Best of the WWEST

Welcome to Best of the WWEST (Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology), where we believe providing role models for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) can change the world. Come along with us as we talk to incredible women in STEM and explore career choices, work-life balance, and passion for science; as well as experts in issues impacting diversity. Best of the WWEST: Inspiring women with real stories.

Episodes

Episode 3: Women in STEM and the Canadian Armed Forces w/Kayla Bouchard

April 25, 2022 • 26 min

In this episode, we discuss Women in STEM and the Canadian Armed Forces and how to empower oneself in a male environment with Lieutenant-Commander Kayla Bouchard! Listen to the Best of the WWEST on Spotify, Apple, Google, Amazon, iHeart, Gaana, and Castbox

Visit wwest-cwse.ca to learn more about WWEST and to listen to other available episodes.

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Episode 2: Women in STEM w/Dr. Michelle Kunimoto, Karine Poliquin & Nancy Darling

March 8, 2022 • 46 min

This episode explores the career progression of women in STEM from university, to industry, and leadership. Dr. Michelle Kunimoto is a Post-Doctoral Scholar at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research. During her undergraduate degree, Michelle discovered 4 new exoplanets and she has carried that interest forward to now improving techniques for finding exoplanets. Michelle is also dedicated to inspiring young wome...

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Episode 1: Intro to the New WWEST Chair w/Dr. Jennifer Jakobi

March 2, 2022 • 13 min

Welcome to the first episode of WWEST UBCO's continuation of the Best of the WWEST Podcast! In this episode, Dr. Jakobi will outline the goals of the WWEST program and highlight the exciting projects to come. Jennifer (Jenn) Jakobi, is a Professor in Health and Exercise Sciences at the University of British Columbia Okanagan. She was the Associate Chair Westcoast Women in Engineering Science and Technology (WWEST; 2018-2020),...

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Episode 111: Marg Lathan P.Eng, WinSETT Chair and President of Aqua Libra Consulting

December 28, 2021 • 45 min

Marg Latham P.Eng has been around the scene for a long time. She’s a pioneer for women and intersectionality in STEM, she’s a leader, and she loves to build things! Listen to this episode for some real gems of wisdom and advice and an all-around fun conversation between Marg and WWEST podcast producer and host Vanessa. (Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Marg Latham was the only woman to graduate...

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Episode 110: Janet Phan, Founder & Executive Director, Thriving Elements

December 14, 2021 • 46 min

Janet Phan is busy, but she's also working on changing the landscape for girls and women in STEM. In this episode, she tells us all about moving across an ocean to another country for a job, finding internal peace with past challenges, and how technology drives everything we do. Plus, she gives the inside scoop into her new book, "Boldly You!"

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Janet...

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Episode 109: Sadé Akinbami P.Eng, Civil Engineer & Artist

November 30, 2021 • 42 min

We're talking STEAM in this episode - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math - with Sadé Akinbami. She joins host and producer Vanessa to talk about how music and STEM intertwine, how to survive university, and how we have come a long way when it comes to equity among all people in STEM, but we still have a long way to go.

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

Sadé Akinbami is a multi...

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Episode 108: Jasmine Shaw P.Eng, Entrepreneur, and Changemaker

November 23, 2021 • 45 min

Jasmine Shaw, P.Eng is joining us to talk about mentoring, coaching, engineering, and...drones? Yes, drones! Hear about the cool work she's doing in the Aerospace realm with Amazon and their Prime Air program. Plus, Jasmine talks about the other cool project she's worked on: the Ontario Sick Day Relief Project, which raised over $60,000 in paid sick days for Ontario’s essential workers through the third wave of COVID-19.

(...

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Episode 107: Pride in STEM with Dr. Ben Britton

November 9, 2021 • 46 min

Dr. Ben Britton joins host and producer Vanessa just in time for LGBT STEM Day. The conversation about 2SLGBTQ+ people's participation in STEM is ramping up more and more, and we're talking about what employers and those in academia can do to create a more welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for 2SLGBTQ+ folks. We also cover what kinds of unique circumstances this community experiences, with some harrowing statistics...

