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2016: A Year in Review

December 15, 2016

Written by: Natalie Lim

It's been quite a year, hasn't it?

We made it another 365 days around the sun and another 52 weeks of hard work, laughter, and tears.
Although the tail end of this year may have been a bit of a downer, that doesn't mean that 2016 was a total write-off! The STEM community accomplished some amazing things this year, and we are proud to have been a part of it. So, like everyone else on the Internet, we thought we would do a quick round-up of some of our favourite moments from this year as we look with hope towards 2017. 

It was so empty and new...

Our Website Launched! 

Believe it or not, our website is just about a year old now, and we're so happy with how much it's grown. Besides helping to promote local events, providing resources for women in STEM of all ages, and being a hub for Creating Connections 5.0, it's the home of the WWEST Blog, one of our proudest accomplishments to date.

In case you missed them, here's a couple of our favourite pieces from the past year...

Why it's Important to see "People Like Me" in STEM
Study Finds that Women Seek Smaller Competitions due to Prescriptive Gender Norms
Race and Gender Bias: Forces Driving Women of Colour out of STEM
Gender Equality in STEM isn't a Women's Issue - it's an Everyone Issue
Depictions of Women in STEM: Nyota Uhura
Progress, Hope, and the Next Four Years

Dr. Shannon's Article Published in the CRA

An article written by our very own Dr. Lesley Shannon, entitled “Want to Encourage Gender Diversity? Choose Your Words WISEly,” was published in the Computer Research Association’s (CRA) May 2016 issue of Computing Research News! The article discuses the low percentage of women enrolled in undergraduate computer science degrees, examining how word choice in program recruitment webpages may be acting as a deterrent to women applicants. This is an important topic, and one that Dr. Shannon is incredibly passionate about - we were glad that it got so much exposure! You can click here to read the full article.

WWEST and eng•cite Funding Partners Program

Alongside our friends at eng•cite, we were able to provide funding and resources for a number of incredible programs, including the Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology (SCWIST), UBC's Geering Up, and SFU's Girls Exploring Physics. All of the organizations we work with are dedicated to providing support and resources for girls and women in STEM, and we are happy to be collaborating with so many people who truly care about encouraging diversity in the STEM community. Check out our Funding Partners page to see all of our past funding recipients, as well as groups that will be receiving funding in 2017, and make sure to show them some love!

Our White Papers are Now Available in French!

The WWEST White Papers are some of our most valuable resources, because they cover complicated topics, from unconscious bias to the business case for gender diversity, in an easy-to-read, accessible way. Thanks to Dr. Eve Langelier and her team, as of this year, we finally have French versions available! Now that we can reach an even larger audience with the White Papers, we're excited to see how they will be used to educate and advocate on behalf of women in STEM. Click here to check out the Feuillets de Faits.

2016 was an eventful year, but next year promises to be even better! Registration for Creating Connections 5.0 opens in January, and we've also got some exciting new projects in the works, so keep your eyes peeled - WWEST will be back in full force for 2017.

Wherever you may be, we hope that you have a safe and happy holiday season! It's time that all of us enjoy some much-needed, well-earned rest, and we'll see you back here in the New Year to pick up where we left off: inspiring girls and empowering women to make a difference in the world through STEM.