These workshops are open to all female students in Science and Engineering. You do NOT need to be part of the mentoring program to participate!
Upcoming Workshops
Panel Discussion with Women in STEM – Feb 28th, 2024.
Registration Closes on February 26th 2024.
Hurry up, click on the link below to confirm your seat!
Register Now!
Panelists
1) Hélène Desrosiers, Professional Engineer and Project Manager
I graduated from Laval University in 1999 with a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. I performed structural analysis and design for many years in the provinces of Québec and in Newfoundland and Labrador where I had the chance to work on large, unique, and complex industrial projects with multidisciplinary teams. Then I moved to Kelowna with my family, completed a certificate in Project Management at the Okanagan College, and my career evolved into project management on remote industrial sites across Canada.
My areas of expertise span over a variety of industrial projects including offshore structures, industrial buildings, forestry bridges and mining installations. Due to the risks associated with those environments, I have developed a solid mindset about health and safety in the workplace.
In my free time, I enjoy cycling, cross-country skiing, or hiking, in the Okanagan, the Rockies or beyond. Otherwise, I volunteer with different organizations, most of them being somehow related to my profession. I am presently a director for the EGBC Foundation, a registered charity that promotes education in engineering and geoscience through the granting of bursaries and scholarship.
2) Sarah Craven, M.Sc. student, Department of Biology, UBCO
Bachelor of Human Kinetics with Honours, University of British Columbia Okanagan, School of Health and Exercise Science.
I am a Master of Science student in Department of Biology, supervised by Dr. Sarah Purcell. I study human energy metabolism. For my thesis, I am testing the feasibility and acceptability of a novel device for measuring resting metabolism. I am also a work-study student in the Faculty of Science Dean’s Office as an EDI Coordinator. In this role I help collaborate on initiatives in the Faculty of Science aimed at advancing EDI. love the work I do here at UBCO. As a graduate student, I have had the opportunity to be part of cool and meaningful projects. I could talk about my love for grad school all day, and I look forward to sharing my experiences (good and not so good) with you at the workshop.
3) Natasha Elliott, P.Eng., Transportation Engineer
Natasha graduated in 2008 from UBC with a Bachelor of Applied Science. Currently, she co-leads the transportation planning practice in Urban System’s Kelowna office. Prior to joining Urban Systems, Natasha worked for the City of North Vancouver and Opus (now WSP). Natasha has led numerous multi-modal transportation projects both within BC and New Zealand. Natasha’s favourite projects involve collaborating with clients to combine their deep knowledge of the local community with her technical skills to develop effective solutions that will meet the community’s needs. Natasha is also on the Board of Urban System’s charitable foundation as the international director. In her spare time, she enjoys exploring BC and beyond, skiing, and knitting.
4) Jodie Foster M.Sc., Senior Planning Analyst
I graduated from UBC with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematical Sciences and Physics then went on to complete a Master of Science in Computer Science with a focus on Data Science. Throughout my educational journey I was actively involved in many groups around UBCO; I was a founding member of the Quantitative Sciences Course Union, a TA for Math, Statistics and Computer Science, a tutor in the Math and Science Tutoring Centre, and an organizer for the 2012 Canadian Undergraduate Mathematics Conference. During my Master’s program, I took time away from my studies to move across the country. While in Ottawa I worked for Statistics Canada on data validation for the Census of Agriculture. The following year I moved back to Kelowna to start my career in a junior analyst role with the Okanagan Planning and Institutional Research (OPAIR) team while finishing my thesis. I have now been part of the OPAIR team for 7.5 years and celebrated my 6-year anniversary as a senior analyst earlier this month.
I consider myself to be a Data Scientist. In my role, I focus on forecasting and reporting enrolments, analyzing student progressions, and working with IT as our team’s point of contact for anything database related. My work involves using Tableau, SQL, DBeaver, R, and Excel to summarize data and provide tables and figures to inform work across the institution.
In my personal time, I like to keep busy. My dog and I have been working hard this winter in the sports of agility and scent detection. We also enjoy spending time outdoors hiking and walking with friends and family, and I have a weekly D&D session that has been going on for four years. In my remaining spare time, I volunteer providing first aid at community events across the Okanagan.
5) Mary Ann Olson-Russello M.Sc., R.P.Bio., Senior Biologist, Principal with Ecoscape
Mary Ann is a Senior Biologist and Director with Ecoscape. She started working at Ecoscape in 2007, after relocating to Kelowna from Connecticut, USA. Mary Ann became a Registered Professional Biologist in 2009 and has since garnered ample experience in aquatic productivity research, environmental assessment, wildlife inventory, ecosystem mapping, watershed management, parks planning, and species-at-risk. She also has a broad range of project management experience, having overseen multi-year, large-budget projects for organizations such as BC Hydro and Barrick Gold.
Mary Ann is experienced in a variety of different scientific disciplines. Prior to consulting, she worked for nongovernmental organizations, including the Zoological Society of San Diego and the Wildlife Conservation Society, where she worked to improve the reproductive success of captive endangered species, most notably the giant panda. Her Master’s research used molecular techniques to assess population differentiation within a marine worm, Hobsonia florida, in light of the geologic history of the Long Island Sound.
In her free time, Mary Ann enjoys backpacking, travel, bird watching, road biking, and spending time with family and friends.
