Best of the WWEST

How can we save lives and keep search and rescue teams safe? These are questions that led Carlyn Loncaric to found VodaSafe, a company that is creating a product that will be to waterfront rescue what the AED or portable defibrillator has been for CPR. Despite feeling that Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields were not always a welcoming space for women, she pursued her passion for engineering and entrepreneurship, while burning a hole in a kitchen table, exploring the great outdoors, and drumming up a storm. You'll hear all about that in this episode!

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Carlyn Loncaric is the founder and CEO of VodaSafe. Carlyn is an engineer with over ten years of lifeguarding experience. Witnessing first-hand the trials and tribulations of water rescue led Carlyn to envision sonar equipment as a simple tool in hand that would help save lives, VodaSafe and its AquaEye® were born. Carlyn believes that VodaSafe’s AquaEye® will be to waterfront rescue what the AED or portable defibrillator has been for CPR.

For full shownotes, guest bio, and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/aIzxxU

Relevant Links:

• Carlyn on LinkedIn
• Samantha Power
• "Search and rescue test sonar technology to locate human bodies under water," MSN.com, August 17, 2020
• VodaSafe
• VodaSafe on Facebook
• VodaSafe on Twitter
• VodaSafe on Instagram

Hosted by: Vanessa Hennessey
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Memma Uponi is only in her second year as a Mechanical Engineering student, but she's already making a huge impact. In this episode, she joins Mily Mumford, WWEST Research Coordinator, to chat all about how she's creating space and networking opportunities for Black women engineering students in North America, how she strives to build community that helps community, and her big goals and dreams. Plus, she tells us fun information about herself in the lightning round.

Memma Uponi is a 2nd-year mechanical engineering student with a double minor in business and robotics at the University of Toronto. She is a Yale Young African Scholar, Power Girl Africa, and a Girls in STEM advocate. She is dedicated to creating long-lasting, sustainable impact across Africa and solving major problems around the world using Engineering and Robotics. 

For full shownotes, guest bios, and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/rsriDm

Hosted by: Mily Mumford
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In this episode, Podcast Producer Vanessa talks with Dr. Toni Schmader and Dr. Hilary Bergsieker about exciting research conducted by Engendering Success in STEM, a Consortium devoted to testing the long-term efficacy of interventions that harness the power of positive social interactions to mitigate subtle gender bias. In particular. Drs. Schmader and Bergsieker give us information on project RISE, or "Realizing Identity-Safe Environments," of which they are the co-leaders. Project RISE harnesses our understanding of implicit bias, intergroup contact, and social identity threat to create a more “identity safe” workplace culture. You'll learn all about what that means, plus, how the research is having impact in real-life scenarios. Get in touch with Project RISE here! (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

For full shownotes, guest bios, and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/FhcCZF

Hosted by: Vanessa Hennessey
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Join Vanessa, Best of the WWEST producer, for a chat with Dr. Yane Valdez, a woman of many hats. Hear about how this immunologist, mom, science communicator, and artist made her way to Canada from her home country of Peru and what spurred her on to become an immunologist. She also tells us about her work empowering Latin American communities with knowledge of immunology and her passion for mentorship. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Born in Perú, Dr. Valdez began her research under the supervision of Dr Gilman of John’s Hopkins and UPCH. Dr. Valdez led a research team investigating the molecular epidemiology of Helicobacter pylori bacteria, an inducer of gastric ulcers and cancer. She then completed her Master of Science with Dr. Townsend at the School of Biomedical Engineering at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, studying fundamental questions on how T and B cells communicate to produce an effective immune response. Dr. Valdez did her doctoral studies in Dr. Finlay’s lab at UBC and revealed novel concepts of innate responses to the pathogen Salmonella, with important implications for human diseases diarrheal diseases, infectious colitis and IBD. After 5 years of post-doctoral work in BC she joined StemCell Technologies Inc. leading a team in Innate Immunology. She returned to academia and managed the Research Office at the UBC Faculty of Medicine.

She also volunteers for Immunology Without Borders and Women in STEM initiatives in Canada and Globally, as the scientific advisor of the Anti-NMDRA Encephalitis Foundation She is also a proud mother of two.

For full shownotes and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/wqVLWn

Hosted by: Dr. Lesley Shannon
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Growing up as a self-described "weird kid," Noushin was drawn to science at an early age. She came to Canada from Iran when she was 15 years old, and despite language barriers and adjusting to a new culture, she thrived and became the researcher and economist she is today. Noushin tells us in this episode with host Dr. Lesley Shannon about how fostering perseverence has kept her going even through difficult times and why she is passionate about her work. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Noushin Nabavi is a cell biologist in training. She received her PhD in cell and systems biology from the University of Toronto in 2011 working on deciphering the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in stem cell differentiation to bone. She worked on several research projects before transitioning to a role in the BC Ministry of Health as a Science Policy Fellow where she is still, now working as an Economist.

For full shownotes and a transcription of this episode, visit http://i.sfu.ca/ikcVCo

Hosted by: Dr. Lesley Shannon
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In our fourth episode of the miniseries by the WWEST Associate Chair program hosted at iSTAND at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), host Maxine (iSTAND Communications and Resource Design Assistant) speaks to Dr. Marge Holman, professor of Kinesiology at the University of Windsor, and Reina Iizuka, Defensive Back of the University of Manitoba's Bisons football team and first woman to play on the team. Dr. Holman tells us about her extensive career in sports medicine and kinesiology and the parallels between how women are treated in sports and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Reina speaks to her experience being the first woman to join the football team at University of Manitoba and tells us how sports can be more welcoming to women and girls. Together, Dr. Holman and Reina give us a well-rounded conversation about the inequalities in both sports and STEM and how we can learn from them to do better.

iSTAND is the Integrative STEM Team Advancing Networks of Diversity, which is creating a network to recruit, support, and increase underrepresented persons in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). You can learn more about their program here and about the WWEST Associate Chair program here.

Featured in this Episode:

• Dr. Marge Holman, University of Windsor
• Reina Iizuka, Defensive Back, University of Manitoba Bisons

• Dr. Marge Holman at the Windsor/Essex County Sports Hall of Fame
• iSTAND
• "Reina Iizuka: The First Woman to Play Men’s College Football in Canada," Tokyo Weekender, August, 2020

Hosted by: Maxine van Zyl and Dr. Jennifer Jakobi
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey and Maxine van Zyl

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In this episode, our host Dr. Lesley Shannon is joined by Nora Keegan, a grade 10 student whose research on the effects of hand dryer noise on children was published in the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. If this interview doesn't inspire you, then we don't know what will! Nora talks about her love for science, the experience of conducting research and being published in a major publication at such a young age, and much more.

Nora Keegan is a grade 10 student in Calgary, Alberta. She loves science, and in grade 5 she did a study on hand dryer noise. She found that hand dryer noise can actually damage children’s hearing. She published her results in the Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health. Since then, she has met with manufacturers to discuss the issue of testing as she found that the noise manufacturers claimed their hand dryers operated at did not match her results. As well, she was a keynote speaker at a noise conference where she shared her findings. She hopes that people will listen to her findings and create regulations on hand dryer testing and noise so that children’s hearing is protected.

Relevant Links:

• "Children who say hand dryers ‘hurt my ears’ are correct: A real-world study examining the loudness of automated hand dryers in public places," Paediatrics & Child Health, June 2020
• "Hand dryers are 'clearly dangerous' to children, teen scientist concludes," CTV News, 2019
• Marie Curie
• Sorbonne Université

Hosted by: Dr. Lesley Shannon
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Joining us in this episode is Denise Williams, CEO of the First Nations Technology Council. From her childhood dreams of being an astronaut while raised in a logging camp, to studying at Vancouver Island University, to her acceptance at Simon Fraser University to pursue an executive MBA, Denise - as she describes - “meandered” through her education to the position she is in today, leading a non profit that connects with different levels of government, provides education and scholarship opportunities to Indigenous youth, and attempts to mend the digital divide between Indigenous communities across Canada. You will hear all about that and so much more in this interview.

At the intersection of Indigenous sovereignty, technological advancement and a rapidly expanding technology and innovation economy, Denise has the privilege of working with Indigenous peoples, governments, academics, technology futurists and social change makers to map an ecosystem that will result in fair and equitable access to the tools and education required to lead digital transformation in the 21st century. Denise leads a theory of change that aims to ensure Indigenous peoples are leading and competitive in Canada’s technology and innovation sector and in growing connected economies at home.

For a full transcription of this episode and full guest bio, click here.

Relevant Links:

• Executive MBA in Indigenous Business at Simon Fraser University
• First Nations Technology Council
• Impostor Syndrome
• Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• Vancouver Island University

Hosted by: Dr. Lesley Shannon
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In our third episode of the miniseries by the WWEST Associate Chair program hosted at iSTAND at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), host Maxine (iSTAND Communications and Resource Design Assistant) reverse engineers the diversity in STEM conversation. She speaks to two men in female-dominated fields to explore how these fields can support greater gender diversity, and the benefits thereof. In particular, this episode explores nursing and social work and the parallelisms between these fields and STEM. Within these fields, the historical context of gendered professions is slowly, but surely, changing. You'll also hear about mentorship, the vulnerability these fields expose, and how men can find their footing when navigating gender expectations. Dr. Jennifer Jakobi, WWEST Associate Chair, introduces us to our guests in the beginning of this episode as well. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

iSTAND is the Integrative STEM Team Advancing Networks of Diversity, which is creating a network to recruit, support, and increase underrepresented persons in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). You can learn more about their program here and about the WWEST Associate Chair program here.

Our guests for this episode are Dr. Peter Kellett RN, from the University of Lethbridge and Dr. John Graham RSW, of the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Please see relevant links for more information on our guests.

Featured in this Episode:

• Dr. John Graham, RSW, University of British Columbia Okanagan
• Dr. Peter Kellet, RN, University of Lethbridge

• iSTAND
• Neuromuscular – Healthy Exercise and Aging Lab at UBCO
• "The Gender Divide in Social Work," Wiley Education Services
• "Why Nursing is a Great Career Choice for Men," nurse.org
• WWEST Associate Chair Program
• WWEST White Paper: "Mentoring Works"

Hosted by: Maxine van Zyl and Dr. Jennifer Jakobi
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey and Maxine van Zyl

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Folks, we have finally done it. We finally interviewed WWEST Chair Dr. Lesley Shannon on Best of the WWEST! Danniele and Lesley dive into many things, including coping during the pandemic and how it is affecting not only women in STEM, but women everywhere; Lesley’s experience in university studying Computer Engineering, and even some fun things in the Lightning Round. You don’t want to miss this episode and learn all about the person behind everything at WWEST.

Dr. Lesley Shannon P.Eng is a Professor and Chair for the Computer Engineering Option in the School of Engineering Science at Simon Fraser University. Dr. Shannon studies computer systems design. She works in a rapidly growing field that combines custom computing hardware and software to design and implement application-specific computer systems for applications in a wide range of areas including robotics, machine learning, aerospace and biomedical systems, multimedia applications, and cloud computing.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Relevant Links:

• Geri's Game
• Knotology
• Lesley's bio at SFU
• Lesley's bio at WWEST
• Lesley's personal website
• Luddites
• Dr. Paul Chow
• University of New Brunswick
• University of Toronto

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Jennifer Flanagan is an inspirational leader for girls and women in STEM, and in this episode, you are sure to be just that - inspired! She joins WWEST manager and podcast host Danniele to give insights into how it benefits all of us to support women, girls, and Indigenous communities in STEM; how she founded Actua, an organization that inspires future innovators; and she asks and explores the important question "How does a context and environment need to change to be more welcoming and accepting of girls and women?" (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Jennifer Flanagan is the co-founder, President and CEO of Actua. Actua is a national charitable organization that engages Canadian youth in transformational experiences in STEM and contributes significantly to future innovation in Canada. Jennifer leads this national network of university-based organizations across Canada that deliver interactive STEM programs annually engaging 225,000 youth in 500 communities.

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Relevant Links:

• Actua
• Concordia University
• InSTEM: Actua's Indigenous STEM programs
• Master of Management, McGill University
• Dr. Monique Frize, Carleton University (first NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering in the Atlantic Region from 1997 to 2004)
• University of New Brunswick

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Anne Simonen joins Best of the WWEST host and WWEST manager Danniele in this episode and is keeping it real by telling us about her journey from being a student who wasn't strong in math to a civil engineering technologist who is supporting really important projects in wastewater treatment. She explains why civil engineering and water treatment are super relevant right now, how making big mistakes don't have to cost your career and are great learning experiences, and gives us a glimpse into her life outside of work in the lightning round. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Anne Simonen is a civil engineering technologist at KWL in Nelson, BC. She mostly works on projects that help get safe drinking water to people’s houses, and the wastewater that goes down drains be safely disposed of, but her favourite part of work is working with contracts and construction.

WWEST and Best of the WWEST would like to thank the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) for connecting us with the individual profiled above.

Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) is leading the Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology Project, a Sector Labour Market Partnership project, funded through the Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement. The project’s goal is to increase the participation of women in the engineering, geoscience, technology and technician occupations through the implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies to recruit, retain and support career development of women to lead a system level cultural shift within these professions.

