Organized by the National Research Council Canada (NRC) in collaboration with Acfas, this virtual event brough together the Canadian university community and the Government of Canada to celebrate the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. The program will include scientific discussions, exchanges on research issues and a roundtable on women's leadership and ambition.

Program

Thursday, February 9, 2023 / 10:30 am to 5 pm (EST)

Scientific discussions

• 10:30 am: Welcome and opening remarks

by Geneviève Tanguay, Vice-President, Emerging Technologies, NRC and Sophie Montreuil, Director General of Acfas. 

• 10:35 a.m.: Session A: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation Measures

Moderator: Annie Levasseur, Professor, École de technologie supérieure and Canada Research Chair on Measuring the Impact of Human Activities on Climate Change. 

Conclusion: Catherine Potvin, Professor, McGill University and Canada Research Chair in Climate Change Mitigation and the Tropical Forest

• 11:50: Session B: Health and Well-Being 

Moderator: Norma Beauchamp, NRC Council Member 

Conclusion: Lyne Sauvageau, President and CEO, Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité au travail (IRSST)

• 1:30 pm: Session C: Emerging Technologies 

Moderator: Julie Lefebvre, Director General, Security and Disruptive Technologies, Advanced Electronics and Photonics and Nanotechnology Research Centres, NRC

Conclusion: Eva Dupont-Ferrier, Professor, Université de Sherbrooke 

 Research Discussions 

• 2:50 p.m.: Striving for equity, diversity and inclusion in research 

Moderator: Denise Gareau, Director, Research, Results and Delivery Branch, Women and Gender Equality Canada 

Panelists: Peter Mason, Director, Internet of Things: Quantum Sensors Challenge Program, NRC; Emily Missyabit McAuley, Director, Aboriginal Science Liaison Office and Federal Interdepartmental Aboriginal STEM Group, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; Jane Whynot, Partner, Goss Gilroy Inc. and part-time Professor, School of Public Policy & Administration, Carleton University

• 4:00-5:00 pm: Developing a STEM Career in the Federal Public Service

Moderator: Diane Tshikudi, PhD candidate in immunology, University of Manitoba 

Panelists: Solenn Mordret, Technical Officer, Synthetic Biology and Algal Genomics, NRC; Magali Houde, Researcher, Environment and Climate Change Canada; Vicky Lévesque, Researcher, Soil Health and Microbiome, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 

• 5:10 pm: Closing remarks

Friday, February 10, 2023 / 10:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. (EST)

• 10:30 am: Welcome and opening remarks

by Jean-Pierre Perreault, President of Acfas and Iain Stewart, President of NRC

• 10:50 am: Keynote Address 

by HRH Nisreen El-Hashemite, PhD, founder of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science and Executive Director of the Royal Academy of Science International Trust