At Scientists in School we are proud to highlight the extraordinary contributions women have made to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) from Arctic marine biologists studying the impacts of climate change to professional engineers breaking the glass ceiling for girls!
If you know a young scientist, share this blog post with them and open their eyes to the possibilities of a career in STEM. By sharing the stories of successful women in STEM, we can encourage young girls to have the confidence to say, “I can be a scientist!”
Join us on a journey as we rediscover some amazing #WomenInSTEM that we have had the pleasure of interviewing over the last couple of years for our Spotlight with Scientists in School series.
Stephanie Thompson, Professional Engineer, STEM Advisor, Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women
Stephanie Thompson is a passionate engineer and community leader. She has been recognized by the Women’s Executive Network as one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women three times. Stephanie works tirelessly to break down barriers for women and girls. In 2019, Stephanie launched Women in STEM Experiences (WISE) which aims to make STEM subjects accessible to everyone. Her focus is on empowering female students in leadership and technical roles.
Join us for a live premiere on Spotlight with Scientists in School with Stephanie Thompson on Thursday, February 9th at 12:45 pm EST on our YouTube channel.
Dr. Laurie Rousseau-Nepton, Canadian Astronomer
Dr. Laurie Rousseau-Nepton is a Canadian astronomer at the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope and the first Indigenous woman in Canada to obtain a PhD in astrophysics! Today Laurie discovers stars through a giant telescope situated at the summit of Mauna Kea on the Big Island of Hawaii. Laurie is also leading an international project called SIGNALS which is aimed at observing thousands of newly born stars in galaxies close to the Milky Way.
Laurie is an advocate for Indigenizing STEM in classrooms, encouraging girls to pursue STEM, and creating a space in science that is open and inclusive of different perspectives and voices.
Dr. Emily Choy, Arctic Marine Biologist
Dr. Emily Choy is an Arctic scientist and educator. She spends her time in the Canadian North studying the impacts of climate change on Arctic marine predators such as seabirds, specifically thick-billed murres. She is also the recipient of the 2020 L’Oréal Canada For Women in Science Research Excellence Fellowships. Emily completed her PhD at University of Manitoba on Beaufort Sea beluga whales in partnership with communities in the Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Northwest Territories.
Dr. Choy sees a need to bridge the gap between Western and traditional knowledge, and the importance of inclusion in Northern Research. When Dr. Choy isn’t scaling cliffsides looking for seabirds, she is sailing icy waters looking for lost ships at sea. Dr. Choy joined the successful Victoria Strait Expedition in 2014 in search of Sir John Franklin’s ships, Erebus and Terror.
Maryam Tsegaye, Winner of the Junior International Breakthrough Challenge
In 2020, at the age of 17, Maryam Tsegaye was the first Canadian winner of the Junior Breakthrough Challenge. This challenge required students to choose a complex scientific principle and explain it in three minutes. Maryam’s video on Quantum tunneling is engaging, creative, and entertaining. Maryam is the first Canadian to win the title plus $500,000 in prize money: a post-secondary scholarship fund for Maryam, prize money for her inspiring science teacher, Ms. Vladicka, and funds for a new Breakthrough science lab at École McTavish High School in Fort McMurray, Alberta.
Maryam candidly shares what this win means as a young, Black, female scientist. It is an inspiring conversation you don’t want to miss!
Dr. Yasmeen Mezil, Scientist, Educator and Anatomy Illustrator
Dr. Yasmeen Mezil is a scientist, an educator (currently teaching at McMaster University and Brock University), and an anatomy illustrator! Throughout history, artists have been fascinated with drawing the human body, but medical illustrators like Mezil go below the surface of the skin, finding the beauty in muscles and bones. At first glance, it may seem that art and science are at the opposite ends of the spectrum – science is analytical, art is creative – but these two disciplines often overlap. Should educators be using art to teach science in classrooms? Is there a place where science and art intersect? Can art effectively communicate science to the public? Yes! Yes! Yes!
Dr. Parshati Patel, Astrophysicist and Book Author
Dr. Parshati Patel is an astrophysicist and science communicator, passionate about stars, galaxies, and space! She is also the co-founder of Women of Colour in STEAMM (science, technology, engineering, art, math, and medicine), an organization that aims to increase the visibility of BIPOC women in these fields. Dr. Patel recently published her first book, My Book of Stars and Planets: A fact-filled guide to space, published by DK books inspiring kids across the planet!
Our Presenter Team!
#DYK that a majority of our dynamic workshop presenters are #WomeninSTEM? Our presenters are engineers, biologists, technologists and more. Our presenters provide memorable opportunities for all children to see themselves as scientists. Book a workshop and spark curiosity, confidence, and imagination in the next generation.
“You cannot be what you cannot see.”
-Sally Ride, Astronaut and Physicist
