91社区

Not everyone who has been accepted by the Faculty of Engineering arrives for the first time and feels welcome. Or like they belong.

For the past year, the fledgling E-IDEA team (Engineering Inclusivity, Diversity, and Equity Advancement) has been gathering momentum to change that. The team has solidified relationships with centralized EDI groups at the University, collaborated with student groups who are members of the Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) as well as graduate and interfaculty student groups, and forged relationships with professors and staff.

An online student hub was set up in the Faculty in August. With internal networks in place,
E-IDEA has a strategy to build out its foundation.

Projections: Kwe, a digital display of Indigenous art launched last year in the lobby of the McConnell building, is a project of the Indigenous Inclusion Committee, which won the Faculty鈥檚 Preston Phipps Equity and Diversity Award in 2022. , who spearheaded the project, also won the WSP Equity and Diversity Award. The exhibit intended to 鈥渟trengthen the inclusion of underrepresented groups within the Faculty of Engineering through art,鈥� and has been a huge success.

Visitors to McConnell comment on the wonderful artworks now on display. More significantly, Indigenous students who are harmed by 91社区鈥檚 colonial legacies have expressed feeling empowered by the installation. E-IDEA is planning to collaborate with other student groups to add new Projections installations across other Engineering buildings.

Corporate donors, Preston Phipps, Rio Tinto and WSP all contribute to E-IDEA activities. This spring, the EDI Awards program was reinvented, and E-IDEA called for student-led proposals. A total of听eight winners were announced at the E-IDEA Showcase this听Fall.听Their projects will be implemented during the coming year.

A new corporate gift from 脡nergir meant that E-IDEA was able to hire three summer interns. (Over sixty students applied for these internships.) Interns learn about everything E-IDEA does 鈥� from programs and strategy, to advising and working groups. 脡nergir鈥檚 gift will also help increase the number and variety of community building activities managed by the team.

Engineering alumni step up to support the underrepresented

A generous gift from John Tentomas (BEng鈥�94) will help with the development of an E-IDEA strategy that is directed towards the engagement of Indigenous youth so they may access and thrive in higher education. This will include the recruitment of a skillful team of personnel for training, workshops, and engagement events.

"In our pursuit to make a meaningful impact in our community, my family was driven by the desire to contribute to a cause with lasting transformative potential,鈥� says Tentomas. 鈥淪upporting the Faculty of Engineering's E-IDEA program perfectly aligned with this goal as it focuses on addressing the needs of local and national disadvantaged communities, including Indigenous communities, which hold a special place in the hearts of both my wife, Niki, and me."

Another significant gift from Shelley Bacon (BEng鈥�75) funds The Shelley Bacon E-IDEA Initiative Support Fund that will bolster 贰-滨顿贰础鈥檚 strategy to develop a culture in the Faculty where underrepresented students not only feel welcome, but thrive throughout their educational experiences.

The three summer interns who were hired this year have expanded Teamwork content, grown Community Engagement, and developed more EDI training resources. They also co-designed
贰-滨顿贰础鈥檚 first showcase, held on September 11, that spotlighted the project they worked on together over the summer to take a pulse of the community in the Faculty of Engineering.

Going forward, the Teamwork and Community Engagement programs will grow partnerships with course leaders and research teams to consistently integrate the principles and practices of equity, diversity and inclusion in the Faculty鈥檚 programs.

With alumni support and corporate funding, E-IDEA is employing a multi-pronged approach to ensure that the Faculty is able to shift its culture, becoming a place where all feel welcome and all have the opportunity to succeed.

贰-滨顿贰础鈥檚 Teamwork Initiative won the 2023 91社区 Equity and Community Building Team award for designing and facilitating workshops in classes across the Faculty. From left to right: Ren茅e Pellissier, Faye Siluk, Claudia Flynn (Faye Siluk has since left the Faculty.)

Meet the听student interns

L鈥檈ssor d鈥橢-IDEA soutenu par des dons philanthropiques

听

Parmi les 茅tudiants nouvellement admis 脿 la Facult茅 de g茅nie, ce n鈥檈st pas tout le monde qui se sent accueilli d猫s son arriv茅e ou qui a l鈥檌mpression d鈥檡 trouver sa place.

Depuis l鈥檃n dernier, l鈥櫭﹒uipe croissante d鈥橢-IDEA pour l鈥橝vancement de l鈥櫭﹒uit茅, de la diversit茅 et de l鈥檌nclusivit茅 en g茅nie s鈥檈fforce de changer cette r茅alit茅. L鈥櫭﹒uipe a consolid茅 ses liens avec les groupes d鈥橢DI centralis茅s de 91社区, collabor茅 avec des groupes d鈥櫭﹖udiants membres de l鈥橢ngineering Undergraduate Society (EUS) et des groupes d鈥櫭﹖udiants dipl么m茅s et interfacultaires, et nou茅 des relations avec des professeurs et des membres du personnel.

Un centre 茅tudiant en ligne a 茅t茅 cr茅茅 脿 la Facult茅 au mois d鈥檃o没t. Des r茅seaux internes sont en place, et l鈥櫭﹒uipe d鈥橢-IDEA dispose d鈥檜ne strat茅gie pour en b芒tir les fondations.

