Dr. Stephanie van Willigenburg
Professor of Mathematics, University of British Columbia
“Not wired that way”
One of my PhD supervisors believed that women’s brains were not wired to do mathematics. In my talk I will address why mathematics is for everyone with a passion for it, and the importance of strong and positive mentorship. I will also discuss how the mathematics community around the world, and in Canada, has been addressing the gender gap in mathematics, from proactive hiring at universities, to focused conferences and workshops such as at the Banff International Research Station. However, not all contributions need to be made on a large scale, and I will also discuss smaller but equally meaningful ways the gap can be addressed.
Dhalie Patara, former Director of Finance & Paloma Corvalan, President of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST)
Dhalie Patara is a Board Member and former Director of Finance at SCWIST (Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology). She has over 20 years of experience as a project manager, including 10 years of clinical solutions delivery in healthcare.
Paloma Corvalan is the President of SCWIST (Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology) and the Development Manager at Sea Smart, a Vancouver-based charity that inspires people to love and protect our oceans. She is an alumna of Homeward Bound, a leadership initiative that aims to reduce barriers that inhibit progress for women in STEM.
“Addressing the gender gap in STEM at all levels of the leaky pipeline”
Since 1981, the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) has been working on boosting the numbers, retention and status of women in the workplace. Through fostering connections and providing activities, mentorship and leadership, SCWIST has been inspiring girls’ love for STEM, connecting young STEMinists with mentors, and reducing the systemic barriers that women face when pursuing a career in STEM. In this talk, Paloma Corvalan and Dhalie Patara will be sharing their journey into STEM, their work with SCWIST, and how we can address the gender gap in STEM at all levels of the leaky pipeline.
Cybele Negris, co-founder and CEO of Webnames.ca, the first .ca registrar.
Cybele Negris is a serial entrepreneur, seasoned board member, speaker, mentor, and columnist. Cybele is CEO & Co-Founder of Webnames.ca, Canada’s original .CA Registrar and provider of hundreds of domain extensions, corporate domain portfolio management, webhosting, email, security products, and other online solutions. Webnames’ clients include some of the country’s largest corporations, government, law-firms, and global Fortune 500 brands.
Cybele serves on the board as well as audit, and HR committees of the Royal Canadian Mint, the board and the audit and risk committees of BCAA, the board of Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver and board and chairs the Risk Committee at Science World. Working closely with the Chair, BC Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Competitiveness, Cybele is Vice-Chair of the Small Business Roundtable of BC. She also serves on the Technical Advisory Board for the Riverview Lands Redevelopment in Coquitlam, the advisory council of Science World, SFU Innovates, and is a Regional Ambassador for Women Get on Board. She was formerly appointed by the Minister of Jobs, Trade, and Technology to the three-member Small Business Task Force of BC. She formerly served on the Board of Governors of Capilano University, as Vice-chair of Small Business BC, and on the boards of the BC Premier’s Technology Council, Forum for Women Entrepreneurs, Vancouver Economic Commission and Wired Women.
A Hall of Fame Inductee and four-time winner of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women and nine-time winner of PROFIT W100, some of Cybele’s other recognitions include BC Business Most Influential Women in Business 2018, 2017, 2015, and Business In Vancouver’s Influential Women in Business 2010 and Top 40 Under 40 2003.
She is a columnist for Business in Vancouver and speaks at dozens of events each year including TEDx and Level Up Conference along with former Prime Ministers Chretien and Harper.
Cybele’s presentation sneak peak:
A Hall of Fame Inductee of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, serial entrepreneur, successful female founder & CEO in the technology industry and seasoned board member in numerous organizations, some would consider Cybele Negris a model of success. However, she had a secret she was hiding until she declared to the world in an article in Business in Vancouver that she’s the “ultimate impostor”. As she struggled with Impostor Syndrome, she discovered its affects in her road to success. She will talk about her entrepreneurial journey through a diverse career path from working at UBC, to pharmaceuticals, to becoming a founder in the construction industry and then a technology company. She will share how to overcome fear and adversity and the necessary mindset to take on leadership roles as you grow through your career.
Selena Wilson, Principal Project Manager, Mott MacDonald & Chair ACEC-BC
Selena is a civil engineer specializing in transportation infrastructure projects, including spending four years as a highway design lead and civil coordinator for the Port Mann Bridge onshore design project. Her leadership experience includes the management of engineering teams, including running an engineering branch in Prince Rupert BC, and is currently the civil highways lead for Mott MacDonald in the Lower Mainland. When she’s not doing her day job, she is making her mark in the consulting engineering field. She was an early participant and supporter of the Young Professionals Group that was established in 2006 at the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies-B.C. In 2008, she joined the Young Professional Forum Steering Committee with FIDIC, the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, and is the current Chair of the Association of Consulting Engineering Companies- BC.
Dr. Anne Condon , Professor of Computer Science, UBC, previous NSERC Chairholder for Women in Science and Engineering
Are you considering graduate school or doing research? We’ll discuss how to assess whether this is a good idea for you, and what you can expect. Some of the questions we’ll address are: How can postgraduate studies and a research experience can help you achieve your goals? How does higher education influence opportunities in the workplace? How do you figure out what you’re passionate about and should pursue in graduate school? How do you position yourself to be successful, given the leaky pipeline and gender inequities in STEM? What are the rewards of a research career? This presentation is aimed primarily at undergraduates, but hopefully will also be helpful to students at all levels.
Dr. Mana Norouzpour
Dr. Mana Norouzpour is one of a few Materials Scientists in D-Wave Systems Incorporation. Mana’s education and career in STEM is twofold. One part is completed in her home country as a Metallurgical engineer. Then she pursued her PhD in Canada and started a new life in a new country and a different culture. As a woman, especially a woman from Iran, and as an immigrant, facing different challenges did not mean restrictions to her career goals in STEM world. Instead they were employed as a “foundation” to create stronger career plans. Being a woman in STEM requires you to admit to yourself the role you can play in STEM. And how you can benefit from your motivation, capabilities, intelligence and ambitions to play your role well enough to develop.
Although, the status of women in STEM might seem promising, there are still biases pushing women out of STEM. If you know the untold story of many women and female leaders in STEM, you will see how many gender barriers they broke along the way. This should be more inspiring rather than disappointing to younger women to pursue their careers in STEM and to reduce the gender gap.
UBC Young Women for STEM 