ACID : BASE
Association of Chemists for Inclusivity and Diversity : Building Advocacy, Solidarity and Education
EVENTS
Women in STEM Conference
The ACID:BASE club is proud to be a contributing partner to the second annual Women in STEM conference at the University of Lethbridge!
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Join us on February 12, 2024 at 1:00pm in the SAB Atrium to celebrate all of the creative and innovative research being done by all of the incredible women in STEM at the University of Lethbridge.
Pride in STEM 2023
Pride in STEM is an international event that celebrates the achievements and contributions of members from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community across diverse scientific fields. This movement advocates for equality and visibility for professionals and students within the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities in STEM. It encourages the celebration of achievements, contributions, and talents of 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals in STEM, highlighting that diversity strengthens scientific and technological progress by fostering an inclusive environment as well as innovative thinking. In celebration of Pride in STEM this month, ACID:BASE (the Lethbridge chapter of Canadians Working for Inclusivity in the Chemical Sciences, Engineering and Technology Network (CWIC)) conducted interviews with two prominent Canadian chemists from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. These chemists shared their personal journeys, the barriers they faced as a 2SLGBTQIA+ individual, and their advice for aspiring STEM students from the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, as well as highlighted necessary changes to create a more supportive environment within STEM.
Dr. James Gauld
University of Windsor
James Gauld, hails from the Northern Territory of Australia, and received his PhD in theoretical/computational chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Leo Radom at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. He then took up a postdoctoral fellowship at the Institution of Quantum Chemistry, Uppsala University, Sweden. Subsequently, he held a Killam postdoctoral fellowship at Dalhousie University in the research group of Prof. Russ Boyd. Since 2001 he has been at the University of Windsor where he has been an Associate Dean in the Faculty of Graduate Studies and is now a Professor and Head, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. In 2019, he founded, co-chaired and -organized the 2SLGBTQ+ in STEM Conference in Canada, and which was most recently held in 2023.
Why did you choose a career path in STEM?
For me, in some ways pursuing a STEM career was inevitable but what it would be was perhaps the choice. I have, as long as I can remember, always been fascinated and inquisitive about the world from palaeontology and archaeology, to rocks and science and more as a young kid. Growing up in remote areas it was my interest in science that eventually led me to pursue a chemistry degree at university. While there, in my 3rd year, I discovered quantum (and computational) chemistry and loved it and knew it was something I wanted to learn about and apply to answer chemical questions and to better understand the world around us. Through a career in STEM I have also been able to travel the world and live in different countries.
What does Pride in STEM mean to you?
It means many things including that those of us who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ are better able to be our authentic selves in our work and studies; we are better able to bring our full selves to what we do. Furthermore, that we are valued as scientists and as people. It also helps to raise awareness of the historical roles 2SLGBTQIA+ persons have played in scientific discoveries and advancements, and that such perspectives and experiences have made and will help make our collective scientific endeavours better. It also perhaps helps to raise broader awareness that science is a human endeavour, and that we all deserve to be fully recognized, valued, and to be able to participate.
Could you tell us about your journey in the STEM field and the barriers you faced as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community?
Firstly, a lot of credit goes to having supportive teachers and family to pursue STEM. I had wonderful chemistry and biology teachers in high school; they were excited by the topics and shared their enthusiasm, and they were also incredibly supportive of each of us taking there time to help if we were challenged by the subject. By the end of my Bachelor’s degree I didn’t know what I wanted to do except learn more about quantum and computational chemistry. That took me to the Australian National University. While there, I collaborated with a visiting scientist from Sweden, and that started my world-wide journey to Sweden then Canada. Regarding barriers, some of them have been internal while others were external. Internal ones, ones we self impose, have included what we today would call imposter syndrome. This perhaps can be further reinforced when you are not out or trying to figure out that side of yourself, and also if you have not been brought up in or around the seemingly rarified world of academia (the nearest university to my home at that time was ~1500km). (Note to yourself: remember, whichever year you are in your studies YOU have earned your place and no one can diminish who you are and what you have achieved.) External barriers have and can include, for instance, toxic environments (e.g., harassment, homophobia, exclusionary behaviours), and systems that do not recognize the diversity of human backgrounds and experiences.
What advice can you offer to 2SLGBTQIA+ students interested in or pursuing STEM careers?
STEM studies opens doors to many diverse and, importantly, rewarding careers and journeys that can even potentially take you around the world. If you are interested in STEM, go for it, the challenges of today and tomorrow will only be overcome when diverse perspectives and experiences. Most companies now actively aim to develop community and provide supports for their employees. So also be sure to find a company that supports and values you (even if you are not out).
There are a number of things that we can do, as individuals and/or a community, to improve our environment. Many of these have been highlighted in studies focused on increasing 2SLGBTQIA+ representation in STEM, as well as persons from historically under-represented groups. Broadly speaking we need to create more inclusive spaces and communities, increase support for 2SLGBTQIA+ students and their access to these spaces and communities, increase awareness of the valued contributions of 2SLGBTQIA+ to sciences and their importance.
For example,
• as individuals we can support and stand-up for each other, be up-standers, when we see or hear inappropriate behaviour or comments.
• require that our conferences embed within their mandates networking and community events, as well as talks for non-PI’s.
• provision of greater financial and mental wellness supports for students,
• removal of non-necessary barriers to our fields (examples have included students requiring the permission of the supervisor, over all others, to defend their thesis; requiring field-work in locations that may not be safe for 2SLGBTQIA+ persons).
