It wasn’t until the December 6 killing of 14 women at École Polytechnique de Montréal that Mary Wells realized the significance of her gender in the profession.
“I consciously remember thinking that I was also a woman in engineering and could have easily been one of those women in the room,” says Wells, dean of Waterloo Engineering. “I was completely shocked and horrified by what had happened and it is etched in my mind forever.”
Wells hosts today’s University of Waterloo online ceremony beginning at 10:30 a.m. to recognize the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women.
Waterloo Engineering female students will read the names of the 14 young women murdered and light a candle for each. One candle will also be lit for the 10 women and four men injured 31 years ago. [full story]