September 19, 2005 Source: University of Saskatchewan:
http://www.usask.ca/events/news/articles/20050919-1.html U of S Computer Science Prof Named to $1.16 M Cameco NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering Organization: University of Saskatchewan Communications Email: communications@usask.ca Released: Sept. 19, 2005 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 9 a.m. Monday, September 19, 2005 2005-09-09-AR U of S Computer Science Prof Named to $1.16 M Cameco NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering University of Saskatchewan computer science professor Julita Vassileva has been named to the Cameco NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering, U of S President Peter MacKinnon announced today. Vassileva will work to identify barriers that deter females from pursuing careers in science and engineering and support and mentor young women in the sciences. "This Chair, made possible by the critical support of our funding partners, will allow Professor Vassileva to continue to lead by her own example of career success, and launch new initiatives to help young women follow her lead," MacKinnon said. "By attracting more women into science and engineering, we will access the unique perspective and inventiveness of half our population that has so far been underrepresented in these careers." Participation of women in mathematical, physical, and engineering sciences in Canadian universities is not only lower than that of men but is also lower than corresponding levels in the European Union. In some disciplines, notably computer science and electrical and computer engineering, women's involvement has declined even further in recent years. The prestigious Chair is one of only five awarded across the country. The five-year, $1.16 million appointment is supported with $350,000 from Saskatoon-based Cameco Corporation as part of its gift to the University of Saskatchewan Thinking the World of Our Future campaign. This is matched with $350,000 from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), with the balance made up by the University. "At Cameco, we see first-hand the increasing need for engineers and science specialists," said Jerry Grandey, Cameco's president and chief executive officer. "The Cameco NSERC Prairie Chair for Women in Science and Engineering will provide a unique opportunity to move forward and encourage women in Saskatchewan to consider careers in science and engineering." "It is important to promote the greater participation of women in research fields where they have traditionally been underrepresented," said Finance Minister Ralph Goodale. "The NSERC Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering program is one of a number of initiatives that the government has in place to encourage more women to pursue research careers in science and engineering." Vassileva is a successful computer scientist, having balanced career and family to become an international leader in her field. She actively supports women through lectures on the need for more female participation, particularly in computer science and engineering. She also supervises and mentors many young women at the undergraduate and graduate level. In her research, she has developed ways of building rewards into the software supporting online communities to ensure different types of users are motivated to participate. Vassileva will determine what female-specific incentives and rewards can be integrated into an online community to make it fun and exciting, while piquing girls' interest in science and engineering. For example, more active users would get more prominence online or participants might win a book, free participation in a summer camp, or a personal music player. This online community will enable women and girls to share information, discuss issues, read life stories of prominent role models, and get advice on challenges such as juggling family and career or how to move up the career ladder in a largely male-dominated set of professions. The online aspect is critical, as women have few peers of their gender close at hand with which to network. Working with colleagues in sociology, Native studies, and women's and gender studies, Vassileva will investigate the attitudes of girls, their parents and their teachers at the high school level in Saskatoon, as well as in rural Saskatchewan and Manitoba. She especially wants to connect with Aboriginal women to get them excited about career opportunities in science and engineering. Vassileva will prepare recommendations for curriculum design in computer sciences at the major Prairie universities to help them become more women-friendly. She will also give public talks to parents, teachers, and students, as well as presentations to grad students, faculty, and university administrators to address issues such as subtle discrimination that discourages women from pursuing careers in science and engineering. Cameco is the world's largest uranium producer. The company's products are used to generate electricity in nuclear energy plants around the world, providing one of the cleanest sources of energy available today. For more information, visit www.cameco.com. NSERC is a federal agency that invests in people, discovery and innovation for the benefit of all Canadians. For more information on its programs, visit www.nserc.ca. -30- For more information, contact: Julita Vassileva Department of Computer Science College of Arts and Science University of Saskatchewan (306) 966-2073 jiv@cs.usask.ca http://www.cs.usask.ca/people/faculty_profiles/julita.shtml Michael Robin Research Communications University of Saskatchewan (306) 966-2427 michael.robin@usask.ca www.usask.ca/research Susan Burton Campaign Communications Officer University of Saskatchewan Thinking the World of our Future (306) 966-1851 susan.burton@usask.ca http://www.usask.ca/campaign
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