The Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program : thirty years of action across Canada, from 1989 to 2021

This book describes the origins and evolution of Canada’s 30-year Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering Program.

The book starts literally with a bang, right as Montreal and all of Canada were rocked by the 1989 Ecole Polytechnique Massacre of 14 women, describing how the Chair program took on a frenetic pace as a single Chairholder, Monique Frize, tried to respond to an entire country’s concerns about women in engineering, both as students and as professionals.

The authors first cover the program from 1989 through 1997, when the program was expanded to five regional Chairs, of which there have been over three generations by now.

The book then provides synopses of each Chairholder’s comprehensive regional program to recruit, retain and advance girls and women in STEM, organized by generation, providing a unique historical view of the changing landscape for research and outreach programs to increase the participation of women inmale-dominated scientific fields.

Readers will find an effective model for national programs addressing equity, diversity, and inclusion in STEM and be inspired by the 16 strong role models who pioneered blended careers in STEM and gender equity advocacy.