In the lead up to International Women鈥檚 Day, alumni, students and friends attended Dalhousie鈥檚 seventh annual Women in STEM networking event on Thursday (March 27).
The event, intended to celebrate and connect generations of women breaking barriers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics, included three Dal alumni:听Crystal Parker (BCSc'24),听Doris Grant (MScAgr'97), and听Denise Pothier (BEng'93).
鈥淭he only footwear that was available to me, as a female working in a refinery, were steel toe high heels,鈥� shared听Engineering听alum Denise Pothier, a听2020 Aurum Award recipient听and chief operating officer at the听听when recalling the early stages in her engineering career. 鈥淚 had to buy the smallest pair of men鈥檚 steel toe boots that I could find and wear three pairs of socks, so I could actually just do my job.鈥�
In another instance, Pothier explained when she needed to tailor her fire-retardant work clothing 鈥� designed to fit men 鈥� to fit her properly, and the time she was the only female out of 200 employees on an offshore installation and was forced to sleep in the infirmary.
Pothier emphasized the difference between a challenge and a barrier, explaining how often being the only female in a working environment naturally poses many challenges. 鈥淚f it鈥檚 just difficult, you鈥檝e got this,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut when it comes to barriers, they must be broken.鈥�
Forge your own path
After graduating from Dalhousie鈥檚 Faculty of Agriculture in 1994 and securing a Masters of Physiology in 1997, Doris Grant moved to New York to work for a large biotech company, leveraging her science-based skills related to technique, philosophy, and practice.
She would eventually work in the pharmaceutical industry next to graduates of Harvard and Stanford. 鈥淚 was very proud of the work and education I received at Dalhousie to be able to contribute to a global pharmaceutical company.鈥�
Grant, CEO of and director of , explained that we have never needed strong women in STEM as much as we do now.
Grant described her career timeline as 鈥渘ot a linear journey, but one that expands,鈥� encouraging attendees to embrace curiosity, remain open to new opportunities, and strive for tangible outcomes that have real impact.
Advice for new grads
From homeschooling her four daughters, to becoming a software engineer at , Computer Science alum Crystal Parker encouraged women thinking about a career in STEM to believe in themselves and achieve their ambitions, and offered four key tips:
1.听 听 听 听 Feel the fear and do it anyway
鈥淟ife is going to be hard so you may as well do the scary things.鈥�
2.听听听听听听听 Embrace the difficult
鈥淟earning new things is hard for everyone.鈥�
3.听听听听听听听 Ask for help
鈥淎ssume the best of people, they want to help you.鈥�
4.听听听听听听听 Network
鈥淓very time I said yes to something, it took me somewhere great.鈥�
鈥淲omen belong in STEM,鈥� said Parker. 鈥淎nd if I can take my passion, leap into the unknown, and build a career that I love, then so can you!鈥�
The impact
Event attendees were inspired by the speakers鈥� determination to overcome adversity and embrace change throughout their careers. 鈥淵ou can start on one path and end up somewhere completely different,鈥� said Celine Opitz (BSc鈥�24).
For others, like Simran Chopra (BCSc鈥�24), these events are a great way to connect with like-minded individuals. 鈥淚f there is a room full of women in STEM, that is the best chance to meet people in my industry,鈥� she said, adding that you never know when you may use that connection down the road.