![]() “We are working with ONWiE on initiatives such as the annual ONWiE Summit, and hosting events such as GoEngGirl.” Kim Jones, an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at McMaster University, is the current Chair of ONWiE. “There’s also the Ontario Network for Women in Engineering,” says Levison. “They had a summit, last December, where we all met together and discussed issues related to women in engineering and research in engineering. Jana and I were both invited to participate in the BIRS Workshop Network of Collaborations for Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics” says Ploeg, regarding the entire collective of Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering across Canada. We are also included in a broader Canadian network. “Jana and I, and our teams, started meeting regularly in the Winter term to compare progress and share some of the experiences that we’ve had. She is a graduate of Queen’s (Sc’04, PhD’09 Civil Engineering) who researches agricultural and climate change impacts on groundwater quality in the School of Engineering at U of G. Jana Levison, an Associate Professor at the University of Guelph (U of G), was named in November 2022 the Doody Family Chair for Women in Engineering. Ploeg met recently with her newly appointed counterpart at the University of Guelph to discuss the unique challenges and opportunities of their roles. Thanks to a gift from an anonymous alumni donor, Heidi Ploeg became Queen’s inaugural Chair for Women in Engineering in 2020. Though there are a number of Chairs for Women in Engineering in Canada - tasked to increase participation of women in sciences and engineering - just two are independently funded at universities in Ontario and charged to focus on internal strategies and objectives. ![]() ![]() That challenge is the reason International Women in Engineering Day is celebrated each year on June 23. In a profession that prides itself on solving problems, gender equity remains perhaps the most elusive goal for the engineering industry. ![]()
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