WISE Newsletter
PR Women in Science and Engineering
Femmes en sciences et en génie WISE
FSG Newsletter
March 1998
Ottawa Chapter

Introducing our new president:
Dr. Monique Frize was the first women to obtain her B.Sc. in engineering at the University of Ottawa. She is a biomedical engineer focusing on medical instrumentation and decisional support systems. She was recently appointed to the Board of the Canada Foundation for Innovation. Dr. Frize has been inducted into the Canadian Academy of Engineering and as an Officer of the Order of Canada. Dr. Monique Frize, president of the WISE Ottawa Chapter, is also the holder of the NSERC/Nortel joint chair for women in science and engineering.

Five regional chairs were created in 1997 by NSERC and industrial sponsors to promote and encourage young women to choose science and engineering careers by providing support, information and guidance to individuals, families , schools, and communities. The Ontario Chair is supported by Nortel and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and is jointly established at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. Chairholder, Monique Frize, intends to reach girls and young women by creating a network of role models to share their professional and personal experiences with students. The network's creative efforts will concentrate in areas that offer potential employment and that are still under-represented by women, such as electrical and computer engineering, mechanical engineering, computer science, and some areas of physics and chemistry. Frize is also interested in working with industry and universities as employers to increase their success in attracting and retaining qualified women.

About WISE... WISE is a Canadian network of individuals working together to
promote and support women in science, engineering and related careers, and to act
as an information resource to educators, employers and government.
The goals and objectives of WISE are:

• To encourage women to seek higher education and achievement in science, engineering and related fields.
• To provide a support network for women in these fields.
• To inform Canadians about opportunities for and contributions by women in these fields.
• To provide a unified, representative voice for our members on issues relating to women in science, engineering and related fields.

• Self-Defense Course Karine Desbiens-Flick When: March 26, 1998 from 7 to 9 p.m. Where: Carleton University Mackenzie Building, Room 3328 Karine Desbiens-Flick is currently working as a Project Engineer in the Mechanical Department at the Ottawa firm of J.L. Richards & Associates Ltd. She holds a B.Eng. (1994) in Building Engineering from Concordia University, and is a licenced engineer in Ontario and Quebec. Karine has been involved in martial arts since 1991 and obtained her black belt in shotokan karate in 1995. She has also taken classes in kenpo karate and jui-jitsu. More recently, she has shifted her focus to the study of tai-chi.
• Balancing life, career, and femininity (Panel Discussion) