In our third episode of the miniseries by the WWEST Associate Chair program hosted at iSTAND at the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO), host Maxine (iSTAND Communications and Resource Design Assistant) reverse engineers the diversity in STEM conversation. She speaks to two men in female-dominated fields to explore how these fields can support greater gender diversity, and the benefits thereof. In particular, this episode explores nursing and social work and the parallelisms between these fields and STEM. Within these fields, the historical context of gendered professions is slowly, but surely, changing. You'll also hear about mentorship, the vulnerability these fields expose, and how men can find their footing when navigating gender expectations. Dr. Jennifer Jakobi, WWEST Associate Chair, introduces us to our guests in the beginning of this episode as well.

iSTAND is the Integrative STEM Team Advancing Networks of Diversity, which is creating a network to recruit, support, and increase underrepresented persons in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). You can learn more about their program here and about the WWEST Associate Chair program here.

Our guests for this episode are Dr. Peter Kellett RN, from the University of Lethbridge and Dr. John Graham RSW, of the University of British Columbia Okanagan. Please see relevant links for more information on our guests.

(Please excuse any audio hiccups in this remotely recorded interview.)

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Featured in this Episode:

• Dr. John Graham, RSW, University of British Columbia Okanagan
  
• Dr. Peter Kellet, RN, University of Lethbridge
  

• iSTAND
• Neuromuscular – Healthy Exercise and Aging Lab at UBCO
• "The Gender Divide in Social Work," Wiley Education Services
  
• "Why Nursing is a Great Career Choice for Men," nurse.org
  
• WWEST Associate Chair Program
• WWEST White Paper: "Mentoring Works"

Hosted by: Maxine van Zyl and Dr. Jennifer Jakobi
Theme Music: “Positive and Fun” by Scott Holmes
Produced by: Maxine van Zyl and Vanessa Hennessey