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Episode 106: Deyanira Mendoza Dominguez, P.Eng, Certified Project Manager, and Woman of Action

October 19, 2021 • 40 min

Deyanira Mendoza Dominguez, a self-described non-boring engineer, has been to 16 countries, which she visited with her husband on their motorcycles to conduct research! You'll hear all about it in this episode. She also lets us in on what kind of challenges are presented to someone immigrating to Canada who is also a woman in STEM, and how those challenges helped her stand on her own two feet and build an empire around her.

De...

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Episode 105: Major Jessica Ross, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Officer

October 6, 2021 • 52 min

In this episode, Major Jessica Ross gives us a glimpse into the Canadian Armed Forces and her life therein - how she joined, how it was to train to get to where she is today, and where she's going. She tells us all about her experience at the Royal Military College of Canada, how the work she did during her master's studies in applied science is bettering the world and Canada, and how Dungeons & Dragons can be applied t...

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Episode 104: Dr. Britt Drögemöller, Canada Research Chair, Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine, Univ. of Manitoba

September 21, 2021 • 37 min

Dr. Britt Drögemöller moved halfway across the world to pursue a new life in Canada as the Canada Research Chair of Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine - during a pandemic. If that doesn't say "strong, independent woman in STEM," we don't know what does! In this interview with Best of the WWEST producer and host Vanessa, you'll hear about that journey, as well as many other things, including (but not limited...

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Episode 103: Aadita Chaudhury, Doctoral Student, Science and Technology Studies, York University

September 7, 2021 • 44 min

This week, the conversation is a candid one about breaking out of the mould shaped by a professional program into an interdisciplinary community. Aadita Chaudhury, doctoral student, tells her story of her journey to realizing that technology can be a tool for liberation, and how she's using the tools and skills she learned in industry to break down prescriptive ways of knowing and critically examine STEM-exceptionalist narrativ...

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Episode 102: Capt(N) Seana Routledge, Deputy Project Manager, Canadian Forces

August 24, 2021 • 38 min

In this episode, Captain(N) Seana Routledge is telling us all about her work in the Canadian Armed Forces! How does diversity and inclusion play a role in the organization? What was it like going to the Royal Canadian Military College to study engineering, compared to other post-secondary education? And just what does the Forces do to support the citizens of Canada? You’ll learn all about that and more!

Captain (Navy) Seana Routle...

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Episode 101: Dr. Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Scientist, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, NASA

August 10, 2021 • 47 min

Have you ever held an exploded star in your hand? How about a 3D printed one? Doing precisely that launched Dr. Kimberly Arcand down her windy “Candyland” path to where she is today as a data visualizer and science communicator at NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory. In this episode, you’ll also hear about her passion for creating materials that are accessible for all, how important coding is for students and professionals in STEM, an...

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Episode 100: Maggie MacPhee, Grades 7-12 Math Teacher & Educator

July 27, 2021 • 45 min

Maggie MacPhee is passionate about math - not just learning and teaching it, but also examining it through a social justice lens and changing the narrative around its history. She joins Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa to get nerdy about math and board games, but also to talk about how she as a busy math teacher early in her career deals with stress, what books she’s reading, and what her favourite part of teaching math is, punct...

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Episode 99: Cassy Weber, CEO, MindFuel

July 9, 2021 • 45 min

Cassy Weber and MindFuel, the organization she runs as CEO, are very busy - from studying when girls are losing interest in STEM in their schooling journey, to figuring out how to deliver quality programming to communities with limited technology, to consulting on curriculum development initiatives and more. Cassy tells us all about these projects in this episode, and lets us in on some of her personal and professional life as a bu...

