Event Details

The events of 2020 have changed our lives in countless ways, resulting in a significant shift towards working from home, a rise in cyber security breaches and of course, a concerted effort to find a COVID-19 vaccine. In this episode, four women working in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) will discuss their journeys through the unexpected challenges of 2020. Join our panelists as they discuss their struggles, accomplishments, the significant role women play in the workplace and their continued under-representation in STEM-related fields.

6-7 p.m. (AST), Wednesday, Nov. 4
Livestreamed via Facebook

Attendees are invited to participate in the discussion by posting questions and comments during the live event.

Access the live stream on Facebook from this post when the event begins:

Tickets

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Panelists

Faten Alshazly (BSCS’99) is the Founder and Chief Creative Officer of WeUsThem, a full service ad agency with a client roster that includes Telus, Nestlé, the Eastern Caribbean Central Union, Government of Canada, Kaplan International, Cambridge University, Government of Jamaica, and the Sinai Health System to name a few. Alshazly is one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women. She is also named Executive of the Year and most recently Entrepreneur of the Year in Canada, internationally. Alshazly has also been named 1 of 5 Women of Inspiration, a Woman of Influence, a Woman of Excellence and a Diva of Color most recently in 2020, once again internationally. Her leadership has brought home numerous nods from the Webbys, Daveys, MarCom, CHIA, W3’s, Hermes, and Advertising Age for WeUsThem, all firsts in the east coast of Canada. As part of her work in the community, Alshazly serves on the boards Efficiency One, the Halifax Chamber of Commerce and the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia. Alshazly is also a former director of the Canadian Cancer Society and a Governor in Council at NSCAD University. Alshazly is passionate about sustainable energy solutions that can better our global footprint, while also taking care of the most vulnerable in our population. Alshazly has also spent numerous hours looking to chart careers for those in the creative fields to further the creative economy locally, nationally and internationally. Championing Women in the STEAM fields by speaking and mentoring young women from various post-secondary institutions, Alshazly has also been a vocal advocate for Women returning to the workforce. Providing work placements, mentorship and career advice, Alshazly supports women through their journeys from school to careers to entrepreneurship through numerous networks like the Women’s Executive Network, Women in STEM, Women In Technology and the Womens Employment Outreach. Recently, Alshazly was invited by the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt to address the World Youth Forum attended by over 6000 delegates from over 40 nations, on topics concerning women and their roles in Leadership positions globally to speak alongside the UN.

Imogen R. Coe is a professor of Chemistry and Biology and former founding dean, in the Faculty of Science at Ryerson University in Toronto. She is also an affiliate scientist at St. Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, where her research group studies drug transporters. In addition to being an academic scientist, Dr. Coe is one of Canada’s leading advocates for organizational change towards inclusive excellence in research, particularly in science and medicine. She has advised federal and national funding agencies on how to integrate equity, diversity and inclusion principles into research cultures and has published on the topic of inclusive excellence in diverse venues such as The Lancet and the Globe and Mail. She is much in demand as a speaker and panelist and has received numerous awards for her advocacy work.

Sarah Devereaux (BEng’93, MEng’99), M.Eng., P.Eng., FEC is a graduate of the Technical University of Nova Scotia (TUNS), following a two year diploma program at St. Francis Xavier University. Following graduation from TUNS (now Dalhousie), Devereaux started her career with Dillon Consulting Limited, where she provides engineering solutions for a variety of projects, ranging from municipal infrastructure to regional landfill sites. She has 26 years of experience as a civil engineer throughout Nova Scotia and nationwide. Devereaux is a partner at Dillon Consulting Limited and currently sits on the Board of Directors. She is the National Manager for the Community Infrastructure Business Unit which involves assessing and tracking business opportunities for all infrastructure related projects across the Country; monitoring projects and project managers; assessing risks; and budget and revenue planning and monitoring for the Business Unit. Devereaux has also held many external leadership roles throughout her career, which have included President of Engineers Nova Scotia and Director on the Board of Engineers Canada. She has been acknowledged several times for her accomplishments, such as Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada, Engineers Canada Award for the Support of Women in Engineering and Consulting Engineers of Nova Scotia Distinguished Service Award.

Leslie Phillmore, a Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and Associate Dean (Undergraduate Programs Continuity) in Dalhousie’s Faculty of Science. Dr. Phillmore’s research in the Songbird Neurology Lab studies song learning, song perception, and production and the neural bases of these complex behaviours.

Moderator

Dr. Alice Aiken (BScPT’94), Vice-President Research & Innovation at Dalhousie University, will moderate the panel. She is an active researcher focused on health systems transformation and evidence-informed policy-making. Dr. Aiken is currently the Vice-Chair of the Governing Council of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and chairs the board of Research Nova Scotia. She is elected to the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada.