Best of the WWEST

In this episode, WWEST manager Danniele chats with Dr. Gail Anderson about bugs and other animals, a career in forensics that makes a real difference in the world, and the benefits of university if one chooses to attend. Gail also reveals how she achieves work/life balance, her journey from a young forensic entomologist to professorship, and the importance of being a mentor to young people in STEM.

Gail holds a Burnaby Mountain Endowed Professorship at Simon Fraser University. She is a forensic entomology consultant to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Municipal Police across Canada as well as the SPCA and Wildlife Enforcement. She has been analyzing forensic entomology cases since 1988, and has testified as an expert witness in court many times.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Relevant Links:

• Canadian Police College
• Criminology at Simon Fraser University
• Funding and Award Opportunities - large list of grants and awards, sponsored by Research Services, SFU
• "The Hypersensitivity of Horses to Culicoides Bites in British Columbia" (Anderson et al)
• Sweet itch
• Thelma Finlayson
• The Walking Dead
• Z Nation

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Our guest of this episode, Halimat Alabi, has been many places and done many things. Listen as she brings us along on her journey through video game design, film and television, and research and teaching, with lots of laughs and poignant moments. She also gives advice for achieving work-life balance, including balancing family and career, and gives us insight into cutting edge visual analytics research.

Formally trained as an engineer, Halimat describes herself as an interactive visualization designer. She is currently an instructor for the Art Institute and doing visual learning analytics research at Simon Fraser University. She received a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant for her research, and has published a book chapter called "A Language and a Space: Visualizing Learning Online" in the learning analytics textbook, "Developing Effective Educational Experiences through Learning Analytics." She has worked in console game development for Sony and THQ and has worked on PSP, PS2, PS3 and Wii games.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Relevant Links:

• 3-2-1 Contact
• Accessibility, Innovation, and Mobility project
• Amazon Alexa
• Halimat on LinkedIn
• Halimat's website
• Pozole

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

WWEST Associate Chair Alison Anderson hosts this episode with Dr. Katie Aitken and speaks to her about bird watching, practicing science in the Yukon, and even what birds can teach us about climate change.

This episode is the first in a series by WWEST's Associate Chair at Yukon College in Whitehorse, YT. This series gives listeners a glimpse of the lively STEM community in the Great White North.

Dr. Katie Aitken is an instructor in the School of Science at Yukon College in Whitehorse, Yukon, and is an adjunct professor in the Department of Renewable Resources at the University of Alberta. She coordinates the Bachelor of Science in Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences program that Yukon College offers in partnership with University of Alberta.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Relevant Links:

• Cavity-Nesting birds
• Dr. Kathy Martin at University of British Columbia
• Jane Goodall
• Northern Environmental and Conservation Sciences at Yukon College
• Yukon Bird Club

Hosted by: Alison Anderson (@AlisonVAnderson) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Make sure to follow the Yukon Associate Chair's social media on Facebook and Twitter at www.facebook.com/wwest.yukoncollege and www.twitter.com/WWEST_yukon Also, be sure to subscribe to WWEST's biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

What was it like to rub elbows with the first Canadian women pioneering for other women's place in STEM? From the early days of the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST) to witnessing the early days of the NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering, Dr. Judy Myers has seen a lot in her long career in Zoology. She covers topics such as raising a family while working full time in STEM, how to elevate women's status in STEM, and time saving tips for achieving work-life balance.

Dr. Judy Myers is currently Professor Emerita in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. She joined the faculty in 1972 and her research takes an interdisciplinary, collaborative, inclusive approach to the management of environmental pest problems.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Links:

• Canadian Society for Ecology and Evolution
• Charles Kreb, Professor Emeritus, Department of Zoology, UBC
• Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia
• History of Earth Day
• "Monique Frize had to change the world of engineering," CIM Magazine
• Myers Lab, including publications by Dr. Myers
• Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST)
• Symposium for Women Entering Ecology and Evolution Today

Dr. Judy Myers is currently Professor Emerita in the Department of Zoology at the University of British Columbia. She joined the faculty in 1972 and her research takes an interdisciplinary, collaborative, inclusive approach to the management of environmental pest problems.

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Hear all about improving processes at the City of Vancouver, industrial engineering, and mentoring immigrant women in STEM in this interview with Zhila Pirmoradi, PhD. She'll also share why she gladly lets her professional life be present in her spare time and how she dealt with being a new immigrant to Canada, as well as how she happened to find herself studying Mechatronic Systems Engineering at Simon Fraser University.

Zhila Pirmoradi is an Industrial Engineer who has her PhD in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University. Passionate to utilize her research in industry, as a Business Process Analyst, Zhila helps the City of Vancouver's business units identify potential areas for improving effectiveness and efficiency of their processes and value streams.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Links:

• American Society for Quality
• City of Vancouver
• Dr. Gary Wang (Zhila's PhD supervisor)
• Immigrating Women in Science (IWIS)
• ms infinity at SCWIST
• Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology
• Zhila's profile at SFU's Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website

Zhila Pirmoradi is an Industrial Engineer who has her PhD in Mechatronic Systems Engineering from Simon Fraser University. Passionate to utilize her research in industry, as a Business Process Analyst, Zhila helps the City of Vancouver's business units identify potential areas for improving effectiveness and efficiency of their processes and value streams.

