News Category: Elsewhere
SCWIST member Dr. Rabab Ward wins YWCA Woman of Distinction award!
On Monday evening Dr. Rabab Ward received the YWCA Woman of Distinction award for Technology, Science and Industry at the YWCA’s 25th awards gala for her visionary role in the field of signal and image processing.
As the first female engineering professor at the University of British Columbia, Rabab turned the Institute for Computing, Information and Cognitive Systems (ICISC) into a world-class research laboratory.
This honour is truly well-deserved.
Congratulations Rabab!!
SCWIST member Ivy Cheng profiled on “Success Stories”
View Ivy Cheng’s story of finding a job in Canada here.
SCWIST Past President Hiromi Matsui wins YWCA Woman of Distinction award!
Last night in a gala ceremony, Ms. Hiromi Matsui, FAS director of Diversity and Recruitment, entered a very elite pantheon of women who have been named YWCA Women of Distinction.
Hiromi was honoured especially for the lasting effect she has had in promoting education and careers in science and in technology for young women. Her support and enthusiasm to SCWIST and other organisations are remarkable. This honour is truly well-deserved.
Congratulations Hiromi!!
Thank you SCWIST volunteers and sponsors!
In honour of National Volunteer Week, on April 18th we hosted our first annual Volunteer Apreciation Night. Fifteen women attended and a good time was had by all.
A special thanks to the following retailers for donating door prizes:
Cineplex Odeon
Festival Cinemas
Plum
Powerex
Starbucks
T Tearoom
Urban Fare
Vancouver Aquarium
Vancouver Art Gallery
SCWIST member Karen Kavanagh co-publishes world’s tiniest book
Nanoscientists Li Yang and Karen Kavanagh from Simon Fraser University, together with independent Vancouver publisher Robert Chaplin and author Malcolm Douglas Chaplin, presented their minimasterpiece this month: Teeny Ted from Turnip Town. At 0.07 by 0.10 millimetres, it’s so small you’d need an electron microscope to read it. At thirty pages, it’s still pretty substantial for a dream book about a turnip tale. Small, but powerful, this book has made headlines around the world.
UBC creates Research Fund in name of honorary SCWIST member Dr. Martha Piper
Martha Piper Research Fund
At his installation, UBC President Stephen Toope announced the establishment of the Martha Piper Research Fund to provide seed funding for collaborative research projects with an emphasis on interdisciplinary international activities. A $5M portion of the Trek Endowment has been dedicated for this purpose for five years which will provide $250,000 per year to be awarded in semi-annual competitions to UBC faculty. The objective of this program is to strengthen UBC research by supporting the creation of teams of talented researchers in two or more disciplines, as well as to establish new international links. Awards should enable researchers in the NSERC, CIHR and SSHRC communities to collaborate and integrate their expertise and research activities within Canada and/or with international partners.
Guidelines and Conditions
• Teams of two or more individuals may apply; one applicant must be identified as the Principal Investigator for purposes of administrating the grant if awarded.
• Applications are expected to be interdisciplinary in approach. For instance, teams containing members holding funding from more than one of the tri-council sources would be appropriate. International links are encouraged.
• Teams may hold only one Fund award in the first five years of the program.
• Applications must request between $8K and $25K
• Term: 18 months maximum
• Output: the major goal of the program is to develop new research areas and build interdisciplinary capability that will lead to the award of major funding such as a tri-council award or possibly a Peter Wall Institute Major Thematic Grant for ongoing aspects of the project.
• The project cannot overlap significantly with projects funded from other sources. In particular, awards may not be held from the Hampton and Martha Piper Research Funds at the same time.
• Application forms will be available shortly but the proposal narrative should not exceed 3 pages and should include a (maximum half-page) project summary and key references. In addition a budget and a summary of research funding held over the last five years or applied for at the date of application will need to be included as well as an up-to-date c.v. of 5-7 pages in a tri-council format.
• Reporting: At the completion of the term of the award a final report of up to 5 pages must be submitted. A submitted tri-council or similar external grant application or, if appropriate, a Letter of Intent to the Peter Wall Institute for a Major Thematic Grant based on the work performed with support from the Martha Piper Research Fund may be substituted for the Final Report.
DEADLINES FOR APPLICATIONS ARE APRIL 15 AND OCTOBER 1 ANNUALLY FROM APRIL 2007 THROUGH OCTOBER 2011. Applications for the April 15, 2007 competition should be sent electronically to the .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Results will be announced no later than May 15, 2007. Expenses incurred in the period April 1, 2007 – September 30, 2008 will be eligible to be charged against the Fund.
SCWIST President Amanda Smith featured on CiTR’s My Science Project podcast
Zoom a little zoom on the My Science Project rocket ship, piloted by hosts, Julia and Anne, as they navigate eccentric, under-exposed, always relevant and plainly cool scientific research, technology and poetry.
My Science Project 08-Mar-2007
A Show for International Women’s Day
A look at the genetics of sex and the effect of negative stereotypes on women’s performance in math. An interview with Amanda Smith, president of SCWIST.
SCWIST member Laurel Schafer receives prestigious Sloan Fellowship
This year, for the first time, 2 women from UBC have been awarded Sloan Fellowships for 2007. Sloan fellowships are “are intended to enhance the careers of the very best young faculty members in specified fields of science. Currently a total of 116 fellowships are awarded annually in seven fields: chemistry, computational and evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, and physics” (from the Sloan Foundation Website).
These are highly competitive awards, for example, the last Sloan Fellowship awarded to a faculty member at UBC in the department of chemistry was approximately 25 years ago, in spite of 3 faculty members being nominated each year. It is amazing and gratifying that this year, two members of the department won in the same year, Ruth Signorell and Laurel Schaffer. This may be the first time that women from UBC have ever received this award.
Congratulations to SCWIST member Hiromi Matsui on a YWCA Woman of Distinction Nomination
For nearly 40 years, Hiromi Matsui has been a champion for women in science, engineering, trades, and technology. As a volunteer, mentor, role model, and leader, Hiromi helped shape volunteer organisations to promote women in science. Her tireless efforts to encourage women to seek careers in non-traditional fields have had tremendous benefits for women and for BC industry. In recognition of her significant contributions, Hiromi is the only women to receive an honorary membership from the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of BC. Working at the grass roots level and on numerous local and national committees, Hiromi is changing the way women view careers in science and engineering, as well as the way industry and academia view women.
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Profile of SCWIST Honorary Member Julia Levy
Julia Levy – Microbiology and Immunology
Co-discovered photodynamic anti-cancer and ophthalmology drugs, co-founder of the company QLT Inc.
Her story
CBC’s Current Show - Women in Science with Interview
The January second show of the Current on CBC discusses the current state of women in Science and engineering and includes an excellent interview with former SCWIST Board member Donna Dykeman, a UBC Ph.D. student and one of the founders of the UBC Engineering Mentoring program.
In Action, SCWIST Member and Research Scientist Aniko
See SCWIST Member and Research Scientist Aniko in action at National Institute for Women in Trades, Technology & Science: a Video Clip