L鈥檈xposition num茅rique d鈥檃rt autochtone Projections : Kwe, lanc茅e l鈥檃n dernier dans le hall du pavillon McConnell, est un projet du Comit茅 d鈥檌nclusion autochtone. Celui-ci a remport茅 en 2022 le Prix Preston Phipps pour l鈥櫭﹒uit茅 et la diversit茅 de la Facult茅. La directrice du projet, , a pour sa part re莽u le prix WSP pour l鈥櫭﹒uit茅 et la diversit茅. L鈥檈xposition, qui a connu un vif succ猫s, avait pour objectif de 芦 renforcer au moyen de l鈥檃rt l鈥檌nclusion des groupes sous-repr茅sent茅s au sein de la Facult茅 de g茅nie 禄.

Les visiteurs du hall McConnell soulignent la qualit茅 des 艙uvres qui sont actuellement pr茅sent茅es. Qui plus est, les 茅tudiants autochtones qui sont affect茅s par l鈥檋茅ritage colonial de 91社区 se sont dits confort茅s par l鈥檌nstallation. E-IDEA compte collaborer avec des groupes 茅tudiants pour ajouter d鈥檃utres installations de projections 脿 travers les b芒timents de la Facult茅.

Les entreprises donatrices, Preston Phipps, Rio Tinto et WSP, contribuent toutes aux activit茅s d鈥橢-IDEA. Le programme des prix EDI a 茅t茅 repens茅 au printemps, et les 茅tudiants ont 茅t茅 invit茅s 脿 soumettre des propositions. Les听huit laur茅ats annonc茅s cet automne lors de la Vitrine E-IDEA听verront leur projet mis en 艙uvre dans le courant de l鈥檃nn茅e.

Gr芒ce 脿 un nouveau don offert par 脡nergir, E-IDEA a pu embaucher trois stagiaires d鈥櫭﹖茅 (plus de 60 茅tudiants ont postul茅 pour les emplois). Les stagiaires ont 茅t茅 initi茅s 脿 l鈥檈nsemble des activit茅s d鈥橢-IDEA en mati猫re de programmes, strat茅gie, conseil et groupes de travail. Le don d鈥櫭塶ergir permettra 茅galement de multiplier et de varier les actions de d茅veloppement communautaire men茅es par l鈥櫭﹒uipe.

Les dipl么m茅s en g茅nie agissent pour appuyer les personnes sous-repr茅sent茅es

Gr芒ce au g茅n茅reux don de John Tentomas (BEng'94), E-IDEA d茅veloppera une strat茅gie pour favoriser l鈥檈ngagement, l鈥檃cc猫s et l鈥櫭﹑anouissement des jeunes autochtones en enseignement sup茅rieur. Ceci comprendra le recrutement d鈥檜ne 茅quipe qualifi茅e pour mener des formations, des ateliers et des activit茅s de mobilisation.

芦 Dans notre d茅sir de g茅n茅rer un impact significatif dans notre communaut茅, ma famille et moi avons voulu contribuer 脿 une cause transformatrice durable 禄, explique Tentomas. 芦 Soutenir le programme E-IDEA de la Facult茅 de g茅nie correspondait 脿 ce but, puisqu鈥檕n s鈥檡 concentre sur les besoins des communaut茅s d茅favoris茅es locales et nationales, dont les communaut茅s autochtones, qui nous tiennent particuli猫rement 脿 c艙ur, 脿 mon 茅pouse Niki et moi. 禄

Un autre don important, celui de Shelley Bacon (BEng'75), financera le Fonds de soutien Shelley Bacon 脿 l鈥檌nitiative E-IDEA, et appuiera la strat茅gie d鈥橢-IDEA visant 脿 d茅velopper au sein de la Facult茅 une culture accueillante et favorable 脿 l鈥櫭﹑anouissement des 茅tudiants sous-repr茅sent茅s durant leur parcours universitaire.

Les trois stagiaires d鈥櫭﹖茅 embauch茅es cette ann茅e ont 茅largi le contenu Teamwork, accru l鈥檈ngagement communautaire et augment茅 les ressources de formation en mati猫re d鈥橢DI. Elles ont particip茅 脿 la conception de la premi猫re Vitrine E-IDEA, qui s鈥檈st tenue le 11 septembre. On y pr茅sentait leur projet d鈥櫭﹖茅, qui prenait le pouls de la communaut茅 de la Facult茅 de g茅nie.

D茅sormais, les programmes Teamwork et Engagement communautaire 茅tabliront des partenariats avec les responsables de cours et les 茅quipes de recherche pour que les principes et pratiques d鈥櫭﹒uit茅, de diversit茅 et d鈥檌nclusivit茅 soient int茅gr茅s de fa莽on coh茅rente dans les programmes de la Facult茅.

Avec le soutien des dipl么m茅s et le financement d鈥檈ntreprises, E-IDEA se d茅ploie sur plusieurs fronts pour assurer un changement de culture au sein de la Facult茅, pour que chacun puisse s鈥檡 sentir bienvenu et ait la possibilit茅 de r茅ussir.

尝鈥檌苍颈迟颈补迟颈惫别 Teamwork d鈥橢-IDEA a remport茅 le prix 2023 91社区 Equity and Community Building Team pour sa conception et son animation d鈥檃teliers dans les cours de la Facult茅. De gauche 脿 droite : Ren茅e Pellissier, Faye Siluk, Claudia Flynn (Faye Siluk a depuis quitt茅 la Facult茅).

Rencontrez les 茅tudiants stagiaires.听Disponible en anglais seulement