Overview
Promotional Video
Women in Science and Engineering is proud to present our 9th Annual National Conference!
Are you ready to connect STEM, empowerment and professional development with delegates and renowned academic and entrepreneurial speakers from all across the world? Join us at the 9th Annual WISE National Conference | Connections: Together from Afar this upcoming January 23rd to 24th! We have a lineup of incredible speakers, workshops, panelists, competitions, and company sponsors here to fuel your professional and personal development, widen the reach of your network, and ignite your drive to pursue your passions!
What to Expect
- Company-sponsored workshops on personal growth and technological advancements to help you grow your technical and professional prowess
- Competitions ranging from consulting cases to research pitches to case for you to test your skills
- Charismatic keynote speakers geared to inspire you through their exceptional stories, journeys, and achievements
- Comprehensive speaker panels on various STEM fields including psychology, entrepreneurship, research, biomedical engineering, EDI and more
- Career fairs of companies ready to network with you and share the various opportunities they offer
Speakers and Panelists
Keynote Speakers

Kathryn Lueders
Associate Administrator for Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate at NASA

Adia Gooden, Ph.D
Director of the Clinic and Community Programs at The Family Institute

Lana Potts
Indigenous Health and First Nation Expert, Medical Doctor
Ambre Lizurey
Director of Operations at EA's Motive Montreal studio
Consulting

Anna Ye
Business analyst at McKinsey

Christine Blair
Project Engineering Consultant, SNC-Lavalin Rail & Transit Engineering

Michelle Theroux
Senior Manager, Healthcare Strategy & Innovation at Deloitte
Future of Transportation

Dahun Mamora
Technical Project Manager, Tesla

Anushree Sonic
Technical Lead at Waymo

Devin Williams
Lead Mechanical Engineer at Zipline
Healthcare

Dr. Cathy Zhang
CAPIE founder and UHN Physician

Noor El-Dassouki
Health Ethics Researcher at UHN

Dr. Gelareh Zadeh
Head of the Department of Neurosurgery at Toronto Western Hospital, UHN
Industry Disruptors

Dr. Natalie Galant
Co-Founder of PARADOX Immunotherapeutics

Fatima Khamitova
CEO & Founder of Veer AI

Pooja Sinha
Principal Engineer/Manager at Qualcomm Canada

Lejla Bajic
VP of System Engineering & Operations at Tenstorrent Inc
Technology

Natasha Walji
Director, Tech, Telecom, Entertainment & Public sector at Google

Laila Hulbert
Staff Engineer at Qualcomm Canada

Dragana Vulpic-Bork
Manager, Network Big Data COE at Bell
Sustainability

Professor Ning Yan
Professor of Forest Biomaterials Engineering at the University of Toronto

Stacy Kauk
Director, Sustainability Fund at Shopify

Jessica Polak
Vice President of Operations at Ontario Power Generation

Katrina Williams
Global Product Manager, Trojan Technologies
Academia

Clarice Phelps
Engineer and Research Associate at Oak Ridge National Lab (ORNL)

Netra Unni Rajesh
PhD candidate in BME at Stanford University

Dr. Linda Cremonesi
UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Lecturer in Particle Physics at Queen Mary University of London

Dr. Deborah Maclatchy
President and Vice-Chancellor of Wilfrid Laurier University and a Distinguished Biologist
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Karine Morin
Director, leading EDI initiative at NSERC

Asmaa Ali
Community leader, freelance photographer, and Registered Nurse

Dina Al-Khooly
Director of Research and Evaluation at Visions of Science

Marisa Sterling
Assistant dean and director of diversity, inclusion and professionalism at UofT’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Psychology

Dr. Janina Scarlet
Lead Trauma Specialist at Center for Stress & Anxiety Management

Dr. Tanaya Chatterjee
Clinical psychologist at CAMH

Dr. Frances Chen
Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia.
Biomedical Engineering

Dawn Bell
Global Development Head, Strategic Partnerships Team at Novartis

Dr. Kiana Aran
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific officer at Cardea Bio

Dr. Deanna Gates
Associate Professor of Movement Science, Biomedical Engineering and Robotics at the University of Michigan

