UCalgary Chemists for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity up and running on campus

By Sophia Lopez, October 14 2020 —
with files from Nikayla Goddard

UCalgary Chemists for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity (CIDE) is a Chapter of Canadians Working for Inclusivity in Chemical Sciences, Engineering and Technology (CWIC) network. This chapter aims to create a more supportive and accepting community within the science and engineering fields. Founder and President of the chapter, Milanpreet Kaur, provided more details as to what this chapter has in store for its first year up and running.

“Our objective is to promote equity and respect everyone,” Kaur stated.

Being a graduate herself, currently in her third year as a PhD candidate at UCalgary, Kaur wishes to help develop a more inclusive, diverse and equitable community for herself and fellow students. With the chapter newly formed in July 2020, Kaur noted that the staff are trying to recruit as many students as possible.

“We’re trying to reach out to people, not only to graduates but undergraduates because this is for everyone,” said Kaur.

Along with a diverse community of people, Kaur plans to provide members with any assistance or guidance they need throughout their university experience.

“We’re planning to organize professional workshops and seminars that are aimed at career development,” she said. “We’re also planning to increase diversity by inviting speakers for workshops or seminars with a diverse background.”

Kaur noted that recruiting both graduate and undergraduate students will allow her to provide undergraduates a helping hand throughout their degrees in the form of mentorship programs.

“For undergrads especially, it will be an amazing opportunity to kind of get a glimpse of how graduate life is,” she concludes.

Kaur and the rest of UCalgary CIDE are excited to begin creating a more inclusive, diverse and equitable environment in the world of science and engineering. To learn more about what the chapter has to offer, along with future events such as their upcoming Zoom discussion with the Chemists for Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) committee of UBC on Oct. 19, visit their website.

Editors Note: In a previous edition of this article, Milanpreet Kaur’s name was misspelled. The Gauntlet apologizes for the error.