SWEEET 2015:
Are we having fun yet?
Methods and tips for measuring your success in academia
Thursday, 21 May 2015
Symposium: 9 am-1 pm
Location: Saskatoon, SK
RM: Physics 165
Symposium: 9 am-1 pm
Location: Saskatoon, SK
RM: Physics 165
Everyone attending the CSEE 2015: 'Ecology and Evolution of Managed Landscapes' is welcome and encouraged to participate in SWEEET.
The theme for SWEEET 2015 is “Are we having fun yet? Methods and tips for measuring your success in academia” inspired by surveys of our past audience members indicating that they found it difficult to accurately gauge their own progress, and can consequently struggle with high anxiety, lowered confidence, and imposter syndrome. We will have a series of prominent scientists speaking about their own personal experiences with finding balance and confidence in their careers. The goal is to impart support and knowledge about self-worth to scientists in training through the sharing of information and networking opportunities.
Our intended audience for this workshop includes post-secondary students working towards a career in science, post-doctoral fellows, and pre-tenure level faculty. The focus will be on creating opportunities and networking for women, but people of any gender are welcome to attend any part of the symposium.
Invited Speakers:
Professor Madhur Anand studies mainly human-induced changes in ecosystems at local, regional and global scales. Her PhD (1997; Western University) is in the field of quantitative ecology. She has collaborated with mathematicians, theoretical physicists, statisticians, and computer scientists. Her research program is supported by governmental, industry, national and international agencies as well as by a number of awards (e.g., Premier’s Research Excellence Award, two Canada Research Chairs, James S. McDonnell Foundation Complex System Scholar). In 2011 she was named a Young Scientist of the World Economic Forum which places emphasis on the broader implications of science in society. In addition to having a vibrant interdisciplinary scientific career, with over 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 1 co-authored textbook (“Climate Change Biology”, CABI), she has presented scholarly research in in ecopoetics and co-edited a book on ecopoetry (“Regreen: New Canadian Ecological Poetry”, Scrivener Press). Her debut collection of poems is entitled “A New Index for Predicting Catastrophes” (McClelland & Stewart, 2015). Dr. Anand serves on several international journal editorial boards and grant selection panels. She currently holds a University Research Chair in Sustainability Science as Full Professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph.
Professor Steven Vamosi: I’m a lifelong nature lover, thanks to parents who took me camping and kept aquaria at home throughout my childhood. I’m an Associate Professor of Population at the University of Calgary where, together with my research group, we primarily study the phylogenetics, phylogeography, and population genetics of native aquatic species and also the impacts of interactions with alien species on their long-term prospects. My appreciation and understanding of diversity and equity issues have evolved over time, from being basically unaware during my undergrad, to becoming aware of them but not knowing if I could do much about them during my time as a grad student, to a fuller appreciation of the depth and extent of the issues along with a growing resolve to helping resolve them as a faculty member. I’m currently part of a working group that is working to establish the Terms of Reference for a standing committee on Diversity and Equity in the Faculty of Science, which will be launched later this year. I will share my experiences with such initiatives and also touch on some topics related to the theme of this year’s SWEEET.
Professor Jeannette Whitton is a plant evolutionary biologist with interests that span the areas of population genetics, phylogenetics and speciation. She is currently an associate Professor in the Department of Botany at the University of British Columbia and the director of the UBC Herbarium. She is interested in questions surrounding the nature of plant species - How do populations of a species, scattered across hundreds or thousands of kilometers, maintain their genetic and evolutionary integrity? How do factors such as changes in chromosome numbers and breeding system influence the ecological and genetic interactions of populations that differ in these traits? How does natural selection influence the divergence of populations and groups of populations when gene flow still occurs between diverging units? These are just a few of the questions that fuel her research interests. Research in her lab takes a variety of approaches from comparative to experimental, from the level of populations, through the study of whole genera. She believes that taking a broad approach and using multiple study systems allows for broader insights into the evolutionary process.
Professor Diane Srivastava is a professor in the Department of Biology at the University of British Columbia. Her research is motivated by curiosity about the natural world, interests in conservation, and a passion for ideas. She grew up exploring the forests and lakes of Nova Scotia, and her ecological fieldwork has since taken her around the world, with research in Central and South America, Africa, England and arctic and temperate Canada. Many of her research ideas are developed through mentoring students and postdoctoral fellows. Her research focuses on fundamental questions in community ecology, including those that help develop the theoretical basis of conservation. Her lab investigates how the interaction of spatial and trophic processes determines which species occur within food webs. They also examine how species loss from these food webs can affect the way ecosystems function.
SWEEET gratefully acknowledges the following 2015 sponsors
2015 Co-Organizers:
Dr. Nadia Aubin-Horth (Université Laval)
Dr. Jana Vamosi (University of Calgary)
Xanthe Walker (University of Saskatchewan)
Alix Conway (University of Saskatchewan)
Dr. Risa Sargent (University of Ottawa)
Dr. Nadia Aubin-Horth (Université Laval)
Dr. Jana Vamosi (University of Calgary)
Xanthe Walker (University of Saskatchewan)
Alix Conway (University of Saskatchewan)
Dr. Risa Sargent (University of Ottawa)
Schedule SWEEET 2015
9:00-9:10AM Introduction to SWEEET
9:10-9:35AM Dr. Madhur Anand will speak about personal interest and professional expectation: blazing trails and changing norms in academia
9:35-10:00AM Dr. Jeannette Whitton will speak about her experiences with finding rewards in meaningful community service
10:00-10:20AM Coffee break
10:20-10:45AM Dr. Steven Vamosi will speak about his experiences in becoming a female ally and developing policies for institutional equity and diversity
10:45-11:10AM Dr. Diane Srivastava will speak on her experiences in finding success through balancing multiple demands; the pros and cons of careers in academia
11:10-12:00PM Open to discussion involving all speakers and attendees
12:00-1:00PM Buffet lunch
Thanks to our sponsors:
9:00-9:10AM Introduction to SWEEET
9:10-9:35AM Dr. Madhur Anand will speak about personal interest and professional expectation: blazing trails and changing norms in academia
9:35-10:00AM Dr. Jeannette Whitton will speak about her experiences with finding rewards in meaningful community service
10:00-10:20AM Coffee break
10:20-10:45AM Dr. Steven Vamosi will speak about his experiences in becoming a female ally and developing policies for institutional equity and diversity
10:45-11:10AM Dr. Diane Srivastava will speak on her experiences in finding success through balancing multiple demands; the pros and cons of careers in academia
11:10-12:00PM Open to discussion involving all speakers and attendees
12:00-1:00PM Buffet lunch
Thanks to our sponsors: