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Computer Science Career Spotlight Series Booklet Now Available!
For: Teachers/Parents For: Youth

Computer Science Career Spotlight Series Booklet Now Available!

We are happy to announce that our Career Spotlight Series of booklets is now complete with the publication of the fourth booklet on Women in Computer Science.

You can view and download the new booklet, and the three others in the series, by visiting our Resources page.

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Third Booklet in the Career Spotlight Series Now Available!
For: Students For: Teachers/Parents

Third Booklet in the Career Spotlight Series Now Available!

The next booklet in our Career Spotlight Series is here! This booklet serves to highlight the amazing work being done in various STEM fields by Indigenous women in the Atlantic region.

The women featured were selected from a variety of fields to demonstrate the breadth of talent across diverse career paths; these include Impact Assessment Specialist Sara Rumbolt, Biologist Jennifer Sylliboy, Dietitian Janna MacKay, Civil Engineering Student Kalolin Prosper, and Botanist Cheyenne MacDonald. Each scientist discusses their career and educational path, the qualities and skills relevant to their job, the highlights of their career, and the impact their work has had on both themselves and the communities they work with.  

The booklet also features additional resources for those looking to explore future career paths, including questions to ask yourself before deciding on a career, questions to ask a role model, and career competencies needed to be successful in whatever career you decide to pursue. Also included is a list of Indigenous opportunities to explore.  

You can download the booklet by going to our Resources Page.

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Engineers and Scientists are Everyday People!
For: Students For: Teachers/Parents For: Women in SETT/Professionals

Engineers and Scientists are Everyday People!

Over the last few years I have had the opportunity and honor of interviewing and photographing amazing Atlantic Canadian women in the STEM fields for a WISEatlantic project called the “Career Spotlight Booklet Series”. I say honor, as I was blown away by the talent these women emulated. Each one of them made me feel welcomed (even though I thought I would be intimated!) and all were excited to share with me their educational and career experiences and triumphs.

To date, I have completed two books in the series, “Women in Science” and “Women in Engineering” and presently in the process of completing “Indigenous Women in STEM”.  You can find these two booklets on the WISEatlantic website, on the resource page, and they have also been distributed to some schools in Atlantic Canada.

A common theme throughout the interviews was the fact that if you don’t know what you want to do right now, don’t worry!  You can always change directions.  Just do “something” and the rest will follow, and if you do change your mind, that’s okay too!  For instance, one woman I interviewed never intended to be a professor as she thought she was an introvert and hated speaking in front of people, but she found once she had the expertise and experience she became more confident.

Another common theme was that you may think you want to do one thing but may end up doing something completely different and unrelated and that’s okay also.  For example, one woman I interviewed thought she wanted to be a veterinarian but when she took a class in Animal Biology she realized it wasn’t for her.

Creativity was also a universal theme throughout.  Almost every one of these amazing women had a creative side they nourished including a writer, artist, and photographer.

 Other Common pieces of advice included:

  • Never give up
  • Be Persistent
  • Be Flexible
  • Be Resilient
  • Stay with it if you are interested in it. Don’t think “I can’t do it”.
  • Challenge yourself and don’t be afraid to take on new tasks or something you are not comfortable with
  • Do a co-op placement if available
  • You can learn something from everything you do and every job you try
  • Don’t be afraid to speak up if you have a different perspective or opinion
  • Do what “lights you up”
  • Ask lots of questions of people about jobs you may be interested in
  • Network and volunteer
  • Get a Mentor
  • Keep your options open
  • Don’t prejudge yourself or your capabilities

 Career Highlights

I interviewed one amazing lady who had completed a geology degree and then decided she really wanted to be an aerospace engineer so she did and now she is working on designing a new lighter and more flexible space suit at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for NASA.

I also interviewed a Biomedical engineer who is in the medical field researching the maternal make-up of the heart and how heart valves are remodeled during pregnancy.  I learned about one female working on a vaccine for ovarian cancer, a biologist who monitors areas for the presence of whales using their sounds, and another woman who is researching new sustainable ways to make better plastics like water bottles.

 Educational Paths

Did you know that you can get paid while doing your Masters and PhD’s?!  Yes, you are going to school but it’s a job too!  I also learned that it may seem like a long time in school, but everyone I interviewed said the time goes fast.

When asked about their educational path all the women completed an undergrad degree, Masters degree and most even PhD’s!

Career Impacts

Some of the many broad impacts these amazing scientists and engineers have had on society include:

  • New medical applications such as development of new vaccines, research on impacts of heart valves during pregnancy, and other medical treatments for osteoporosis, knee injuries, medical supplies for military use and space application.
  • Study of environmental impacts on our eco systems, global warming, agricultural waste, biofuel applications, protection of our whale population, lowering gas emissions, and creating sustainable plastic options.
  • Engineering developments such as creating sustainable wind and solar energy resources to guarantee reliable energy options for the future, protecting the public and environment by understanding and reducing dam safety risks, ensuring clean water sources and safe hydro systems, maintaining aircraft safety measures, as well as influencing policy decision makers.