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Episode 98: Indigenous Ways of Knowing in STEM with Desiree Marshall-Peer, Cree-Ojibway Educator

July 2, 2021 • 50 min

In this time of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, the discussion of Indigenous participation in STEM is extremely important. Desiree Marshall-Peer, a Cree-Ojibway educator at the University of British Columbia Okanagan, joins Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa to explore decolonizing STEM and education. We cover how Indigenous ways of knowing are being incorporated in and changing mainstream school, what the barriers to Indigenou...

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Episode 97: Indigenous Voices on Best of the WWEST

June 8, 2021 • 41 min

June here in Canada is National Indigenous History Month, and the team here at Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology would like to honour the fabulous Indigenous guests we have had on the podcast over the years. In this episode, we highlight some of the main points from their individual episodes, to celebrate their words of wisdom, to thank them for telling us about their struggles, and for teaching us about their ...

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Episode 96: Dr. Kaylee Byers, Deputy Director, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, BC node

May 25, 2021 • 39 min

Science communication, podcasting, rats, and parasites - these are all things that Dr. Kaylee Byers is passionate about, and she tells us all about it in this episode. You’ll also hear about the van she equipped for research on rats during her graduate studies, building community even during a pandemic, and the concept of one health with the goal of achieving optimal health outcomes while recognizing the interconnection between peo...

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Episode 95: Creating Inclusive Networks to Launch Careers

May 11, 2021 • 33 min

Imagine having to think about your gender nonstop. Imagine it getting in the way of the work you set out to do. Imagine feeling ignored, devalued, and dismissed even by the subtlest of actions or comments. This is something women and non-binary folks constantly face in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and Project SINC (Shaping Inclusive Network Cultures) is getting to the root of it as part of Engend...

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Best of the WWEST

Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Episode 3: Women in STEM and the Canadian Armed Forces w/Kayla Bouchard

.css-r6mb8g{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:1;overflow:hidden;}Episode 2: Women in STEM w/Dr. Michelle Kunimoto, Karine Poliquin & Nancy Darling

Episode 1: Intro to the New WWEST Chair w/Dr. Jennifer Jakobi

Episode 111: Marg Lathan P.Eng, WinSETT Chair and President of Aqua Libra Consulting

Episode 110: Janet Phan, Founder & Executive Director, Thriving Elements

Episode 109: Sadé Akinbami P.Eng, Civil Engineer & Artist

Episode 108: Jasmine Shaw P.Eng, Entrepreneur, and Changemaker

Episode 107: Pride in STEM with Dr. Ben Britton

Episode 106: Deyanira Mendoza Dominguez, P.Eng, Certified Project Manager, and Woman of Action

Episode 105: Major Jessica Ross, Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Officer

Episode 104: Dr. Britt Drögemöller, Canada Research Chair, Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine, Univ. of Manitoba

Episode 103: Aadita Chaudhury, Doctoral Student, Science and Technology Studies, York University

Episode 102: Capt(N) Seana Routledge, Deputy Project Manager, Canadian Forces

Episode 101: Dr. Kimberly Arcand, Visualization Scientist, Chandra X-Ray Observatory, NASA

Episode 100: Maggie MacPhee, Grades 7-12 Math Teacher & Educator

Episode 99: Cassy Weber, CEO, MindFuel

Episode 98: Indigenous Ways of Knowing in STEM with Desiree Marshall-Peer, Cree-Ojibway Educator

Episode 97: Indigenous Voices on Best of the WWEST

Episode 96: Dr. Kaylee Byers, Deputy Director, Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative, BC node

Episode 95: Creating Inclusive Networks to Launch Careers

Popular Podcasts

For You.css-1r2bfgw{margin:0 0 -2px 5px;}

Episode 3: Women in STEM and the Canadian Armed Forces w/Kayla Bouchard

Episode 2: Women in STEM w/Dr. Michelle Kunimoto, Karine Poliquin & Nancy Darling

For You