Margaret-Ann Armour Lecture Series

The University of Alberta’s Working for Inclusivity in Chemistry group is excited to announce the first student-led speaker series in the Department of Chemistry. This speaker series, named after Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour, aims to celebrate diversity in Chemistry by providing a platform for chemists who do outstanding work both in the lab and in promoting diversity and inclusivity within Chemistry.

Dr. Margaret-Ann Armour received her BSc and MSc from the University of Edinburgh before completing her PhD from the University of Alberta in 1970. She rejoined the Department of Chemistry in 1979, and has served as the Faculty of Science’s premier Associate Dean of Science (Diversity) since 2005. Beyond  her contributions to science regarding hazardous chemical management, Dr. Armour has been a tireless advocate for stronger representation of women in STEM. She founded Women in Scholarship, Engineering, Science and Technology (WISEST) at the University of Alberta in 1981, and since its inception, the WISEST programs have reached more than 15,000 participants with 85% of their Summer Research Participants pursuing undergraduate degrees in Science or Engineering. In 2010, Dr. Armour established the Canadian Centre for Women in Science, Engineering, Trades and Technology (WinSETT Centre). As the Associate Dean of Science (Diversity), Dr. Armour developed Project Catalyst, which is aimed at increasing the representation of women in faculty positions in the Faculty of Science.

Dr. Armour has received many awards and accolades for research, leadership and outreach activities. She received the McNeil Medal from the Royal Society of Canada in 1994, and  a 3M Teaching Fellowship, Canada’s top award for excellence in undergraduate teaching, in 1996. Dr. Armour was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2006. Maclean’s Magazine recognized Dr. Armour as one of Ten Canadians Making a Difference in 2003, and she was twice listed by the Women’s Executive Network as one of the Top 100 Most Powerful Women in Canada. Dr. Armour has also received honorary degrees from her alma mater, the University of Edinburgh, as well as the University of British Columbia, the University of Alberta, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology, MacEwan University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.

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Free Craft Night

We are hosting a free craft night, this Wedensday, Nov 21 from 5:30 – 7:00pm in the Chemistry Lounge, E4-43. We will have both embroidery and origami experts in the room to teach you how to fold up paper in a neat way, and how to sew your favourite molecule (or whatever you please) on your lab coat!

All materials will be provided by WIC, so please register here so we can make sure there is enough to go around.

Meet & Greet: Dr. Katherine S. Elvira (UVic)

We are pleased to host Dr. Katherine S. Elvira from the University of Victoria for an informal discussion on November 8^th from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in E4-43.

Dr. Elvira obtained her  MSc and PhD from Imperial College London in 2007 and 2012, respectively. After obtaining her PhD, Dr. Elvira joined Prof. deMello’s research group at ETH Zurich, developing microfluidic devices for analytical applications. In 2017, she joined the faculty of UVic’s Chemistry department as an Assistant Professor and was appointed as a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in New Materials and Techniques for Health Applications. Her research focuses on developing microfluidic technologies that can be used for drug discovery and healthcare applications, as well as their commercialization.

Come join us for a stimulating discussion, and of course, coffee, tea and cookies!

Bystander Intervention Workshop

The UAlberta Women in Chemistry will be hosting a Bystander Intervention Workshop on November 13, 2018 in E3-25 at 11:30am and we encourage everyone to attend. The workshop will be delivered by personnel from the Sexual Assault Centre at the University of Alberta and will cover the following topics:

• Learn how to identify sexual harassment and violence
• Gain confidence to interrupt situations around you
• Take part in visioning and taking steps towards creating a safe environment

Please consider attending and bringing your colleagues along. Join the conversation and help us become part of the solution. Please sign up here as space is limited.

