Tag Archives: SCWIST

Part-time job at the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST)

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The Vancouver-based Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) has a part-time, contract position available. From the SCWIST Coordinator – MS Infinity Program job page,

The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) is a non-profit association that promotes, encourages and empowers women and girls in science, engineering and technology. Ms Infinity programs introduce girls to exciting career options and female role models in science and technology. Conferences and workshops with fun filled activities bring science alive. Girls are introduced to jobs from all areas of science and get the support they need when deciding how to take their interest in science further with e-mentor and role model programs.

POSITION OVERVIEW & KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Title: Coordinator – MS Infinity Program
Type: Part-time contract (12 – 18 hours per week)
Start: ASAP
Application deadline: January 20, 2015
Reports to: Director of Outreach
Time Commitment:  This is a 6-month contract, to be renewed based on grant funding

Coordination and promotion of ms infinity programming:

  • Volunteer recruitment and management
  • Volunteer training, development and communication (quarterly e-newsletter)
  • Preparation of promotional material and marketing of the program
  • Organization of and communication with the ms infinity committee
  • Communication with workshop/ event/ conference organizers
  • Promotion of ms infinity offerings to SCWIST members
  • Assistance in workshop, event and conference organization
  • Research of new workshop and event possibilities to extend the reach of ms infinity
  • Development of new educational workshops
  • Grant application, reporting and budget management

Coordination of the e-mentoring program:

  • Program administration
  • Recruitment of mentors and mentees
  • Organization of discussion topics

Qualifications:

  • A degree in science or education
  • Experience in informal science education and program coordination
  • Positive, enthusiastic attitude
  • Ability to present the Society well in the science learning and promotion community
  • Strong organizational and communication skills
  • Self-motivated with attention to detail
  • Experience in event organization and management, as well as experience managing budgets
  • Excellent knowledge in MS Office and social media tools

Additional application information is on the job page.

Pop up event based on European Commission’s Science: It’s a girl thing on July 27, 2012 in Vancouver (Canada)

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The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) will be holding a free ‘pop up’ event at Joey’s on Broadway (1424 W. Broadway at Hemlock St.) on Friday, July 27, 2012 from 6 pm – 8 pm.This event is a local outcome of the international discussion taking place about the European Commissions’ Science: It’s a Girl Thing campaign video (first mentioned in my July 6, 2012 posting and then in my July 18, 2012 posting).

Here’s more about the Vancouver topic and the event (from the July 20, 2012 posting on the Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology (WWEST) blog on the University of British Columbia website),

Topic: It’s a girl thing: How do we get more girls to pursue STEM [Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics] careers?

What is a SCWIST Pop-Up Discussion? A casual evening of networking, socializing, and discussion on current and relevant media topics held at a local restaurant! It’s a chance to get out and chat and network with like-minded people!

There’s also information abut th4 event on the SCWIST  Facebook page.

‘Girly’ girls aren’t motivated to study science by ‘girly’ scientists

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Liz Else in a June 22, 2012 article for New Scientist discusses, in light of the recent  ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing’ campaign video/debacle (mentioned in my July 6, 2012 posting), some recent research which suggests that ‘girly’ or ‘feminine’ scientist role models are demotivating (Note: I have removed links),

But the team really should have done some background before launching the teaser video for the initiative (above). If they had, they would have probably come across some recent research by University of Michigan psychologists Diana Betz and Denise Sekaquaptewa that would have stopped them dead in their tracks.

Betz and Sekaquaptewa recruited 142 girls aged 11 to 13 and showed them mocked-up magazine articles about three female university students who were either described as doing well in science, engineering, technology or mathematics (STEM), or as rising stars in unspecified fields. The three also either displayed overtly feminine characteristics or gender-neutral traits.

Oddly, the researchers found that girls who read about the feminine science students decreased their self-rated interest in maths ability and short-term expectations of success. [emphasis mine]

Else’s article describes other related outcomes and provides a link to the research article (which is behind a paywall).

This research contrasts with the response from the Australian teen science bloggers (in my July 6, 2012 posting) who were very enthusiastic about this more girly approach.

In conjunction with the material in my previous posting on this topic,  it seems this whole incident has sparked an extraordinary conversation taking place internationally and across various social media. For those on Twitter, I recommend the #ScienceGirlThing discussion. Locally (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada), I believe the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) is considering an event focused on the ‘Science: It’s a Girl Thing’. I’ll let you know more as this evolves.

