Kootenay Girls take Quantum Leap into Science & Technology on International Women’s Day
By KAST
Kootenay, B.C. – Quantum Leaps: Girls in STEAM and Leadership Conference is a virtual and FREE event for all girls in the Kootenay Boundary in grades 8 to 12.
Organized by GLOWS (the Kootenay Association for Science & Technology’s youth program), this virtual conference is a community-led initiative taking place on Monday, March 8 from 3:30-8 pm PST.
Participants in this engaging interactive online conference will meet and listen to female STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math) professionals and learn about their unique journeys and insights.
Aligning this year’s event with International Women’s Day 2021 was purposeful. The theme this year is “Choose to Challenge”, meaning to speak up when you witness or experience wrongness. In other words – use your voice. This is a skill inherent to women’s leadership and a catalyst for ending inequality in STEAM.
Since women are still underrepresented in these fields, GLOWS aims to inspire and educate girls to understand all their opportunities in STEAM careers in a skillful way. Participants will gain an understanding of how the future of work is changing due to science and technology and they’ll learn about the skills they’ll need to thrive as they navigate their journey from student to working professional.
Using the web platform, Gather, GLOWS will emphasize the importance of connection and belonging and highlight regional relationship-building opportunities.
This interactive platform will allow participants to move around the virtual space with a 2D avatar and interactions with their webcam and microphone are possible when they’re in the same virtual space as another participant.
“As we were planning this event, we recognized the importance of trying to meet girls where they’re at – deeply experiencing the challenges of navigating pandemic life,” said Tanya Malcolm, GLOWS program manager.
“Quantum Leaps is not only offering girls the opportunity to explore and discover their interests in STEAM, but we are also intentional about inspiring them through mentorship and representation of women’s leadership.”
When participants register, they’ll have the opportunity to “choose their own adventure” for a custom Quantum Leaps experience.
Keynotes:
Reimagining Work for a Better Future – Tracey Malcolm, Global Future of Work Leader at Willis Towers Watson Climate Change and Changing the world – Jillian Lennartz, Sustainability Reporting at Teck Resources
Speakers:
- My Story as a Young Female STEAM Founder – Mylene Tu, Co-Founder and CEO at Lumaki Labs Inc The Journey – An Insight into the Rewarding World of Trades – Gabrielle Herle, Health and Safety Coordinator
- Construction Maintenance at Local 2300
- Tales from an Accidental Miner – Cassandra Spence, Manager, Processing Automation at Teck Resources
- Why Rocks Matter – Hannah Mills & Anelda van Staden, Senior Process Mineralogist at Teck Resources
- How Engineering Creates Opportunities – Sandra Boer, Former Technical Project Manager at Nortel Networks
- Water and Life – Mia Otto, Senior Aquatic Biologist at Lotic Environmental
Workshops:
- See How Artificial Intelligence Can Help Reinvent Work – Tracey Malcolm, Global Future of Work Leader at Willis Towers Watson
- Getting Started as an Entrepreneur – Annika Lui, Labs Director at League of Innovators
- No Wrong Answers – How Engineers Problem Solve – Anne Simonen, Engineering Technician at City of Castlegar
- To learn more about Quantum Leaps 2021: Girls in STEAM & Leadership Conference, visit www.kast.com/quantumleaps.
- This event is sponsored by: Teck Resources, Advancing Women in Engineering and Technology, Chinook Scaffold
- Systems Ltd. and the Skills Centre serving the Lower Columbia River region.
ABOUT KAST:
Since 1998, KAST (Kootenay Association for Science & Technology) has led our region’s economic development through technology and innovation. We are the only non-profit tech association serving the entire Kootenay region. Our main offerings are GLOWS, Venture Acceleration Program, Digital Economy: Rapid Response & Resiliency Program (DER3), Tech Resiliency Program, Kootenay Pitch Competition and the Nelson Innovation Centre. GLOWS (Growing & Learning Opportunities With STEAM) provides opportunities to help youth ages 5-19 find inspiration about their post-secondary education in a variety of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) related disciplines.
