Canadian Women in STEM blog posts - 2018

Dr. Heather McNairn is a top research scientist at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AFFC) Ottawa Research and Development Centre. She specializes in Earth observation research, which involves using satellite data in agriculture.

"Work hard and follow your passion. I tell my kids: just relax. Don’t worry too much about your career, because if you have a passion, and you work hard, the doors will open for you. And sometimes they will open in ways you didn’t expect."

Public Health Officer, Public Health Agency of Canada

The role of a Public Health Officer constantly evolves as new trends emerge in the public health environment. Karen Colbourne has first-hand experience with this in her role as a Public Health Officer at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). “The continuous learning and growth that occurs with each new project is what keeps this job very interesting,” she told us. “There is always an opportunity to learn new things and expand my nursing practice into areas that I never expected.”

Manager, Healthcare Associated Infections and Infection Prevention and Control Section, Centre for Communicable Disease Prevention and Control, Public Health Agency of Canada

With over 36 years of experience in the nursing profession, including 10 years working at the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Kathy Dunn has a true understanding of the importance of preventing and managing infections. She has seen first-hand how bugs can outsmart us and how infections can have long-lasting —even fatal — effects. Experiencing outbreaks first-hand has made her very passionate about promoting healthy practices on a national scale.

Team Lead, Maternal and Child Health, Public Health Agency of Canada

Lynn Menard works with the maternal and child health team at the Public Health Agency of Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. She is currently working alongside numerous external maternal and newborn health experts to revise the Family-Centred Maternity and Newborn Care (FCMNC) National Guidelines.

Senior Nurse Consultant, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Surveillance System, Public Health Agency of Canada

Rolande D’Amour’s passion for nursing and travel has taken her all over Canada, and abroad. In 2003, she went to Toronto to help with the SARS public health crisis. “Working on the SARS epidemic in Toronto had a huge impact on me. I went there twice to do chart reviews and I felt like I made a real contribution,” she told us.

Director, Field Service Training and Response, Public Health Agency of Canada

Samantha Wilson-Clark sees her nursing education and training as invaluable to her public health career. “Being a nurse makes me a better public health professional,” she said. “Nursing taught me how to think critically, how to work under pressure and how to be flexible and adaptable. It provided me with the theoretical foundation to think big while not forgetting the person sitting in front of me.” Samantha especially enjoys connecting with people on the job and knowing that her work has a positive impact on Canadians.

Lisa Fernando works at the Public Health Agency of Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Lisa has a Bachelor of Science degree (Hons) in Biology from the University of Winnipeg, and a Master's of Science in Medical Microbiology from the University of Manitoba.

Lisa pursued a career in the Level 4 lab because during her Master's research she was surrounded by a team who did high containment work. Mentors encouraged her to go beyond her comfort zone and gave her opportunities they knew she would excel at, even when she didn't see it. Now, she does the same for women in her program that may need encouragement and support.

Gwyneth Anne MacMillan is a PhD candidate in Biology at the University of Montreal studying pollution in the Arctic. She has a Bachelor of Science (Honors) in Biology and Anthropology from the University of Western Ontario and a graduate diploma in Environment and Sustainable Development from the University of Montreal. She also sits on the board of the Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Canada. Gwyneth enjoys reading and loves being outside, especially in the winter!

Laura Douglas is the Controls System Engineer and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Manager at the Canadian Science Centre for Human and Animal Health (CSCHAH) in Winnipeg, MB. Her team is responsible for the building systems that keep the lab safe, and secure, while making sure research operations don’t miss a beat.

“Currently less than 13% of practicing engineers are female… it’s really important for young women to see their value in how they can contribute to a better world – starting with the ability to engineer the way we live.”Laura actively promotes the 30 by 30 campaign which is an initiative led by Engineers Canada to increase the percentage of newly female licensed engineers to 30% by 2030.

Julia is a postdoctoral research fellow in Screening at the Centre for Drug Research and Development in Vancouver. She did her PhD in Mitochondrial Biology at University College London (UCL) and her BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Bath. In her free time, she loves to read, run, cycle, and explore the world.

Morgan Book is a climate change adaptation queen (program manager) at Clean NS Foundation. She encourages everyone to reconnect with their roots and stay grounded when they are feeling lost and uninspired in this complicated world. In her spare time, Morgan runs road races, enjoys the local food scene, and explores the wonderment around her.

