Algonquin College Celebrates International Day of Women and Girls in Science

Posted on Thursday, February 11th, 2021

International Day of Women and Girls in ScienceToday, Thursday the 11th, is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, a day where we celebrate the accomplishments of women and girls in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs, and look for ways we can all encourage and support those who wish to enter STEM fields.

The AC Team has put together a number of profiles, highlighting a few Algonquin College students and alumna currently working in the field of science, or studying science. Check them out below.

Morgan Grant

Advanced Biotechnology

When the manufacturing team at the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre (BMC) at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute manufacture viruses and grow cells to infect with these viruses–in the hopes of finding viruses that will attack cancer cells–it’s Morgan Grant’s job to ensure they are following all the right protocols and processes.Morgan Grant

A graduate of Algonquin’s Advanced Biotechnology Program and currently a Quality Assurance Associate at the BMC, Grant initially thought she wanted to pursue music, and actually got a degree in Music Industry Arts from Algonquin first.”

Her music degree led her to work as a sound technician at a number of concert venues in downtown Ottawa, as well as six-year stint working at a music store in Nepean. But eventually she realized she missed science. In 2015, she returned to Algonquin to pursue a degree in the Advanced Biotechnology Program. She was directed to the program by a quiz offered on the College website that aimed to help students figure out the program that is right for them based on their personality type—Biotech was one of the suggested options, and she was immediately attracted to it.

But what is biotechnology?

“I think the way that I see it is using biology and chemistry—using science—or manipulating it, to make improvements in the world,” explains Grant. “An example is gene editing, which sounds scary or like ‘ooh, evil scientist,’ but we can do gene editing to potentially get rid of genetic diseases. Also, biotechnology is fermentation—like making wine and cheese—those benefit our lives greatly.”

One of her favourite aspects of her job at the BMC is that the work she does will benefit peoples’ lives in a tangible way. She enjoys the work so much that she has no long-term plans to leave but wants to focus instead on expanding her skill set in the role through professional development opportunities.

She also loves that the staff at BMC are over 60 percent female. “It’s very refreshing,” she says of this gender balance. She says it has helped her career in science to have some incredible female role models, which include some of the professors in her program at Algonquin. She also includes Marie Curie as an inspiration, whom she says is a total ‘badass.’

Her advice to girls or women thinking about entering the field is to just go for it.

“DO IT. Do it because it’s interesting and fun and messy and can literally change the world,” she says. “And if that isn’t a good enough reason, do it to prove the people who say you can’t do it wrong.”

Ndona R. Wansaula

Computer Systems Technician

When Ndona R. Wansaula was growing up in Burundi, she always liked practical things – applying herself to problems and trying to figure out solutions.

Little did she know that her love of finding the right outcomes to complex issues would lead her to Canada and Algonquin College, where she recently graduated from the Computer Systems Technician Program.Ndona R. Wansaula

“When I was young, I enjoyed mathematics in secondary school. In math you have rules and definition and must think through to the solutions, arrive at the results. IT is like that, identifying the problem and working forward. I love the outcomes,” said Wansaula.

After studying IT at university in Kigali, Wansaula had to set aside her dreams of pursuing a career in her chosen field, as jobs in the sector were hard to find. She settled for work in administration, but after a few years at a desk job, her passion for IT was rekindled.

“I never really stopped thinking about IT, and the idea of going to another country, opening my mind to the world, was really appealing. I had friends and family here in Canada. I was checking online for schools. I looked over many colleges, but people I talked to told me Algonquin was the best,” she said.

When she arrived in Canada in April of 2019, there was little time to settle. Classes started one week later, but she quickly discovered her desire to meet new people and learn new cultures was easily fulfilled at Algonquin.

“I found so much diversity on campus, so I didn’t feel isolated. I found people from my country, from Europe and around the world,” she said. “At first I was shy, but my teachers were supportive, and tutoring was so helpful.”

She found inspiration in the College’s Women in Tech coffee club. Her coffee mates pointed her to options that might help, including Algonquin’s We Saved You a Seat Program. She filed an application for assistance.

“After some months, I forgot about it. Then I was in the library studying with some friends and I opened my email and saw ‘Congratulations.’ That day was very nice. My prayers were answered,” she said.

Through We Saved You a Seat, Wansaula had been awarded the ADGA Women in Tech Award, which provides $5,000 over two semesters for one or two full-time female students enrolled in the Computer Systems Technician program. We Saved You a Seat is a three-year pilot project which actively recruits women in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math (STEM) programs. Since the program’s inception, Computer Technician enrolment for female learners has increased by 75 percent.

Wansaula said the award came at exactly the right time and appreciates how important it is to support women in academic and career pursuits in STEM.

Algonquin College is also pleased to announce today that the Leacross Foundation has donated $60,000 to support women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs at Algonquin College. Learn more about this donation here.


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