Women of Waterloo is a cross faculty collaboration across numerous student clubs to celebrate International Women's Day on March 8th. The clubs involved are Women in Mathematics, FemPhys, oSTEM, QTPOC KW, Women in Computer Science, Women in Engineering, Women in Healthcare, Women in STEM, and Waterloo Women's Impact Network, which range across numerous faculties and programs. This event aims to create a space for students to meet others from different faculties and network along with Women's day themed bingo and trivia. The event also features a themed photobooth and numerous prizes for the games taking place, along with food and snacks.
The event took place at the DC Fishbowl on March 8th, International Women's Day, with the 200 event tickets selling out only in a matter of 2 days. The event began with a themed trivia quiz, with kahoot questions like "What field did Donna Strickland win a nobel prize in?” and “Who was the first female to receive a Fields Medal?”, with the winning prizes ranging from powerbanks to skincare sets. This was followed by a networking bingo which you can fill out by finding people that match the feature in the box. Some of the traits mentioned were "someone into photography” and "someone who owns a lab coat", and new friendships and connections were made.
Such a collaboration is new especially due to the collaboration across faculties but sets a foundation for many more collaborations in the future, especially for intersectional events like these. Given the historical oppression of people in STEM and numerous other fields, this event aims to celebrate the success of underrepresented people in STEM, while allowing students to socialize in a casual environment. We hope that this event creates more momentum for cross faculty collaborations not just for the student body but also faculty and staff.
