27 Aug 2018
#STEM4Every1, #STEMingUPPartnerFeature, #STEMingUPSpotlight, Engineering, Math, Mathematics, Science, STEMingUPSpotlight, Success, Technology

STEMing UP Partner Feature, Issa Paez of Citrix Canada

At Citrix, we believe that a well-educated workforce provides opportunities for young people and helps our economy grow.  Additionally, we believe that companies that employ more women and have women in leadership roles outperform companies who don’t, and that’s why we support programs that work towards increasing women representation in the workplace especially in STEM fields.

Did you have a mentor growing up? If so, how did you find them and how old were you? 

I did not have a mentor growing up; however, I did find a few mentors during my career that coached and helped me develop personally and professionally.  There were individuals in my workplace that I admired because of their wisdom and knowledge, and I wished to learn from them.  I took it upon myself to ask them if they would take me as their mentee, impart some of their knowledge, and guide me through my professional career.  I encourage you to reach out to someone you admire and want to learn more from, and that person will gladly take you as his or her mentee.

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21 Aug 2018
#STEMingUP, Awards, Contest, Engineering, Math, Mathematics, Media, Science, Success, Technology
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Announcing STEMing UP Demo Day, August 24, 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

Contact: Doina Oncel

Tel: 647-878-9285

Email: mediarelations@hervolution.org

Date: August 21, 2018

hEr VOLUTION ANNOUNCES STEMing UP DEMO DAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

 

Toronto, ON. August 20, 2018: To end the year one of the first STEMing UP cohort,  a program that focuses on delivering learning the fundamentals of computer science and building their portfolio of skills, students will deliver their Demos on August 24, 2018, at Knixteen office, located at 70 Claremont Street Toronto ON M6J 2M5.

hEr VOLUTION formed a partnership with Shopify, Checkout51 , Citrix Canada, Salesforce Canada, Humber College and Knixteen to deliver the first-ever STEMing UP Program. The initiative focuses on bringing together young women, 13 to 17 years old with multiple barriers and who are interested in computer science in order to build their portfolio towards a financially rewarding career in technology.

hEr VOLUTION is a nonprofit organization focusing on getting more girls and young women interested in STEM fields. As with all of our programs, we aim to inspire more young women to get involved in STEM careers, especially those from underserved areas who may not have access to these resources.

“Our goal is to inspire more young women to get involved in STEM careers, especially those from underserved areas who may not have access to these resources. I strongly feel that this program has done just that by introducing young women to professional skill building experiences designed to help them achieve their career goals. The participants have had the opportunity to build long-term relationships with peers and industry mentors and see their ideas come to fruition building overall confidence and skills. I am very excited and proud of what the girls have achieved so far and I am confident in the skills they have built so far and I look forward to seeing it come to life on August 24 during Demo Day.” says Doina Oncel, Founder of hEr VOLUTION

Built on the success of the past programming, STEMing UP aims to equip young women with the confidence, skills, professional portfolios and networks to pursue fulfilling careers in the STEM industries with a focus on computer science. The initiative began in May of 2018 and it took 4 months to complete. on August 24, 2018, the students will be delivering the Demos of their projects to a mixed audience, students, parents and industry professionals. The selected participants will deliver their best problem-solving idea for the Knixteen business challenges.

“I have gained the ability to think critically, work in a team productively, and question everything- to not take anything at face value. I have learned to think both inductively and deductively, and learned skills such as how to pitch a product, how to market an item and how to price it. I have also learned how to code in Python and HTML + CSS.” said Dhwani Vaishnav, a current STEMing UP student when asked about her learning experience in the program so far.

About hEr VOLUTION

Since 2013, hEr VOLUTION has been one of the only organizations in Canada to promote innovative STEM learning for vulnerable and at-risk female youth, in addition to promoting the STEM fields for all females.

To learn more visit www.hervolution.org, or call us at 647 878 9285.