• our leaders must speak to the importance of recognizing, including, and valuing the lived experiences and perspectives of 2SLGBTQIA+ in STEM, as well as those of historically under-represented groups.
• hosting events such as International 2SLGBTQIA+ in STEM Day.
What changes would you like to see in your field to improve the environment for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in STEM careers?
Dr. Jean-Denys Hamel
University of Lethbridge
Quebec City has been my home from the time I was born until finally earning my PhD. In 2013, I earned a bachelor's degree in Chemistry from the Université Laval, during which I fell in love with research. I chose to pursue graduate studies right after, initially as a master's student, but eventually felt compelled to challenge myself and enroll in the PhD program. After being named a Vanier scholar (2015-2018), the highlight of my journey as a graduate student, I finally defended my thesis in May 2018. After postdoctoral studies in the United States, I secured a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Lethbridge, which gave me the possibility to pursue my passion for research into the synthesis and reactivity of fluorinated organic compounds. A few months after starting my position, I was appointed Tier II Canada Research Chair in Organofluorine Chemistry and Catalysis. I am now running a young and vibrant research group at the University of Lethbridge, hoping that our work will be impactful for those working in pharmaceutical and agrochemical R&D.
Could you tell us about your journey in the STEM field and the barriers you faced as a member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community?
It's been very straightforward, I am not going to lie! I am fortunate that people around me (family, mentors, colleagues) have been very supportive of my career path. I have always been riddled with a lot of anxiety, and the constant verbal support of those close to me has provided the words of affirmation that I needed to (finally!) start believing in myself and gaining confidence. I believe that this lack of confidence is the result of years of feeling different and being scared of people's perception of me. In the end, the barriers that I felt were probably self-imposed, but it didn't make them any less real.
What advice can you offer to 2SLGBTQIA+ students interested in or pursuing STEM careers?
Just do it. There's a sufficient critical mass of us now that you should never feel isolated, but I get it... it can be scary! You should not hide who you are, and belonging to the 2SLGBTQIA+ community should in no way limit your options. If you feel that you are being treated unfairly, do your best to speak up, and be confrontational if you must! There is a place for the wonderful, creative, strong-minded human being that you are, and you should not settle for anything less than what you truly deserve.
What changes would you like to see in your field to improve the environment for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community in STEM careers?
Why did you choose a career path in STEM?
From a young age, I have always had a curious mind. I was quick to realize my love for science (I was gifted a microscope when I was 8!), and initially thought that my calling was to be a medical doctor or a pharmacist, but once I started getting involved in science labs in high school, I understood that I was getting a much bigger thrill from experimental science. I started a Bachelor's in Chemistry, not knowing where that would take me; I simply decided to go with the flow. Research in organic chemistry turned out to be my favourite because of the rapid pace and the impact it can have on pharmaceutical and agrochemical R&D. Now, why am I in academia and not working for the industry? That's because my main passion is to inspire. While I think that I am a great chemist in the lab, I think that I shine more as I supervisor.
More and more visibility. However, in a way, I dream of the day when there will be no need to 'push' for visibility, that it will be the norm. Period. I am also glad to see a movement towards leaning away from using gendered pronouns in situations where biases must be avoided; this is a fantastic first step in ensuring that everyone is recognized for their brilliant minds or their capacities, not for any arbitrary trait that is completely irrelevant to their competence. Being part of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community should be treated the same way. While it certainly defines us in some regards, it will never affect our ability to excel in a STEM career.
What does Pride in STEM mean to you?
It is a reminder that I belong! We've gone a long way from the fixed idea of what a scientist should be, and I wish I had more people "like me" to look up to. In the end, it didn't stop me, but my experience could have been way different. Pride in STEM now ensures that younger folks in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community can more easily find such role models to look up to, whether they are at their institution or not. The more barriers fall, the better, and Pride in STEM is definitely a step in the right direction! Additionally, without Pride in STEM, I don't know that I would now have the courage to speak up and make myself visible. For me, it has definitely facilitated things up quite a lot!
National Chemistry Week Seminar Speakers 2023
Join us on October 16 at 12:00pm as we hear from two leading Canadian EDI scholars in Chemistry!
National Chemistry Week Seminar Speakers 2022
Please join us on October 18th from 12-1:30 PM MST
Join us in welcoming Dr. Nola Etkin and Dr. Alison Thompson for our inaugural event!
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Dr. Nola Etkin
Nola Etkin is the Dean of Science and a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Prince Edward Island, where she has taught Organic Chemistry and conducted research in Organometallic Chemistry and Catalysis since 1997. Dr. Etkin currently serves on the Canadian Society for Chemistry (CSC)’s Working Group on Inclusion, Diversity and Equity, the CSC Board as Director of Student Affairs, and the Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat’s Advisory Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.
Dr. Etkin’s involvement in Equity work began as a PhD student at the University of Alberta where she was involved in the local Women in Science and Engineering group and co-chaired the campus LGBTQ group. This involvement has continued throughout her career – she was a founding co-chair of Abegweit Rainbow Collective, which was formed to provide support and advocacy to PEI’s 2SLGBTQ+ community, and is currently a member of the UPEI Joint Equity Committee and the UPEI EDI Steering Committee. Prior to her appointment as Dean, she served as the President of the UPEI Faculty Association, and has served on the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) Equity Committee. In 2016 she edited the book Making Chemistry Inclusive: Proceedings of the CSC Symposium on Equity and Diversity in Chemistry., and in 2020 she was awarded the Chemical Institute of Canada’s Chemistry Education Award, recognizing in part her contributions to EDI within Chemistry Education.
