茄子直播

Student club at 茄子直播 Mississauga to connect women in STEM, promote diversity and inclusion

Group photo of the WiSC members
Members of the Women in Science and Computing club's executive committee, including Fatima Minhas (far left) and Vaneezeh Siddiqui (fifth from left), pose for a photograph at 茄子直播 Mississauga (photo courtesy of WiSC)

A new student club at 茄子直播 Mississauga is connecting women in science and computing studies with networking and career development opportunities.

Since its soft launch in December, the  (or WiSC) has hosted three events, including an exam study session, a film screening and a career panel with a San Francisco-based leader in web development.

WiSC co-founder and president Vaneezeh Siddiqui is a second-year undergraduate student studying statistics, computer science and business at 茄子直播 Mississauga. She was attracted to the campus because of its reputation as a close-knit and diverse community with good research opportunities, but often found herself attending events on 茄子直播鈥檚 St. George campus in an effort to connect with other female students in her field.

鈥淚 wanted to have that community here at UTM,鈥 says Siddiqui, who founded WiSC in August 2019 by gathering a 14-member executive committee to plan networking events and outreach opportunities to connect, inspire and support its members.  

鈥淲omen in Science and Computing is a place where we can talk about what we鈥檙e experiencing, find mentorship and peer support,鈥 Siddiqui says. 鈥淭he mission is to create a place where everyone, particularly female-identifying students and minorities, feel supported in their journey and don鈥檛 feel like they鈥檙e doing it alone.鈥

Siddiqui and Fatima Minhas, the club鈥檚 external communications director, can both recount experiences where their expertise and ambition have been disregarded by some male classmates because of their gender.

鈥淚鈥檝e been told 鈥 more than once 鈥 that 鈥榞irls can鈥檛 do math,鈥欌 says Minhas, a fourth-year student studying Earth sciences and mathematics. 鈥淭o be thought of as less than equal or not good enough was a shock to me, and it made me feel unwelcome.鈥

The women find strength in connection with other women in their fields. 鈥淵ou think you鈥檙e having an experience in isolation, but when you talk to other women, you see that you鈥檙e not alone,鈥 Minhas says. 鈥淭here are other women in STEM who have the same issues in industry, in the classroom and in the lab.鈥

Minhas says the club helps students connect outside of class and mix with peers across scientific disciplines. 鈥淲iSC unifies women in STEM on this campus,鈥 Minhas says. 鈥淲e have each other, but how do we further that relationship through professional events, networking events and bonding events?鈥

With start-up funding from the 茄子直播 Mississauga Students鈥 Union, WiSC launched its first event in January. The club hosted a career event with an all-female panel of engineers, product managers and technical leaders working with San Francisco-based tech giant Yelp. The session covered career paths, challenges and opportunities for women in the industry.

WiSC will also share information about student opportunities like hackathons, conferences and scholarships and help match students with others who might be interested in participating.

While the club is meant to connect women in STEM, the founders are heartened to see support from male classmates who are also attending events, incuding the group鈥檚 official launch in early January that featured a screening of 鈥淒ream Girl,鈥 a documentary about women and entrepreneurship.

鈥淥ur events are open to all genders because we want to raise awareness about diversity and inclusion in STEM,鈥 Minhas says. 鈥淭hose are the types of conversations that we want everyone to be a part of so they鈥檙e aware that problems exist, but they also know how to approach a solution and be allies for their female peers.鈥

鈥淚t鈥檚 exciting,鈥 says Siddiqui. 鈥淭hat conversation was not happening at UTM, but now it is. We can help ensure that current and incoming students in computer science feel supported.鈥

WiSC is planning a range of events over the Winter semester. On Jan. 31, WiSC will cohost the  career event in partnership with 茄子直播 Mississauga鈥檚 Mathematical and Computational Science Society. To commemorate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on Feb. 11, the club is planning a fireside student chat about imposter syndrome and what it鈥檚 like to be a female student in STEM. In March, the group will host a panel of female faculty members to discuss academic career development.

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