Meet & Greet: Dr. Susan Lunte (UKansas)

We are excited to host Dr. Susan Lunte for our first meet-and-greet of the semester, featuring cookies, coffee, and tea! Come join us for an informal discussion with Dr. Lunte, a Distinguished Professor in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Chemistry from the University of Kansas. Dr. Lunte was educated at Kalamazoo College (B.A.) and pursued her Ph.D. at Purdue University under the supervision of Dr. Pete Kissinger. Her research interests include the development of microfluidic-based methodologies for the separation and detection of peptides, amino acids, neurotransmitters and pharmaceuticals in biological fluids. She is a fellow of the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and served as chair of the APQ division. Dr.
Lunte has previously served as president of the Society for Electroanalytical Chemistry and the 2011 Chair of the Analytical Division of the American Chemical Society. In addition to this, she is currently the associate editor for Analytical Methods and on the editorial board of Analytical Chemistry. Dr. Lunte has been the recipient of several awards including a National Science Foundation (NSF) Career Award, the Agnes Fay Morgan Research Award, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Teacher of the Year Award, the AAPS Research Achievement Award in Analysis and Pharmaceutical Quality (APQ), and most recently the Association of Analytical Chemists (ACA) 2018 ANACHEM Award.

We look forward to hosting Dr. Lunte and hearing about her experience in an academic chemistry career!

Lunch ‘n’ Learn: Teaching for Diversity

We are teaming up with Dr. Glen Loppnow to bring to you the very FIRST Chemistry Department Teaching Circle Discussion. These meetings are meant to be informal discussions around various teaching topics that we may encounter in our graduate careers.

Topic: Tips: Teaching for Diversity
When: Wednesday, Oct. 10 at 12:00 – 1:00 pm OR Friday, Oct. 12 at 11 am – 12 pm
Where: W4-04 Chemistry Centre

Lunch will be provided to attendees thanks to the Vertigo Teaching Chair; however, spots are limited.

Please fill out this google form to indicate your preferred date and any dietary restrictions!

Canadian Women in Chemistry Network!

Our Co-Chairs have been working behind the scenes for several months and we are happy to share some exciting news..

Lead by the efforts of Anika Tarasewicz, three WIC chapters from the Universities of Toronto, Saskatchewan, and Alberta have come together to form a Canada-wide network! The Canadian Women in Chemistry Network, or CWIC for short, will be a supporting community which promotes inclusion, equity, and diversity in chemical sciences across Canada. This initiative will serve as encouragement for new chapters to form as well as help enrich the existing collaborations amongst our three chapters.

We are excited to see what the future holds for CWIC! Learn more by checking out our website and follow us on Twitter!

UAWIC Team Welcome & Fall Meetings

We are happy to announce Karen Hoy will be joining the 2018/2019 UAWIC Executive Team as our Media Relations Officer. We also are glad to welcome General Members Michelle Ha, Hansol Park, Kleinberg Fernandes, Sarah Milliken and Tania Gautman to the team!

If you are interested in learning what WIC is all about, we encourage you to attend one of our biweekly meetings! The meetings for fall semester will take place on Wednesdays from 4 to 5 pm in CCIS 3-003 starting this week on Wednesday September 19th.

Working for Inclusivity in Chemistry

We would like to announce that we have decided to modify our student group name. We will refer to the group as Working for Inclusivity in Chemistry moving forward.

We believe this change reflects our goals and better encompasses the ideals of UAWIC and its members.

We will be updating our constitution to reflect this change and we encourage our members to attend our Fall Open House on Thursday October 11 to learn more about our student group initiative.

We can still be reached by email at wic@ualberta.ca and via our Twitter @UofAWIC 

Position Vacancy – Media Relations Officer

It is bittersweet to say goodbye to our Media Relations Officer, Dr. Regina Sinelnikov. She was an integral part of the team which co-founded UAlberta WIC and a key player in planning a successful LOGIC 2018 retreat. Her passion for science saw her play a leadership role in other groups, such as Let’s Talk Science and UAlberta Nano. Her dedication to science outreach is contagious and her enthusiastic mentorship is inspirational. She is an incredible woman in chemistry!

Are you interested in becoming more involved with UAlberta WIC? The position of Media Relations Officer is currently vacant for the 2018/2019 term. Please read the short description below:

The Media Relations Officer shall be responsible for the group’s advertisement. This includes updating and maintaining the WIC social media accounts (Twitter, Facebook, website, etc.) and creating event announcements (email, posters, etc.) to promote club activities. 

If you are interested, please send an email to wic@ualberta.ca with a short blurb describing why you would be great for the position!