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Holly Burton joins WWEST manager Danniele with her "awkward turns of phrase" (her words!) and fills us in on leadership coaching, her passion for elevating women in male-dominated fields, and everything from how she copes with stress to her thoughts on the mining industry. She also lets us in on a not-so-secret tidbit: Very few people know what they want to be when they grow up.

Holly Burton is a leadership coach for women in male-dominated industries. She works one-on-one with ambitious women to help them get promoted and create the careers they actually want in industries they love.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Links:

• "Female Leaders Say Unconscious Workplace Bias is Still a Problem," 2017, The Voice (Langara College)
• Holly's website
• Holly's talk at DevOpsDays Vancouver 2017: "Gaslighting and Gender at the Workplace"
• Upcoming Events with Holly
• Vancouver Women in Male-Dominated Industries (Meetup Group)

Holly Burton is a leadership coach for women in male-dominated industries. She works one-on-one with ambitious women to help them get promoted and create the careers they actually want in industries they love.

Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Best of the WWEST producer Vanessa showcases highlights from the podcast! You'll hear from many of our guests about their successes, as well as their struggles and how they overcame them. They'll also give advice for STEM professionals and students in STEM, plus some extra tidbits including some exciting work being done to engage women and girls in STEM and how our guests experience work-life balance.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Hosted by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Thank you for listening and stay tuned for more interviews with role models in STEM!

Rahael Jalan, PhD, joins Danniele to discuss her journey from India to Canada, where she settled to help Aboriginal youth excel in mathematics. She speaks about traveling the world to do her work, how she entered mathematics as a student in India, and her passion for sharing the gift of education with those less fortunate.

Rahael Koshy Jalan is the founder/director of "Eagles of Tomorrow Education Society." Eagles of Tomorrow's mission is to provide a comprehensive program in mathematics fundamentals for success in STEM and other areas of learning which require a solid foundation in mathematics. In 2004, Rahael was asked to help with issues that hindered math proficiency among Aboriginal students in Vancouver. The society's program, "Math Yes We Can" and its "Language of Mathematics" workbooks have created an environment where Aboriginal learners can graduate from high school with a solid foundation in mathematics.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Links:

• Eagles of Tomorrow
• Hidden Figures (film)
• Indian Institute of Technology
• The Man Who Knew Infinity by Robert Kanigel
• Onam Festival
• First Nations University of Canada (Formerly Saskatchewan Indian Federated College)

Rahael Koshy Jalan is the founder/director of "Eagles of Tomorrow Education Society." Eagles of Tomorrow's mission is to provide a comprehensive program in mathematics fundamentals for success in STEM and other areas of learning which require a solid foundation in mathematics.

Guest: Rahael Jalan, PhD (website) Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

Please consider leaving us a review on iTunes or Stitcher! For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

Join WWEST manager Danniele for a lively interview with Angie Byron. Topics include the vast world of open source programming, how Drupal and open source can change the world for the better, and Angie's mission to push some of that change forward. You'll also find out little tidbits about Angie in her life outside of Drupal.

Angie Byron is the Senior Director of Product and Community Development at Acquia. She is also a Drupal core committer, recipient of the Google-O'Reilly Open Source Award for Best Contributor, co-author of the O'Reilly book Using Drupal, and an open source evangelist who lives and breathes Drupal.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Links:

• Acquia
• Adventure Time
• Drupal
• Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth for Nintendo 3DS
• ScratchJr - coding for young children
• VIC-20 - one of the first inexpensive home computers

Guest: Angie Byron (@webchick) Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.

In this interview, Negar Roghanian tells us all about her life as a PhD student in Civil Engineering at the University of British Columbia. You'll hear about Negar's work producing a coating material that extends the life span of concrete pipes, her journey from her home country of Iran to Canada, and her passion for creating sustainable, eco-friendly materials that will support infrastructure for decades to come.

Negar Roghanian is a research assistant and PhD candidate at the SIERA (sustainable infrastructure research) group at UBC as part of the department of Civil engineering. Her research focuses on developing sustainable coating for rehabilitation of corroded pipes.

For a full transcription of this episode, click here.

Links:

• Hoor-Ava Persian Choir
• Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
• "New coating material protects concrete pipes from corrosion," Journal of Commerce
• Shiraz University, Iran
• "SIERA's PhD Candidate Negar Roghanian selected for UBC Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award," SIERA at UBC
• Sustinable Infrastructure Research (SIERA) group at UBC
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Guest: Negar Roghanian Hosted by: Danniele Livengood (@livengood) Theme Music: "Positive and Fun" by Scott Holmes Produced by: Vanessa Reich-Shackelford

For more from Westcoast Women in Engineering, Science and Technology, you can follow us on Twitter at @WWEST_SFU, on Facebook at @WWEST.SFU, and subscribe to our biweekly newsletter at wwest.ca.