE design team, in addition to performing with musical ensembles with the Dan School of Drama and Music. She is currently pursuing a Master of Applied Science in Applied Physics at Queen’s University with a focus on quality assurance for laser machining processes. When not working on her research, she works with the Queen’s Formula SAE team on EDII initiatives to ensure the opportunities of being on a design team are accessible to all students.

 

 

Declan Mullane is an American-Canadian software engineer who received their Bachelor’s of Engineering from McMaster University in the spring of 2021. As a member of the 2STLGBQIA+ community, they spent four years as a volunteer and executive team member of McMaster’s Pride Community Center, a peer-support service run by and for 2STLBQIA+ students that focuses on community building and identity-specific programming. During their undergrad, their favorite courses were the ones that emphasized the importance of including an interdisciplinary approach to design. Living as a nonbinary queer person with invisible disabilities, Declan advocates for the importance of involving different perspectives in every aspect of engineering design, as well as the importance of non-STEM courses in the education of engineers – future and present.

 

Dimpho Radebe is a PhD student in Engineering Education at the University of Toronto, Canada. Her research interests include engineering culture and identity, engineering careers in the public sector, and ethics, equity and social justice in STEM. Dimpho has several years of professional experience in the public and private sectors in process engineering, as well as project management and implementation. She holds a BASc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Toronto and an MSc in Management, specializing in Operations Management, from the University of Bath, UK. Her career vision is to be a driving force for efforts to diversify engineering and to challenge some of the dominant ways of thinking that might restrict diverse engineers with different viewpoints and varying career path interests.

 

Brielle Thorsen is an urban Cree-settler graduate student passionate about social and environmental well-being and justice. In 2020, she graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor of Applied Science in Mathematics and Engineering and is currently pursuing her M.ASc in Mechanical Engineering also at Queen’s University. Brielle’s thesis work aims to integrate Nehiyaw ways of knowing and being into the design of Net Zero Energy homes for First Nation communities. She is the 6th recipient of the Order of the White Rose Scholarship in memory of the victims and survivors of the 1989 Polytechnique tragedy, and she received Queen’s University’s 2020 Peer Leadership Award.

 

 

Sydney van Engelen is a current Master’s student of Applied Science in Collaborative Biomedical Engineering studying at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. She graduated from Queen’s University with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Biomechanical Engineering. Sydney is enrolled in the interdisciplinary Research and Education in Accessibility, Design, and Innovation (READi) training program at Carleton University to develop an accessibility mindset in innovation and design to support a more inclusive society. During her undergrad, Sydney worked in the Building and Designing Assistive Technology (BDAT) Lab at Queen’s University studying both assistive technology as well as the experiences of female engineering students

 

Panel 3: Positive co-op and internship experiences for all

Panelists:

Andrea Forster, Experts Ops COE Leader at SUEZ Water Technologies & Solutions, graduated with a B.Eng & Mgmt in Mechanical Engineering from McMaster University in Hamilton, ON.  She then joined Zenon Environmental Inc as an application engineer for the International Sales Division where she had the opportunity to work for 2 years from the company’s European headquarters in Budapest Hungary.   Over the course of her career with ZENON/GE/SUEZ she has held several roles in Sales, Quality, Commercial Excellence and Project Execution while in parallel returning to McMaster to complete her M.B.A. in Management of Innovation & New Technologies.  Most recently she has been responsible for leading the Proposals division for the NAM Projects Business.

 

Julia Funk is an engineering student at Queen’s University pursuing her Bachelor of Applied Science in Biomechanical Engineering. Her first summer internship in 2019 was in the AI and Data Analytics department at BMW in Munich, Germany and her second internship in the summer of 2020 was remote for the Queen’s Bone and Joint Biomechanics Lab (QBJBL).  She is a current Software Engineer for her 12 month internship at Zymeworks, a Vancouver based clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing antibodies for different HER2 expressing cancers. At Queen’s she was involved as a Project Manager for the Queen’s Biomechanical Innovations Team (QBiT) for two years, leading the efforts for the hand spasticity rehabilitation glove and the lightweight electric wheelchair circuits sub-team.

 

Uni Lee graduated from Ontario Tech University in May 2021 for Mechanical Engineering. She is currently employed as a Mechanical Design Engineer at SmartCone Technologies. She is involved with Scouts Canada, and the Canadian Army Reserves.

 

 

Erica Lee-Garcia, P.Eng.  Erica is a professional engineer with over 20 years’ experience in automotive manufacturing, mining and non-profit management. Six Sigma Black Belt, professional change agent, innovator and big-picture thinker.

Erica loves to mentor students and recent grads, and she is an official cheerleader for everyone who wants to achieve their career goals as Program Director of WinSETT Centre.  WinSETT is a national non-profit supporting women to enter, lead, and succeed in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (SETT) fields.  Through engaging, action-oriented leadership courses and other projects, WinSETT has been empowering SETT women, and engaging allies and decisionmakers to shape positive and inclusive workplace culture since 2010.

Erica has a significant track record in achieving operational and company cultural improvements through application of Six Sigma, Lean and Continuous Improvement tools, worth over $364M. She has significant cross-cultural work experience, including fluency in English and Spanish, through managing the startup of social enterprise (recycling and poverty reduction initiative) in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

She currently Chairs the Board Engineers of Tomorrow, a venture in partnership with Engineers Without Borders Canada that inspires the next generation of engineers through effective, impactful outreach to youth and the public.  She is also a longtime supporter of OnWiE, and OnWiE ambassador since 2015.

Katherine Sorensen P. Eng. is a Co-op Coordinator at the University of Guelph, working with students in Engineering Co-op Programs.  She started at the University of Guelph as a Engineering Co-op student,

worked as an Environmental Engineer after she graduated, and has had many roles at the University of Guelph, in Liaison/ Engineering Outreach, Program Counselling, Curriculum Management and Experiential Learning.  Katherine actively supports School of Engineering and Engineering Alumni activities, and hosted RISE:  A Conference for Women in Engineering and Technology at the University of Guelph.