It's been quite a year, hasn't it?
We made it another 365 days around the sun and another 52 weeks of hard work, laughter, and tears.
Although the tail end of this year may have been a bit of a downer, that doesn't mean that 2016 was a total write-off! The STEM community accomplished some amazing things this year, and we are proud to have been a part of it. So, like everyone else on the Internet, we thought we would do a quick round-up of some of our favourite moments from this year as we look with hope towards 2017.
Believe it or not, our website is just about a year old now, and we're so happy with how much it's grown. Besides helping to promote local events, providing resources for women in STEM of all ages, and being a hub for , it's the home of the WWEST Blog, one of our proudest accomplishments to date.
In case you missed them, here's a couple of our favourite pieces from the past year...
An article written by our very own Dr. Lesley Shannon, entitled 鈥淲ant to Encourage Gender Diversity? Choose Your Words WISEly,鈥� was published in the 鈥檚 (CRA) May 2016 issue of Computing Research News! The article discuses the low percentage of women enrolled in undergraduate computer science degrees, examining how word choice in program recruitment webpages may be acting as a deterrent to women applicants. This is an important topic, and one that Dr. Shannon is incredibly passionate about - we were glad that it got so much exposure! .
Alongside our friends at , we were able to provide funding and resources for a number of incredible programs, including the (SCWIST), UBC's , and SFU's Girls Exploring Physics. All of the organizations we work with are dedicated to providing support and resources for girls and women in STEM, and we are happy to be collaborating with so many people who truly care about encouraging diversity in the STEM community. to see all of our past funding recipients, as well as groups that will be receiving funding in 2017, and make sure to show them some love!
The are some of our most valuable resources, because they cover complicated topics, from unconscious bias to the business case for gender diversity, in an easy-to-read, accessible way. Thanks to , as of this year, we finally have French versions available! Now that we can reach an even larger audience with the White Papers, we're excited to see how they will be used to educate and advocate on behalf of women in STEM. .
2016 was an eventful year, but next year promises to be even better! Registration for opens in January, and we've also got some exciting new projects in the works, so keep your eyes peeled - WWEST will be back in full force for 2017.
Wherever you may be, we hope that you have a safe and happy holiday season! It's time that all of us enjoy some much-needed, well-earned rest, and we'll see you back here in the New Year to pick up where we left off: inspiring girls and empowering women to make a difference in the world through STEM.