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12 Aug 2018
#STEMingUPSpotlight, #STEMingUPWeeklyWriteUp, Blog, Engineering, Math, Mathematics, Science, Space, STEMingUPSpotlight, Technology, Uncategorized
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STEMing UP Spotlight (Interview with Dhwani Vaishnav) – STEMing UP Weekly Write Up 11

Hello readers! I hope you enjoyed last week’s Spotlight with Naomi Thomas. This week, we will be featuring Dhwani Vaishnav. This series, spanning over the duration of Phase III of the STEMing UP program will showcase the girls in the program, one each Saturday! Check back here every weekend to learn more about the incredible girls in the STEMing UP program and what they are working on.

Dhwani will be in grade 11 this September at J Clarke Richardson Collegiate and she enjoys reading, Bharatanatyam dance, and playing the violin. Fun fact: Dhwani loves to travel and has visited five countries so far!

Let’s get into the interview!

  1. Why did you join the STEMing UP program?

I joined the STEMing UP program because although I have always been interested in STEM, I had not received the opportunity to learn about content that would help me in the future other than soft skills. I received an email from the Girls-E-Mentorship (GEM) program, where I was a mentee, and immediately applied. After all, a chance to learn skills such as financial metrics, marketing, how to pitch, and coding skills such as Python and coding with the Django framework are irreplaceable skills! More

09 Aug 2018
#STEM4Every1, Engineering, Math, Mathematics, Science, Space, Summer Camps, Technology

Who’s behind #STEMCamp2018? PhD student in the Earth Sciences Department studying contaminant hydrogeology

I am a PhD student in the Earth Sciences Department studying contaminant hydrogeology.

Why did you get involved with hEr VOLUTION’s camps?

I received a message from another PhD student in the Earth Science department.

How are you involved with the STEM Camps?

I am helping run the geology day for space camp.

What should people expect from the STEM camps?

A fun opportunity to learn from students working in the field.

How can others connect with you?

Liz Phillips (LinkedIn)
06 Aug 2018
#STEM4Every1, Engineering, Mathematics, Science, Success, Summer Camps, Technology

Who’s behind the #STEMCamp2018? Ian Wheelband, 1st Vice President, Chairperson, Education and Public Outreach, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Toronto Centre

I’m an amateur astronomer with the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada – Toronto Centre (RASC-TC) and have been keenly interested in astronomy since I was a teen. My work history for 30 years was in the Operations department of the Pickering Nuclear Generating Station, shift manager. Now I am a full-time astronomy outreach provider, skier, astro-photographer, musician, and traveller.

Why did you get involved with hEr VOLUTION’s camps?

My friend and colleague, Dr. Bhairavi Shanker.

How are you involved with the STEM Camps?

I’m providing an astronomy day at hEr VOLUTION camp this year. More

04 Aug 2018
#STEM4Every1, #STEMingUPSpotlight, #STEMingUPWeeklyWriteUp, Engineering, Math, Mathematics, Science, STEMingUPSpotlight, Success, Technology
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STEMing UP Spotlight (Interview with Naomi Thomas) – STEMing UP Weekly Write Up 10

Hello everyone, and welcome back to yet another STEMing UP Spotlight! I hope you all enjoyed learning about Sanaa yesterday, today we will be featuring Naomi Thomas. This series, spanning over the duration of Phase III of the STEMing UP program will showcase the girls in the program, one each Saturday! Check back here every weekend to learn more about the incredible girls in the STEMing UP program and what they are working on.

As I said earlier, this week we will be featuring Naomi Thomas. She will be in grade 11 this September, and she enjoys reading and coding.

     Without any further ado, let’s get into the interview!

 

  1. Why did you join the STEMing UP program?

I was advised to join this class by our A.P coordinator, we are consistently receiving emails on possible programs, and prior to STEMing UP I had already receive some about hEr VOLUTION. So, I already knew I wanted to participate in one of their programs, so when I received an email about the STEMing UP program, I leapt at the opportunity to join the program. Additionally, when I learned that I could be taught how to code in Python, it was too good to be true, and I could not pass up on the opportunity.

  1. What interests you about STEM?

I am interested in both math and science and have been since I was child. But I have only started learning to code this year. The appeal for me is the excitement of solving a problem, whether these be imaginary; unrealistic ones given on test or real work ones, it explicable, the excitement I feel when I solve a problem. Additionally, I love how it seemingly endless, no matter how much I learn about it there is always something more; something more difficult challenging me to overcome it and augment my knowledge. More