By: Aditi Dwivedi, News Writer
On January 12, SFU Sci-Space conducted a workshop to help interested students start discourse about the conditions of gender equity and inclusion in the academic sciences, and the changes they want to see in their futures. This is the second year SFU Sci-Space has held a workshop regarding gender equity in STEM. The workshop had both undergraduate and graduate students share their experiences on gender-based violence and marginalization within academic sciences.
In an interview with The Peak, Thomas Leischner, the student engagement coordinator for the Sci-Space team, opened up about the idea behind the workshop and why it was needed in the university space. According to Leischner, the workshop was “put together in response to student need.” Apart from a few changes implemented to improve the conditions of gender equity and inclusion in academic sciences in 1970, the past fifty years have proven to be more-or-less stagnant.
The workshop was designed to direct participants towards creating their own theories of change they’d like to see in the future. After SFU Sci-Space’s recent screening of the documentary Picture a Scientist, Leishner reported students wanted to continue the conversation. He said, “It was clear the documentary had given them a real sense of urgency about the issue but not a lot of clarity of purpose — not a lot of ideas of how they might take action.” He said the workshop created a space for further conversation on how to take collective action.
“The ultimate aim is that students feel they have that clarity and vision of what they might want to get involved with after the workshop,” said Leischner.
In reference to last year’s participants, he stated “one person joined the Active Bystander Network on campus, one person is now an executive of the Women in STEM Club.”
A student at SFU, Carys Kenny-Howell, who attended last year’s workshop, spoke to The Peak about how it helped her grow. “We often focus on the details and history of the issues we face, and while that’s important, I think that this workshop was especially helpful because it focused on taking action to create meaningful change in the way that we believe will be most impactful.” She further noted what she learned through the workshop can be applied to realistic settings. Since attending the workshop, Kenny-Howell was inspired to start working with the Contract Worker Justice organization on campus.
For more information about SFU Sci-Space events and workshops, visit their website.
