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April 30, 2019.1 NEWSLETTER
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Society of Canadian Women in Science and Technology

EMPOWER. INCLUDE. INSPIRE. CONNECT. SUSTAIN.
SPOTLIGHT
Alexandra Nestertchouk, HopKidz CEO:
Giving parents flexible childcare options to fit their lifestyles 

by Alison Knill, UBC Journalism student and SCWIST Communications Intern
 
When Alexandra Nestertchouk had her son, her life drastically shifted to be able to take care of him on his schedule. There were still moments, such as appointments, where she needed the flexibility of childcare and it wasn’t there. 

The idea for HopKidz, an on-demand childcare service, started when Alexandra had a dentist appointment. She had a baby sitter lined up to look after her son while she had the dental procedure done, but the sitter cancelled two hours before the start of Alexandra’s appointment. She spent the next hour and a half on the phone calling friends and childminding agencies, but there was no availability on short notice. She couldn’t even use the childminding service at her usual gym because the parents have to stay on the premises. Her only option was to pay the cancellation fee and wait four months for the next available appointment. From there, Alexandra decided that she wanted to create a service for parents that could provide on-demand, last minute childcare.

She felt confident in starting her own company because she comes from a family of business women and leaders — her 82-year-old grandmother even own and runs her own shop. “I’ve been raised with the attitude that if you don’t like anything about anything, instead of complaining, be the change. Do something about it,” she said.

Read more.

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VOICES FROM THE SCWIST COMMUNITY

The Gender Hierarchy Problem in Psychology
by Kassandra Burd, M.Sc. Cognitive Neuropsychology, University of Kent

 

When people think of the field of Psychology, they may be aware that the majority of students who major in this discipline are female; it would only make sense to assume that both academic and leadership positions would primarily be occupied by women. Why would a field that is significantly made up of women be dominated by men? Unfortunately, the pressing issue of gender hierarchy in academia is the sad reality of Psychology today. Read more. 


The benefits of volunteering
by Michelle Tsang, B.A. Public Affairs and Policy Management, Carleton University

Volunteer work is more than just community service. As a frequent volunteer myself, I have experienced many advantages with this. I hope my experiences can inspire and encourage the benefits of volunteer work. Read more.


 

This article explores the socio-economic factors and implications behind evidence that developing countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa are outperforming advanced, liberal democratic countries in North America and Scandinavia in the advancement of women in STEM.  Read more.


 

Are Stereotypes Keeping Women out of STEM and Equal Pay?
by Abigail Byle, M.A. English, Queen’s University

Women today outpace men in earning bachelor’s degrees and increasingly diversity most employment fields and industries, but there are still high gender wage gaps, as well as high-paying jobs in fields that continue to be male-dominated. Canada has followed the lead of many European countries in prioritizing closing the gender wage gap for Canadian women, a gap that is especially large for women entering and working in STEM fields. Read more.


 

EVENT RECAP
STEM Women in Leadership
What: Panel discussion on "Celebrating Success and Learning from Failures".
Who: Women in STEM Leaders Christin Wiedemann (president, Radical I/O), Olivia Norton (co-founder, Sanctuary AI), Shay Kingsbury (development manager, Electronic Arts) and Ron Zohar Kalmanson (project manager, SNC-Lavalin).
When and Where: April 11, 2019 at the ISSBC Welcome Centre

The event was jointly organized by IEEE-Women in Engineering Vancouver chapter (Selyn Chen), SCWIST (Khristine Carino), and ISSofBC (Mary Tecson & Jennifer Legaspi)

Read the key takeaways of the panel discussion here.
UPCOMING EVENTS
When: Tuesday, May 14, 2019 | 6:00 pm
Where: TBA

This month's speaker will be Lida Tohidi and she will be speaking to us about "Mindfulness for Achievers." Tickets  here.
When: Saturday, May 18, 2019 | 12:45 – 3:30 PM PDT 
Where: SFU Ventures Lab, Harbour Place 12th Floor

 
Come and brush up on your writing, while learning the basics of news and feature writing! The workshop will be led by Alison Knill and Kathryn Gretsinger of the UBC School of Journalism. Alison is a student in the Masters program and has been writing for SCWIST as an intern with the Communications Team. Kathryn is a journalist, faculty member and internship coordinator. FREE for SCWIST Communications Committee members and volunteers. $10 for SCWIST members and $25 for guests. Fee includes light refreshments. Register here.
 
When: Thursday, May 23, 2019 | 2:00 – 7:30 PM PDT 
Where: Vancouver Public Library Central Branch

Looking for a job?!

Join us for a job fair focused on connecting employers to women and other underrepresented groups in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields. The event will feature employers on site, workshops, panel discussions, resume reviews, and a networking reception. You can also get a new head shot taken at the event to help improve your professional brand online. Register here.
When: Wed, 19 June 2019 | 5:15 PM PDT 
Where: University Women's Club, 1489 McRae Avenue, Vancouver

Join us for a review of SCWIST's activities and election of board members for 2019-20. This is a great opportunity to connect with the SCWIST community and expand your network of professionals in STEM who are empowering the community in influential ways. We'll update this event with an agenda and perhaps some special speaker details as we get closer to the event date! Register here.
QUOTE OF THE MONTH
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SCWIST NEWSLETTER EDITORS
Khristine Carino, DMD, PhD
Olga Zamudio Prieto, PhD
Rosette Joseph, Toronto

INTERN
Alison Knill, UBC Journalism

STAFF
Neha Gadhari, Vancouver
Tugce Tuysuz, Montreal
Nasira Aziz, Vancouver
Accepting article, photo and event submissions.
Deadline: 12th and 25th of the month. 
Email: director-communications@scwist.ca
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