Jill Rajewicz currently works as a Physical Scientist for the Canadian Ice Service in Ottawa. Passionate about polar research, she sits on the board Association of Polar Early Career Scientists (APECS) Canada chapter. In her free time, she loves to cross-country ski, mountain bike, and read.

"Being immersed in the world and observing processes and patterns with your own eyes encourages curiosity and spurs you to ask new questions and devise new ways to investigate problems. I have been fortunate to see places in the High Arctic that very few other people will have the chance to visit."

Gabrielle Gascon is a Physical Sciences Specialist at Environment and Climate Change Canada. She bikes to work almost every day. In her spare time, Gabrielle enjoys cooking, hiking, skiing, and taking care of her garden.

"As long as I can remember, I showed interest in weather, from finding shapes in small cumulus clouds to playing outside in a snowstorm. Wanting to know more about the atmosphere, I enrolled in McGill University, with a specialization in meteorology and oceanography."

Allison Sibley is a technical officer at the National Research Council (NRC) in Ottawa ON. She got her BSc in Physics at Mount Allison University (she promises she didn't pick the school just because of the name) in Sackville, NB and an MSc in experimental laser process monitoring at Queen's in Kingston, ON. In her spare time she likes to bake (and eat) delicious treats, spend hours on Pinterest trying to find the perfect DIY project, and watch way more TV than is good for her.

"I just love figuring out why and how things behave the way they do! That’s not to say that there haven’t been times where I’ve struggled to stay motivated or thought about giving up on a problem or a project that seems to get more and more complicated the longer I work on it, but the moment when everything finally clicks is absolutely worth all of the pain of getting there!"

Charron and Hodak are examples of the strides being made to cultivate the next generation of leaders in engineering, and they encourage engineering students to be themselves as they pursue their careers. Although Hodak was a student on the CHARS project only a short while ago, she is well on her way to her own full-circle moment as a mentor to other engineering students.

The first time I read an entire book in a single day was in grade five. I still remember the warm feeling I got from stepping into a story and experiencing the adventures with my favourite characters.

Starting at the age of 6, my favorite subject was science. As I entered high school, I was already deeply interested in genetics. Following my passion, I completed my BSc. and Ph.D. in genetics from the University of Alberta. Afterwards, I was awarded a Canadian Blood Services Post-doctoral fellowship where I studied a bleeding disorder known as Immune Thrombocytopenia.

Melisa is a fourth-year student studying Neuroscience and Mathematics at University of Toronto. Her passion in computational neuroscience was revealed when she was given the opportunities to get involved in research in second year. As she is now aiming for a career in research, she wants everyone to follow their curiosity and passion!

Vicki Lynn Cove is a professional technical writer and amateur cat-sitter from Nova Scotia, who currently lives in California. She has a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Biology and a minor in English literature from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, and an Advanced Diploma in Geographic Sciences from the Centre of Geographic Sciences in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia. In her spare time, Vicki Lynn enjoys climbing up rocks while tied very tightly to a rope, creating knitting projects that are inappropriate for the Southern California climate, and explaining the Westminster parliamentary system to Americans. Vicki Lynn has very strong opinions on a wide variety of subjects; the ones expressed here are hers alone and do not represent the Government of Canada or any of her affiliates.

Michelle Fairbrother is a physical science officer at the National Hydrological Service. In her own work, Michelle pushes herself to embody the same bravery and strength demonstrated by Jane Goodall. In her spare time, Michelle crafts, thrifts, hikes, and feeds baby squirrels.

Granda is a Data Production and Dissemination Coordinator at Statistics Canada. She is an active volunteer for a wide variety of causes. She encourages women to be kind to themselves and each other. Choices are not failures.

Anna Crawford is a PhD candidate at Carleton University studying the deterioration of large icebergs (“ice islands”). She is also Co-Chair of Greenpeace Canada's Board of Directors. In her spare time, Anna enjoys running, cross-country skiing, and hiking.

Lisa Anderson works for MDA Geospatial as a Senior Project Engineer. Read on to learn about Lisa’s path to software engineering and her thoughts on challenges in STEM.

Liz Cowan is a substitute teacher for the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB). Before becoming a teacher, Liz completed her B.Sc. at the University of Guelph and her M.Sc. at Carleton University studying biogeochemistry and carbon cycling in peatlands. She likes teaching science because it combines her love of science and lifelong learning. In her spare time, Liz likes to crochet, ride her bike and stare at clouds.”