Vision

All these women had a vision of equal opportunity for everyone and equal representation, including pay, promotion and gender equality, as well as hope that more women excelled to positions of leadership.

So yes, I learned lots of great things, including Scientists are everyday people and they all want to exceed!

 

By Jeanette McPherson, WISEatlantic Assistant

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An Out of This World Discovery by Julia Odendaal
For: Students For: Teachers/Parents For: Women in SETT/Professionals

An Out of This World Discovery by Julia Odendaal

Around the world right now there are so many things happening, with COVID-19 and the US presidential election. Not many people are focusing on the up-and-comers of scientific discoveries. 2020 has been a crazy year, not a great one but for the Canadian Space Agency 2020 has come with the findings of a possible second solar system, and a new leader.  

Around the world right now there are so many things happening, with COVID-19 and the US presidential election. Not many people are focusing on the up-and-comers of scientific discoveries. 2020 has been a crazy year, not a great one but for the Canadian Space Agency 2020 has come with the findings of a possible second solar system, and a new leader.  

 There are so many amazing women doing incredible things in today’s world. Including Lisa Campbell, she is the first female President of the Canadian Space Agency. She stepped into this huge role with hard work and dedication. Using her leadership skills, she guided the agency to new heights. Campbell previously served as the Associate Deputy Minister with Veterans Affairs Canada. She also acquired a Bachelor’s of Arts in Political Science from McGill University and a Legum Baccalaureus of Law from Dalhousie Law Schoolcreating a strong educational background that’s great asset in this position. She has worked in both the private and public sectors in employment, constitutional and criminal law.  

 Her long-standing history with the Government of Canada includes Assistant Deputy Minister, Defense and Marine Procurement, Public Services and Procurement, where she provided military and marine procurement solutions, as well as Senior Deputy Commissioner for Canada’s competition authority, responsible for reviewing business conduct across the board.  All of this experience makes her the perfect person to lead the Canadian Space Agency through the multitude of funding opportunities coming their way over the next several years.  

 Many of us have heard of the mythical hybrid between human and horsethe centaur, but I’m sure you wouldn’t believe what I’m about to tell you!  

 The ATLAS telescope located in Hawaii captured images of what appears to be a second solar system. They’re calling this centaur (a hybrid between a comet and an asteroid) orbiting object the P/2019 LD2. Because of its composition and its overall potential to move rapidly across the solar system, some astronomers believe that centaurs are a so-called missing link between small icy masses in the Kuiper Belt which is beyond Neptune and comets that regularly visit the inner solar system (SN: 11/19/94).

 Sciencenews.org calls these icy masses, short-period comets. They are expected to orbit around the sun once per decade. Sometimes will even come close enough to be seen from earth. Other longer period comets including Halley’s Comet, which only visits our solar system once in a century. These comets most likely originated from further beyond the sun.  

 Oftentimes, we (as amateurs) think of asteroids and comets as pretty much the same thing. Astronomers are now teaching us the differences, and also about the increasing number of “crossovers” or hybrids, just like the mythical centaur. The hybrids first appear to act as a standard asteroid and then later begin to morph and develop new activity (such as tails)  specific to comets. Astronomers and scientists have yet to tell us how or why this may be happening within the walls of our solar system.  

 What’s the difference between a comet and an asteroid? Tim Childers from Live Science tells us that comets are known as a dirty space snowball, made of mostly ice and dust. As comets tend to have a more stable orbit. Whereas asteroids are known as the rocky and airless leftovers from the formation of plants in our solar system. Asteroids mostly orbit around the sun in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. 1 

While the ATLAS telescope has discovered more than 40 cometsthis particular discovery of the 2019 LD2  is quite interesting because of the way that it orbits. This begs the question; Why is the orbit of this object extraordinary? Writers at NASA answered; The early indication that it was an asteroid near Jupiter’s orbit has now been confirmed through precise measurements from many different observations. This hybrid orbits in the same area that Jupiter does, implying that it may be part of the Jupiter’s trojans; a group of asteroids that share the same orbit as Jupiter. This was initially proven to be false by Sam Deen and Tony Dunn on the Minor planet Mailing List on May 21st, 2020. But after further observation it’s been determined that 2019 LD2 is part of Jupiter’s Trojans, it just exhibits different behaviors never seen before because it spewing out dust and gas which are characteristics of a comet. 

 As new observations are being conducted to try to figure out what actually happened. The only thing I am certain of is that the universe is full of big surprises. Even explorations to warn us of possible dangerous asteroids leaves us with many unexpected treasures that are harmless but incredibly fascinating objects that teach us more about the history of our solar system.  

