Episode 95: Creating Inclusive Networks to Launch Careers

May 11, 2021

Imagine having to think about your gender nonstop. Imagine it getting in the way of the work you set out to do. Imagine feeling ignored, devalued, and dismissed even by the subtlest of actions or comments. This is something women and non-binary folks constantly face in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM), and Project SINC (Shaping Inclusive Network Cultures) is getting to the root of it as part of Engendering Success in STEM (ESS), a Consortium devoted to testing the long-term efficacy of interventions that harness the power of positive social interactions to mitigate subtle gender bias. Dr. Sonia Kang and Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould, project leads, get into the nitty gritty of their exciting research, their findings, and how their studies are helping them to understand the importance of interpersonal aspects of professional success. Get in touch with Project RISE here! Find our other episode about Engendering Success in STEM here!

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

Guests: Dr. Sonia Kang (Website) & Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould (Website)

Dr. Sonia Kang has expertise in strategies for optimizing diversity and mitigating the effects of stigma and discrimination across the lifespan. Her past research includes work on the development of stigma consciousness among children, the effects of stereotype threat on the cognitive performance of adults, and on diversity in organizations. Dr. Kang’s expertise will be integral to research planned to reduce bias among students and to combat stigmatization and encourage inclusion in organizational contexts. To learn more visit: http://www.rotman.utoronto.ca/FacultyAndResearch/Faculty/FacultyBios/Kang.aspx

Dr. Elizabeth Page-Gould has the only lab in Canada to carry out real-time physiological recording among groups during ongoing interactions. Her Social Psychophysiological Research and Quantitative Methods Lab focuses on how subjective, physiological, and behavioural experiences during social interactions contribute to the way people approach the social world and can help diverse communities thrive. Dr. Page-Gould’s knowledge of reducing bias through positive interactions combined with her statistical and methodological expertise will specifically allow us to test how our interventions can reduce physiological stress reactivity during interactions between men and women in STEM. To learn more visit: http://page-gould.com