Friday, March 8, 2019

International Women's Day keynote speaker inspires young minds to expect equity

This article was originally published on Waterloo Stories.

As a child, Anita Layton wanted nothing to do with mathematics.

She refused to follow in the footsteps of her father, a high school math teacher. So, despite her interest in the subject, she did not pursue a math degree.

Today, Anita Layton is the Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine.

She often wonders why many students avoid mathematics, especially women. While attending Duke University, her undergraduate alma mater, only a quarter of the math majors were women. Layton believes that the lack of female role models and mentors has contributed to this gender gap.

“Women can be intimidated when other students, often males, appear to be able to solve problems within minutes,” she explained. “I have learned to say, hey, you're really great at this. Good for you! Guess what? I am good at this other thing. Isn't it wonderful for both of us?"

Layton is a professor of applied mathematics, pharmacy and biology, and chair of the Research Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council at the University of Waterloo. She continues to work hard while supporting the efforts and achievements of other women.

“A couple of months after I got here, Donna Strickland was on the news having won the Nobel Prize in Physics,” she said. “I was like, we are good. This is going to be the first of many Nobel Prizes [women] are going to win.”

Layton believes we need to continue shining a spotlight on all our female role models and that celebrating these women will encourage the next generation.

Layton is no stranger to the challenges and misjudgment women face regardless of the field they pursue. She goes out of her way to introduce her son, young and impressionable, to her female engineering friends after he, at age 5, proclaimed that there were no female engineers.

“We all know how widespread this stereotype is,” says Layton.

Layton believes it is important for students to have intelligent and inspirational female figures to look up to, noting it is especially important for students to see a variety of women to illustrate the many ways in which one can be successful.

“We can show our students that women are equally respected, that women's intelligence is valued and that women belong in leadership.”

Canada 150 Research Chair in Mathematical Biology and Medicine

The Canada 150 Research Chairs Program is a one-time funding program of $117.6 million per year to help postsecondary institutions attract and retain the world’s most accomplished and promising minds.

Layton’s research focuses on developing and applying mathematical models to gain insights into the physiology and pathophysiology of the mammalian kidneys. In particular, her team uses “mathematics as their microscope” to:

• Understand the cardiovascular benefits of SGLT 2 inhibition in diabetes and chronic kidney diseases
• Unravel the mechanisms underlying the sex differences in blood pressure regulation
• Explore integrative kidney physiology, biofluid dynamics, diabetes and hypertension

Waterloo celebrates International Women's Day

The University of Waterloo will recognize and celebrate International Women's Day with the 14th annual dinner tonight. Layton is the distinguished guest speaker for this year’s event. To learn more about the event, please visit the International Women’s Day Dinner webpage.

Maura Grossman named Director of Women in Computer Science

This is an excerpt of an article originally published on the School of Computer Science website.

Maura R. Grossman is a Research Professor and Director of Women in Computer Science at the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, as well as an eDiscovery attorney and consultant in Buffalo, New York. 

Previously, she was of counsel at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, where for 17 years she represented Fortune 100 companies and major financial institutions in civil litigation and white collar criminal and regulatory investigations, and advised the firm’s lawyers and clients on legal, technical, and strategic issues involving eDiscovery and information governance, both domestically and abroad.

In January 2019, Professor Grossman became Waterloo's second Director of Women in Computer Science.

Tell us a bit about yourself. 

I am a transplanted New Yorker who spent the majority of her life in Manhattan — until I moved to Waterloo in June of 2016. While so much of my career — first as a clinical psychologist and hospital administrator, and later as a civil litigator — has been heavily structured, I love the freedom of the road trip. My fiancé and I have driven to the West Coast through Canada, returning through the U.S., as well as to Cape Breton and back. These have been some of my favourite adventures.

You have an MA and PhD in psychology from Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University and a JD from the Georgetown University Law Center. How did you become involved in computer science, or more specifically in eDiscovery? 

I have had a non-traditional career path as a result of following my interests, as well as opportunities that arose along the way, rather than a bandwagon. My graduate studies grounded me in the scientific method and in the practice of law, I was fascinated by piecing together the facts and the underlying story. As an attorney at a large corporate law firm, I was drowning in data as I sought to search massive datasets for evidence. In about 2009, I met University of Waterloo Computer Science Professor Gordon V. Cormack at an information retrieval conference and we decided to bring the scientific method and supervised machine learning to bear on the problem of legal electronic discovery. That was the beginning of the long partnership that brought me to Waterloo.

You are the Cheriton School of Computer Science’s Director of Women in Computer Science. Tell us a bit about your role in this senior leadership position and your goals.

Both the law and computer science are fields that have struggled to achieve gender equality. I am excited by the prospect of supporting our nearly 1,050 female undergraduate and graduate students, whether through developing and offering programs, fundraising with our corporate partners, or advocacy efforts. I believe that the Cheriton School of Computer Science is committed to improving the attractiveness of our academic offerings and environment to women, and there is much we can do to provide our female students with the skills and confidence they need to thrive in computer science, both at Waterloo and beyond.

