Movers & Shakers
LATITUDE
SHE INNOVATES AND SHE INNOVATES TOO: MEMBERS CATCH THE EYE OF GLOBAL COALITION A select group of Alberta innovators are piloting the first Canadian chapter of a coalition empowering women worldwide. The Global Innovation Coalition for Change has invited 66 women—including Elizabeth Cannon, P.Eng., PhD, FEC, FGC (Hon.) , president emerita and professor at the University of Calgary , and Deanna Burgart, P.Eng ., founder of Indigenous Engineering Inclusion—to advance gender equality and support female innovators under the banner of SHEInnovates Alberta. Group members will act as local role models, work to tackle gender stereotypes, connect with and support female innovators, and raise awareness of innovations developed by women in Alberta. During eight and a half years as president and vice-chancellor of the U of C, Dr. Cannon took steps to harness and develop entrepreneurial thinking. She saw diversification and entrepreneurial leadership as necessary to support a rapidly evolving global economy, and she wanted to provide young people with the tools to be self-sufficient and resilient. So she oversaw the creation of the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking, a groundbreaking U of C initiative to create and deliver a bold new approach to learning, teaching, and discovering. “When we opened up the Hunter Hub, students just naturally gravitated to it. Many who hadn’t even thought about being entrepreneurial started to see what it’s all about. They see the support systems are there and their individual creativity just takes over,” Dr. Cannon says in a story on the SHEInnovates website. “That is what I get excited about: when I see young people, with all of their passion and energy and with a little bit of support, really move from an idea into dreaming and doing something big.” Dr. Cannon is also a big name in
-photo courtesy SHEInnovates
-photo courtesy Deanna Burgart
ANOTHER TRAIL TO BLAZE Dr. Elizabeth Cannon, P.Eng., and Deanna Burgart, P.Eng., are two of the Alberta women charged with developing the first global SHEInnovates chapter in the province.
APEGA governance and self-regulation. A former Councillor, she has served on numerous committees and boards, including nominating, discipline, and registration. Among the three APEGA Summit Awards on her shelf is the Centennial Leadership Award for 2011. Ms. Burgart is the founder of Indigenous Engineering Inclusion, which promotes science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) to Indigenous youth. She bridges the gap between engineering principles and traditional Indigenous world views, showing that the two are not mutually exclusive. As a consultant to post-secondary institutions and STEM-based organizations, she advises on ways to incorporate calls to action in the report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. “One of the barriers for Indigenous youth in STEM—and there are many—is the lack of role models in which they can see themselves reflected. That’s why it’s so important to me to create a community of Indigenous STEM professionals. So we can support each other and amplify our voices, and so the youth can see the many different opportunities for them,” Ms. Burgart says. “Indigenous people have been STEM professionals and innovators for thousands of years before contact. We are inherently connected to the land and sciences. We just didn’t use the Western words to describe (the connection).” SHEInnovates officially launched in New York in March, on International Women’s Day. The launch also served as a celebration of 100 women from around the world who mentor, support, and empower women. Of these 100 women, five were from Alberta— including Dr. Cannon.
22 | PEG SUMMER 2019
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker