This March 21 and 22, more than 250 students from across Canada will converge on the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for the annual Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) National Conference—an inspirational weekend to build leadership skills, increase confidence in careers and boost involvement in research and technology-related professions.

“We encourage everyone who’s passionate about science and engineering, and its applications, to attend,” said Mahsa Nami (ChemE 1T4 + PEY), a chemical engineering student and this year’s conference chair. High school students are also welcome, part of WISE’s mandate of motivating young people to join science and engineering fields.

With a growing interest in entrepreneurship at universities and in industry, the theme of this year’s conference is ‘build your own legacy‘.

Industrial engineering student Areeba Zakir (IndE 1T6), who leads WISE’s high school outreach, said the theme connects what people do now to their future, and “motivates you to do something better than just average.”

Some of this year’s keynote speakers include:

• Anne Sado (IndE 7T7), U of T Engineering alumna and president of George Brown College;
• Karl Martin (EngSci 0T1, ElecE MASc 0T3, PhD 1T0), Engineering alumnus and founder of Bionym, creators of the Nymi wristband;
• Cynthia Goh, director of the Impact Centre at the University of Toronto; and,
• Diane Freeman, professional engineer, Councilor for the City of Waterloo and senior manager at Conestoga-Rovers & Associates.

The conference also involves a social innovation case competition where small teams will have two days to create collaborative solutions to a design challenge. To win the $1,000 cash prize, groups will have to propose a design that meets the needs of a specific target market.

Also on the roster are casual fireside chats with mentors, poster and case competitions, a team-building workshop, networking sessions, a career fair and two industry-based sessions hosted by Accenture and General Electric.

Community outreach in STEM

The National Conference is not the only way WISE inspires and supports students all across Canada. Founded in the late 1990s at the University of Toronto, the organization now has local chapters at the University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, University of Ottawa and Carleton University, among others.

WISE’s U of T Chapter leads outreach activities to attract more young women into science and engineering around the Greater Toronto Area, including:

• Visiting local high schools, where student volunteers share their experiences and discuss various programs at U of T;
• Organizing Take Your Kid to Skule Day, an opportunity for high school students to attend lectures and tutorials at U of T.
• Participating at the Science Expo in February; and,
• Joining the one-day public outreach program Science Rendezvous this summer.

“We do a lot of hands-on activities to show children and youth just a small version of some challenges or problem-solving skills that engineering students use,” said Zakir. “It feels great when people come back to you and say, ‘I’m choosing engineering because you told me about your experience.’”

Tickets to this year’s WISE National Conference can be purchased online for $100, and U of T offers 60% reimbursement to its students who attend. Various other universities also offer reimbursements to students.