Thanks to @CarlsonEngineer for the link to article by Else.

Canada’s National Science and Technology Week 2011

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October 14 – 23, 2011 has been designated as Canada’s National Science and Technology ‘week‘. From the October 7, 2011 newsletter from the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation,

We are proud to provide national coordination for Canada’s National Science and Technology Week (NSTW). Launch ceremony will coincide with the opening of CBC ]Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]-Radio Canada exhibition. Locally, our museums will mark the week with lots of lectures, events, demonstrations and exhibitions.

Here’s a video of Dr. Rashmi Venkateswaran from the University of Ottawa promoting National Science and Technology Week and talking about why she believes understanding science is so important for everyone,

There’s a listing of this year’s events across the country, here. I notice that in the province of British Columbia (where I’m located), there are a total of 11 listed, most of them in Vancouver or Victoria. Here are a few that caught my attention,

Girl Guides

Name of Event: All about Science
Location: Chilliwack, BC
Date of Event: Oct 18 2011
Event Details: We are going to do some science experiments, talk about Canadian inventors, and do activities from the Activity Book 3.

British Columbia Innovation Council [BCIC]

Name of Event: BCIC’s Innovation Exploration
Location: Victoria, BC
Date: October 24th and 25th 2011
Event Details: Closed event: Established in 1990, BCIC’s Innovation Exploration program recognizes British Columbia and the Yukon’s leading secondary students who represent their regions at the Canada-Wide Science Fair. The program provides top students with an opportunity to explore post-secondary education and career opportunities available to them in science and technology in BC. This year, for the first time ever, BCIC is hosting the Innovation Exploration program in Victoria, and will welcome 66 accomplished students for two days of activities and meetings with members of Victoria’s tech community including the Victoria Advanced Technology Council (VIATeC), Vancouver Island Technology Park (VITP), Centre of the Universe (Astronomy Interpretive Centre), the University of Victoria (UVic), and the Institute for Ocean Sciences (IOS). The event will culminate at the Opening Dinner held at Royal BC Museum with members of government, industry and academia in attendance and a keynote presentation delivered by Astronomer Dr. Doug Johnstone.

TRIUMF

Name of Event: TRIUMF Saturday Morning Lectures
Location: TRIUMF Auditorium [University of British Columbia]
Date of Event: October 15, 2011
Event Details: TRIUMF, UBC, and SFU present a series of lectures on the frontiers of modern physics at a level suitable for high school students or the general public. This lecture will cover “The Future of Nuclear Medicine” by TRIUMF scientist Dr. Paul Schaffer, and “Scanning Tunnelling Microscopy: In Touch with Atoms” by Dr. Yan Pennec of UBC.

Vancouver Women’s Club and SCWIST – Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology

Name of Event: Climbing the Ladder
Location: Hycroft University Women’s Club of Vancouver 1489 McRae Avenue, Vancouver, BC
Date of Event: October 20, 2011
Event Details: Networking event hosted by the Vancouver Women’s Club and SCWIST – Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology- promoting women in science, technology and management positions. Panel discussion with the following renowned individuals:
Anne Naser — Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Pamela Cohen — Vice President — Human Resources & Facilities
Joo Choon — Manager — Systems Development & Support
Andrea Goddard — Manager — HR Operations & IT Specialist
Izabella Wieckowski — Manager — IT Solutions
Zorana (Ana) Ostojic – Senior Engineer

$20 – non members free – SCWIST members (become a member today!)

Richmond Public Library

Name of Event: 5th Annual Brighouse Science Celebration
Location: Main branch of the Richmond Public Library
Date of Event: Friday, October 21st, 2011
Event Details: Join us October 21st (10:00 – 4:00) in celebrating the diverse sciences used in the classroom and workplace here in B.C. Building upon the huge success of previous years we hope to make this Pro-D event the biggest of them all by hosting the largest number of government and non-government groups. Bring your children for some hands-on science fun!

The Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation lists these events for their celebration of Canada’s National Science and Technology Week. Unfortunately, I could not find any additional information about the CBC-Radio Canada 75th Anniversary exhibition on the museum website.