The Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program: Thirty Years of Action Across Canada, from 1989 to 2021

This book describes the origins and evolution of Canada’s 30-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program. The book starts literally with a bang, right as Montreal and all of Canada were rocked by the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique Massacre of 14 women, describing how the Chair program took on a frenetic pace as a single Chairholder, Monique Frize, tried to respond to an entire country’s concerns about women in engineering, both as students and as professionals. The authors first cover the program from 1989 through 1997, when the program was expanded to five regional Chairs, of which there have been over three generations by now. The book then provides synopses of each Chairholder’s comprehensive regional program to recruit, retain and advance girls and women in STEM, organized by generation, providing a unique historical view of the changing landscape for research and outreach programs to increase the participation of women inmale-dominated scientific fields. Readers will find an effective model for national programs addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM and be inspired by the 16 strong role models who pioneered blended careers in STEM and gender equity advocacy.

Caroline D’Amours earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Master of Arts in Canadian military history from Université Laval. She earned her PhD in Canadian military history from the University of Ottawa in 2015. Her thesis focused on infantry reinforcement training for the Canadian Army during the Second World War (1939-1945). Dr. D’Amours was then a postdoctoral fellow with the International History Institute at Boston University where she focused on the participation of the Lower St. Lawrence region in the Second World War. Her current research focuses on Quebec’s contribution to the conflict and the combat training of the Canadian Army. She is also interested in the impact of culture on the behaviour of soldiers and populations in conflict situations.

Hannah Young is an associate in the McCarthy Tetrault Litigation Group in Toronto. She maintains a general litigation practice. Hannah received her Juris Doctor and Bachelor of Civil Law degrees from McGill University, where she volunteered for the Legal Information Clinic as well as the Concordia Student Union Legal Information Clinic, and the Clinique juridique des artistes de Montréal. Prior to law school, Hannah obtained her Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in History from Queen’s University. Hannah was called to the bar in 2022. She is a member of the Law Society of Ontario.

Catherine Mavriplis is Full Professor of Mechanical Engineering at University of Ottawa and was formerly a professor at The George Washington University. Her expertise is in high order numerical methods for direct simulation of turbulent and transitional flows. Since 1996, she has sustained multimillion dollar funding from federal and private sources to develop high-impact projects promoting the advancement of women in science and engineering, including four US National Science Foundation ADVANCE awards, and the ten-year Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for Ontario in Canada. Dr. Mavriplis has received the 2021 Engineers Canada Award for Support of Women and is a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Engineering and of Engineers Canada.