UFV now has a club supporting all female-identifying students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). I got to sit down with three of the club’s four founders and executive members, Isabelle St-Martin, Kennedy Zwarych, and Aisa Dobie to talk about what their club does and why they said goodbye to what little free time they have to start it.
UFV WEST, which stands for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology, had their first Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Oct. 10, and are just starting to get established here at UFV. Although they do not currently have regular meeting times, the three of them, along with the fourth executive Emma Rose, a UFV alumnus, are already planning two upcoming events this semester.
On Nov. 28 they will hold a career panel, with professionals in the STEM field coming to talk about how they got there, what they do, and the challenges they face. They are currently confirming the attendance of the panelists and are actively looking for female-identifying, hopefully local, professionals in STEM. UFV WEST aims to bring awareness to gender barriers that exist in STEM fields and to empower women and other minorities to find success in STEM, in order to take action and move forward. This career panel aims to inspire more women to continue in their field, despite the obstacles they face.
On Dec. 6, UFV WEST will be part of the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, a memorial UFV holds every year for the École Polytechnique massacre. In 1989, a man entered the École Polytechnique, an engineering school in Quebec, and killed 14 women. This is the deadliest shooting in modern Canada, and is not often talked about. The club will be promoting the vigil to its members to gain more support and attendance, and to bring attention to this memorial dedicated to the death of women killed for pursuing a STEM education.
UFV WEST’s goal is to recognize and celebrate the contributions that women have made and continue to make in the scientific community, which have often gone under-acknowledged. The club understands that women are underrepresented in STEM fields and that they lack support and opportunities.
Students who are members of UFV WEST can expect to be educated about unrecognized female achievements in the STEM field. On the club’s Instagram they make a point to highlight female scientists and their accomplishments. These women started the club because of their mutual passion towards this topic, to recognize women’s achievements and further their careers in STEM.
“I don’t think there is really another option; I think we all just know that UFV needs this,” said St-Martin. “When I started looking at what other institutions have, like TRU, UBC, every other university or college has some kind of support or a group to promote women in STEM and we didn’t. It’s just so much bigger than all of us, and I think we all see how important this is.”
The club has received an influx of support from other students and faculty. At the first events they attended, U-Join and the Science Social, there was a lot of encouragement from faculty.
“The dean of science, Dr. Lucy Lee, was really excited about our club and started forwarding us emails of events we can promote and people we can talk to,” said Dobie. “It seems like it’s a needed field and the faculty are really excited.”
UFV WEST advocates for equity and inclusion, so everyone is welcome to join the club; you don’t need to be a STEM student or identify as a woman to join. Anyone who wants to support women in STEM is welcome to join the club and attend its events.
“This is open to everyone … Anyone who feels at all passionate about this should feel like this is a place that they can come to,” said St-Martin. “It’s not just science and not just women.”
Like the club on Facebook at UFV WEST, follow them on Instagram @ufvwest, or email them with any questions or to be added to the email list that lets students know about upcoming events and opportunities, ufvwest@gmail.com.
Image: UFV West Facebook
Andrea Sadowski is working towards her BA in Global Development Studies, with a minor in anthropology and Mennonite studies. When she's not sitting in front of her computer, Andrea enjoys climbing mountains, sleeping outside, cooking delicious plant-based food, talking to animals, and dismantling the patriarchy.