TORONTO, October 20, 2017 – The third celebration of International Ada Lovelace Day at York University is a way to recognize the achievements of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), but it also highlights how far there is to go.
Elly Zupko
Equity, diversity & inclusivity activist Elly Zupko will talk about her reaction to seeing a British physicist from the European Space Agency’s Rosetta mission wearing a shirt with a collage of scantily-clad women on international TV in 2014. In response, Zupko created “that other shirt” featuring more than 50 women in STEM. She also started a non-profit organization, SMLX Good, which has raised more than $40K to support STEM programs.
York U will also host an Ada Lovelace Day Edit-A-Thon to create and edit Wikipedia pages for women in STEM.
“The thinking was that by having more women in university, it would increase the number of women in STEM fields, but it is far more complicated,” said organizer and biology Professor Dawn Bazely. “We need to have a more welcoming space for women in STEM where they are not being judged more harshly than their male counterparts. Right now it’s not a meritocracy; it’s not a level playing field.”
She has been instrumental in getting other universities to hold their own Ada Lovelace Day celebrations. Bazely and John Dupuis, Science and Engineering Librarian, co-founded the event at York U.
International Ada Lovelace Day talk:
WHAT: An Ada Lovelace Day talk by Elly Zupko, “From ‘That Shirt’ to ‘That Other Shirt’ — Finding Ways to Honor the Trailblazing Women of the Past & Future”
WHEN: 12:30pm, Monday, Oct. 23
WHERE: York University Senate Chamber, N940 Ross Building, Keele campus, York University (number 28 on Map)
Ada Lovelace Day Edit-a-thon:
WHAT: An Edit-a-thon to add/update Wikipedia entries for women in STEM
WHEN: 10am to 5pm, Thursday, Oct. 26
WHERE: Room 021 Steacie Engineering & Science Library, Keele campus, York University (number 18 on Map)
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York University is known for championing new ways of thinking that drive teaching and research excellence. Our students receive the education they need to create big ideas that make an impact on the world. Meaningful and sometimes unexpected careers result from cross-discipline programming, innovative course design and diverse experiential learning opportunities. York students and graduates push limits, achieve goals and find solutions to the world’s most pressing social challenges, empowered by a strong community that opens minds. York U is an internationally recognized research university – our 11 faculties and 26 research centres have partnerships with 200+ leading universities worldwide. Located in Toronto, York is the third largest university in Canada, with a strong community of 53,000 students, 7,000 faculty and administrative staff, and more than 295,000 alumni. York U's fully bilingual Glendon campus is home to Southern Ontario's Centre of Excellence for French Language and Bilingual Postsecondary Education.
Media Contact:
Sandra McLean, York University Media Relations, 647-654-9452, sandramc@yorku.ca