Dr. Naomi Matsuura
Associate Professor in Materials Science and Engineering and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Banking
Caroline Tutakiewicz
Director, Strategy & Innovation with RBC Ventures

Katie Ferriter
Head, Technology Research & Innovation at BMO
Competitions
The WISE National Conference (WISE NC) competitions provide an opportunity for participants from various backgrounds to apply knowledge learned in class and solve real-world problems, working collaboratively as a team. We have expanded our competitions as we take advantage of our virtual platform to include as many contestants from various fields as possible. By having diverse topics that have both scientific and ethical implications, we hope our contestants can propose innovative solutions that are not only technologically sound but also encompass social considerations. This year, we're offering 3 different competitions:
Research Proposal and Pitch (RPP)
RPP contestants will compete in only ONE of the four following RPP streams. You will be expected to do some research with the prompt that will be released on January 22nd and present a working solution on January 24th during the conference. The 4 streams are:
- Infectious Disease
- Psychology
- AI and Healthcare
- Environmental Remediation
- a maximum 2-page written proposal submission
- a 5-6 min presentation + 3 min Q&A periodFor those that already have 2- to 3-person teams, ONE member of the team will be required to submit ONE Competitions Registration for the whole team.

3 Minute Thesis (3MT)
Individual competitors of undergraduate or graduate levels are given the opportunity to present their research in 3 minutes with one static slide on Friday January 22nd 5-7pm EST. If you wish, you may send us your abstract by January 15th to be posted on our website. Prizes: The winning presenter will receive $200, and the second place competitor will receive $100.
Consulting Case Competition
Contestants are challenged to consider, among other aspects, the ethics, corporate social responsibility, and business-government relations to a technology-based case that will be released on January 22nd. They will present a working solution in a 10-minute presentation on January 24th during the conference. Teams of 4 will be judged by experts from academia and industry, and the competitors are given the opportunity to ask any questions to the judges during Competitions Judges’ Saturday Office Hours. For those that already have 2- to 3-person teams, ONE member of the team will be required to submit ONE Competitions Registration for the whole team. If you do not have a team, do not worry - we will put you in one randomly! Prizes: Top group per each stream will receive $1000.
Hackathon
Cancelled - you may find Research Proposal and Pitch: AI stream to be of your interest instead
Competition Inquiries
Workshops
Workshops are a wonderful way for you to more actively take part in the Conference! Our demos, activities, and guided discussions are designed to allow you to get exposure to new concepts, develop useful skills, and engage with fellow attendees. Our workshops this year fall under 7 streams: Consulting, Tech, Engineering, Academia, Professional Development, Personal Development, and EDI. With the focus being more on skill-building, we believe that everyone will be able to find something useful and inspiring from attending these workshops, no matter where their interests lie.
Subsidies
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The University of Toronto Faculty of Engineering has generously offered 80% subsidized tickets for 200 UofT Engineering students
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Students will need to apply for support through Student Initiative Fund Form Link: here
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The Department of Chemical and Physical Sciences at the University of Toronto Mississauga will be covering the registration fee for interested CPS students to virtually attend this year's WISE conference. To apply for the subsidy, interested students can email cps.utm@utoronto.ca with:
- Full Name
- Student #
- Program of Study
- Short statement of why they want to attend and what they hope to learn
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Interested students are requested to apply for funding through the Student Group Request for Funding Application Form here
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McMaster Women in Engineering has generously offered to cover 60% of their 40 student’s tickets. For inquiries please contact the McMaster Women in Engineering Society
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Every year UTSC students can apply to funds that can subsidize/cover conference participation. Students interested can apply through here:here
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The University of Toronto Faculty of Arts and Sciences has generously offered to provide subsidies for 100 University of Toronto Arts and Science students.
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The University of Ottawa Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Chapter is generously offering selected students subsidies for attending the conference. Interested students please email wise@uottawa.ca if they have any inquiries or students can contact them on their websitehere
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Mount Royal University has generously offered to provide subsidies for 25 Mount Royal University students interested in attending the conference. If you are interested, students may contact jwithey@mtroyal.ca
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Ryerson University has generously subsidized 30 tickets to graduate students in engineering and architecture. Students will recieve a full refund once registered, given that they have provided a valid student email.