 

 

  1. Childers, T. (2019, September 04).What’s the Difference Between Asteroids, Comets and Meteors? Retrieved October/November, 2020, from https://www.livescience.com/difference-between-asteroids-comets-and-meteors.html 

 

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Girls Conference 2020
For: Students

Girls Conference 2020

On Friday March 6th 2020, the Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender, and Social Justice at Mount Saint Vincent University will being holding the 2020 Girls Conference in celebration of International Women's Day.

The conference is for junior and senior high school girls from across the province, with workshops and presentations for participants to attend. The conference will be held at Mount Saint Vincent University with the theme Courageous, Creative, Confident.

WISEatlantic will be holding the “Game of Life” workshop where participants will have the opportunity to explore the realities of the working world as you get assigned a career and have to create a budget based on your given salary. Have fun choosing a home, car, pets, etc. all while sticking to a budget! Just like in the real world, life events can either add to your life or throw you into the deep end. In this life simulator, you will experience the ups-and-downs of the working world and attempt to come out on top. Do you think you’re ready for the “Game of Life”?

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STEMaware 2019
For: Teachers/Parents

STEMaware 2019

Another Successful STEMaware event took place on November. 5th, 2019 at Mount Saint Vincent University.

WISEatlantic hosted our third annual STEMaware event, which aims to connect High School girls and current Mount Saint Vincent University science students with past Bachelor of Science alumni. Many students are not necessarily aware of what they can do with their education, post-graduation. Nineteen students, ranging from grade nine to fourth year university, got to chat with Bachelor of Science graduates about their career paths and what they are using their degree’s for. Among our graduates were Nicole Snow, a genetic counsellor, Jessica Romo, an environmental scientist, Courtney Masey, a registered dietician, Holly Cook, a Chemistry and Physics laboratory technician, and Giovanni Johnson, a microbiologist and entrepreneur.

Mount Saint Vincent University recruitment was also in attendance and managed a booth during the event.

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Career Spotlight Booklet Series
For: Students For: Teachers/Parents

Career Spotlight Booklet Series

The first booklet in the Career Spotlight Series - Women in Science, has been completed. The Career Spotlight Series is directed at young girls in Junior and Senior High Schools and will be distributed to various schools and teachers’ conferences in the Atlantic Provinces. The aim of the Career Spotlight Series is to showcase the variety of careers available in the STEM fields.

The first booklet features a diverse group of women working in Geology, Molecular Microbiology, Physics, Marine Biology, Chemistry and Environmental Biology.  This is the first in the series of four booklets.  The next career booklet will come out in the fall of 2020 and will shine the spotlight on Engineers.  The following years will feature women in Information Technology and Math and Aboriginal STEM professionals.

Find the Women in Science booklet on our resources page! 

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Another Successful Senior Summer Camp!
For: Teachers/Parents

Another Successful Senior Summer Camp!

Last week, WISEatlantic held their third Senior Girls Get WISE Science Summer Camp. The four-day event exposed a group of high school girls to a variety of STEM careers. While they got to participate in plenty of hands-on activities, they also got a taste of what university life is like.

The girls shook off those first-day jitters by participating in a group challenge to create windmills that lift tea-bags off the ground as they spin – the least amount of materials, the better. They explored the concept of regeneration by working with planaria, a flatworm species that has the ability to grow back missing parts of their bodies, or even create whole new beings from smaller pieces. The girls tried their hands at drone building, to a variety of success, but had a thrilling time getting them to fly. They left the lab smelling beautiful by making soap with the Laughing Pear Soap Company; they even got to bring some sweet-smelling soap home! Each girl also had the chance to create their own website using HTML and CSS coding with Code Mobile.

In addition to participating in these activities, they got to learn about some unique career options. The girls got the opportunity to talk to a pediatric resident at the IWK who, alongside her hours at the hospital, is conducting specialized research that the girls were able to participate in. They got to visit the campus beehive and learn about the amazing world of beekeeping, as well as trying some delicious honey! They also explored how StatsCan aids in spreading real statistical data on a variety of subjects by creating their own visual representations of data related to a topic they were interested in.

The girls got to go on a campus tour where their burning questions surrounding what university life is like were answered. Spending time on campus was a new thing for a lot of the girls and as they start thinking about their post-secondary education, exploring what the Mount has to offer was a fun and inspiring opportunity. They also got to visit the Mount garden, which gave them a peaceful end to a jam-packed week of hands-on fun!

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CAGIS - Monthly Science Club for Girls
For: Students For: Teachers/Parents

CAGIS - Monthly Science Club for Girls

Have you heard the good news?! Halifax is getting it's own chapter of the Canadian Association of Girls in Science (CAGIS)! Starting in September, 2019.

CAGIS is an award-winning club for girls aged 11 to 16 that facilitates interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). CAGIS chapter members meet monthly to explore STEM with fun, hands-on activities led by women and men experts in a variety of STEM fields.

These monthly events often occur at the work places of our STEM experts, giving girls a behind-the-scenes view and allowing them to experience the lab and field environment for themselves!

If you’d like to learn more, or register, please visit the CAGIS national website at girlsinscience.ca 

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