For more information on ASTTBC, please visit www.asttbc.org

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Relevant Links:

• Anne on LinkedIn
• BCIT Diploma in Civil Engineering
• BCIT Women in Engineering
• Girl Guides of Canada
• GLOWS (Growing & Learning Opportunities With STEAM)
• Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club (book by Megan Gail Coles)

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Working in technology, construction, and engineering often is portrayed in just one way, but Rebecca Sorbara is here to tell us that there are many rewarding non-conventional careers in these fields. She joins Danniele, WWEST manager and Best of the WWEST host, to get nerdy about building science. Everyone comes into contact with buildings every day, and Rebecca explains why her passion for keeping buildings dry and keeping walls doing what they do best is so important. Plus, she tells us all about sustainability and answers the question “what is a passive house?” (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Rebecca Sorbara is the Director of Building Science at McCuaig and Associates Engineering. She leads a team of engineering professionals and oversees the development and implementation of organizational quality control processes. Rebecca is an Applied Science Technologist with 18 years of experience in building science and project management.

WWEST and Best of the WWEST would like to thank the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) for connecting us with the individual profiled above.

Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) is leading the Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology Project, a Sector Labour Market Partnership project, funded through the Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement. The project’s goal is to increase the participation of women in the engineering, geoscience, technology and technician occupations through the implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies to recruit, retain and support career development of women to lead a system level cultural shift within these professions.

For more information on ASTTBC, please visit www.asttbc.org

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Relevant Links:

• Construction Management at British Columbia Institute of Technology
• Energy step codes
• McCuaig & Associates
• Passive houses
• Trickster Drift (book by Eden Robinson)
• WinSETT (Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology)

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

How does Sheryl Cumming, Professional Engineer with the Metro Vancouver Regional District’s Planning and Environment Department “pay it back” into the world with her work? For starters, she is a mentor to other women in STEM and leads by example. In this episode, she tells host Danniele how she transitioned from the Philippines into her schooling in Canada, leading to a career she pursues with passion. She also shares advice with future generations of STEM professionals and gives us a glimpse into the local and regional work she is a part of to make sure those in the Lower Mainland can adapt to climate change successfully. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Sheryl Cumming works as a professional engineer at Metro Vancouver Regional District’s Planning and Environment Department in the Air Quality and Climate Change Division. Her experiences combined led her to her current work, trying to save the world (or at the very least, help prepare the region) through her role in the development of Metro Vancouver's regional climate action strategy called Climate 2050.

WWEST and Best of the WWEST would like to thank the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) for connecting us with the individual profiled above.

Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) is leading the Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology Project, a Sector Labour Market Partnership project, funded through the Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement. The project’s goal is to increase the participation of women in the engineering, geoscience, technology and technician occupations through the implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies to recruit, retain and support career development of women to lead a system level cultural shift within these professions.

For more information on ASTTBC, please visit www.asttbc.org

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Relevant Links:

• Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology (AWET)
• Air Quality & Climate Change, Metro Vancouver
• Climate 2050, Metro Vancouver
• Immigrant Employment Council of BC

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In our first Best of the WWEST episode in partnership with ASTTBC (Applied Science Technologists & Technicians of British Columbia) and the Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology project, Best of the WWEST host Danniele welcomes Erin Karaim to the podcast. Erin tells us all about what it’s like to be a draftsperson - the ins and outs of her education and her career creating technical drawings for engineering projects. You’ll hear why being a technologist/technician is a very rewarding career option in STEM. But don’t worry, it's not all about work - you’ll also learn fun facts about Erin in the lightning round. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Erin Karaim is a civil engineering technician at WSP in the sectors of Architecture and Construction, Engineering, and Technology. Erin completed a 1-year drafting certificationin Computer Aided Design and Drafting at Kwantlen College in Surrey, BC. Her work varies from pipe plans and profiles, to road design and ditching and she works with engineers all over the country.

WWEST and Best of the WWEST would like to thank the Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) for connecting us with the individual profiled above.

Applied Science Technologists and Technicians of BC (ASTTBC) is leading the Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology Project, a Sector Labour Market Partnership project, funded through the Canada-BC Workforce Development Agreement. The project’s goal is to increase the participation of women in the engineering, geoscience, technology and technician occupations through the implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies to recruit, retain and support career development of women to lead a system level cultural shift within these professions.

For more information on ASTTBC, please visit www.asttbc.org

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Relevant Links:

• Diploma in Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
• Drafter (Wikipedia)
• Quadra Island, BC
• WSP Global, Inc.