Read the rest of the article on the School of Computer Science's website.

Waterloo to host women's administrative leadership conference

by Joanne Adair.

Is anyone else due for a dose of inspiration as these long winter months drag on? One dose of inspiration I’m getting is being part of the team that is organizing this year’s Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada (SWAAC) conference. University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier and Conestoga have all come together to bring the conference to Waterloo Region and it is shaping up to be an amazing event, if I may say so myself!

I had the opportunity to attend last year’s conference in Halifax. I wasn’t sure what to expect as I don’t consider myself an academic administrator and felt like I would stand out like a sore thumb. But it was the exact opposite. Everyone was friendly, welcoming and genuinely interested to talk and connect. I heard Senator Wanda Thomas Bernard speak about her framework for equity and how she builds capacity with youth all over the country, in addition to the work she does in Senate. And, frankly, I was floored. This woman - the first black identified woman in Senate – is constantly being criticized, threatened and challenged, yet still wakes up each day and starts fresh. Senator Thomas Bernard dared to go for positions that she would never have dreamed of, mainly because she surrounded herself with a group of people that pushed her. That mentored her. The created space for her to unwind, laugh, and get up the next day to do it again.

There was one moment in the conference last year, where President Vianne Timmons talked candidly about her experience as a women-identifying President and some of the situations she has found herself in over her tenure in the position at University of Regina. It was shocking and raw. The room was silent. But with her encouraging nature, more women in the room stood and shared similar experiences. Being in Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion unit on campus, where one of the files we work with is Sexual Violence, I got chills. These stories were coming from senior leadership and people who could be my colleagues. Places where I thought experiences like this didn’t happen.

It was in that moment that I felt gratitude to the women who started SWAAC almost 32 years ago. This conversation would not have happened in the same way, with the same impact without this safe space for women to share real things they deal with, to brainstorm what to do about it, and hear from speakers who have started doing something about it.

This year’s conference will be no different. With the theme of the conference being Making brave spaces: The importance of allyship in the institution, we have set up a stellar lineup of panels, sessions and keynotes.

President Timmons has graciously accepted our invitation to be a panelist, and I guarantee it will be funny, engaging, and inspiring. Elizabeth Nyamayaro, the Head of the UN Women’s HeForShe movement will be our keynote. Have you heard her story? Look her TED Talk up if you haven’t. I cannot wait to see her in person, setting the stage on fire, pulling no punches and filling us all up with hope, clarity, and determination.

If you identify as a woman or as a non-binary aspiring leader, are in a leadership position, or you are senior leader, please join me at SWAAC. I’d love for you to come to the table. And, be that ally: invite your colleagues, and those people who report to you. People in your department who would never consider themselves able to be leaders at this institution. I think this conference will convince them that they can.

SWAAC happens this year from April 25 to 27 at Federation Hall. Register now.

March Break Open House and other notes

Tomorrow is the annual March Break Open House, which will see campus flooded with future students and their families for campus tours, information sessions, and much more. The event runs from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on the University's main campus.

Here's today's Nutrition Month "myth vs. fact" supplied by Health Services Dietitian Sandra Ace:

Claim:  Family meals are a thing of the past and actually aren’t as important as we have been led to believe.

Evidence:  I recently came across a mommy blog titled “It’s Okay to Not Have Family Dinners, And This Is Why.” I skimmed through it with some interest and fully agree that Canadians have busy lives, and when time is scarce, it’s difficult to make room for family meals.

However, according to the Dietitians of Canada, eating together provides many benefits. Children eat more vegetables, fruit and calcium-rich foods and drink fewer sugar-sweetened beverages. They are at a lower risk for being overweight or developing eating disorders. Teenagers are less likely to use substances and have fewer social problems. Children and adolescents have improved academic performance and preschoolers have a better vocabulary. Eating together, even a few times per week, is a great way to learn, communicate and share family traditions.

If you find it challenging to carve out time for family meals you’re not alone. One-quarter to one-third of families seldom or never eat together, with the biggest barriers being parents working late, conflicting schedules or family members being busy with activities. During Nutrition Month 2019, dietitians are promoting ideas for planning and preparing easy, fun and nutritious meals, even for busy families. Here are links to some resources:

• Better Together
• Eat Together and Eat Better 
• Make Healthy Eating Fun While at Home at Home
• Fast and Kid-Friendly Dinners for Busy Parents

You don’t need to have a health problem to benefit from the advice of a dietitian. We can help you find solutions to everyday challenges too. In Ontario, you can speak with a dietitian through Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000). Some grocery stores have dietitians who offer free programs and cooking demonstrations and fee for service appointments. To make an individual appointment with a local dietitian in private practice visit Find a Dietitian. University of Waterloo employees with extended health benefits can check current plan coverage for Registered Dietitian appointments under Paramedical Services.