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In our second episode of the miniseries by the WWEST Associate Chair program hosted at iSTAND at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), host Maxine (iSTAND Communications and Resource Design Assistant) speaks with a panel of experts on Indigenizing STEM education. This discussion is an eye-opening glimpse into the lives of Indigenous women in STEM and integrating the new Truth and Reconciliation mandates in education in Canada. You’ll also hear about developing curriculum in schools for Kenyan indigenous populations, decolonizing classrooms, teaching indigenous perspectives embedded in school courses, and so much more. Dr. Jennifer Jakobi, WWEST Associate Chair, introduces us to the panelists in the beginning of this episode as well. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

iSTAND is the Integrative STEM Team Advancing Networks of Diversity, which is creating a network to recruit, support, and increase underrepresented persons in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). You can learn more about their program here and about the WWEST Associate Chair program here.

The panel in this episode features Shaylene DeKock-Kruger, Isha DeCoito, and Desiree Marshall-Peer.

Featured on this episode are Dr. Deborah Buszard, Deputy Vice Chancellor and Principal of UBCO; Dr. Bowen Hui, instructor in Computer Science of UBCO; and Dr. Mina Hoorfar, professor of Electrical & Mechanical Engineering at UBCO.

Hosted by: Maxine van Zyl and Dr. Jennifer Jakobi
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey and Maxine van Zyl

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Yuka Takemon joins Best of the WWEST host Danniele in a socially-distanced interview to talk all about bioinformatics and why research in the field can give quick rewards. Yuka also dives into her identity as a member of the LGBTQIA and STEM communities and the importance of being visible in both. Plus, she reveals how she kicks stress to the curb and other fun facts during the lightning round! (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Yuka Takemon is a PhD Student in the Genome Science and Technology program at the University of British Columbia. Yuka is also a member of Marra Lab at Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer, where she conducts her research.

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

This time on the podcast, Danniele introduces us to a very special guest - her wife, Claris. Danniele asks Claris about her work as a the Consultancy Director of Silverstring Media, a small video game studio in Vancouver, BC. You'll hear video game recommendations (perfect for social distancing), Claris' view on the importance of storytelling not just in video games but in society at large, and so much more. Plus, you'll get a taste of the music Claris has produced in quarantine! Stay safe everyone, and don't forget to wash your hands!

Claris Cyarron is the co-founder of Silverstring Media, a small videogame studio in Vancouver, BC that also offers narrative consulting and expertise for hire. Claris is a storyteller, multi-disciplinary designer, and an ever-aspiring adventurer.

Relevant Links:

• Cosmo D
• Cribbage with Grandpas
• Dark Souls
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Nathalie Lawhead
• Off-Peak
• Silverstring Media

 

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin and British Columbia Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity, has 3 main priorities: Tackling gender-based violence, getting rid of systemic barriers, and economic and political empowerment of girls and women. In this episode with WWEST manager and podcast host Danniele, PS Dean tells us why women in STEM are important to the BC government (because they very much are), how her favourite part of her job is meeting so many amazing women, and gives us a glimpse into her journey being elected an MLA and appointed Parliamentary Secretary.

Mitzi Dean was elected as MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin in 2017, and was appointed the Parliamentary Secretary for Gender Equity in February 2018. Parliamentary Secretary Dean grew up in southeast England and has spent the last 30 years helping the most vulnerable people in our community.

Relevant Links:

• Girl, Woman, Other (book by Bernardine Evaristo)
• Mitzi Dean on Facebook
• Mitzi Dean at the Legislative Assembly
• Mitzi Dean on Twitter
• WWEST blog post on Gender-Based Analysis

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In this episode, WWEST manager and Best of the WWEST host Danniele speaks to Lieutenant Commander Calley Gray, Marine Systems Engineer Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy. She gives us all a rare glimpse into what it's like to be a woman in the Navy and the amazing and big strides the Armed Forces have taken to create a more diverse and equal landscape. LCdr Gray also gets nerdy about naval architecture in the best way, tells us fascinating stories of the work the Navy does to make the world a better place, and how her time in the Royal Military College of Canada shaped her into the Lieutenant Commander she is today.

Lieutenant Commander Calley Gray is a Marine Systems Engineering Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy and she specializes in Naval Architecture. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Royal Military College of Canada and a double Master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture.

Relevant Links:

• Canadian Forces Sports
• External Review into Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment in the Canadian Armed Forces (Deschamps Report)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
• Operation HONOUR
• Royal Military College of Canada

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood)
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Vanessa Hennessey

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.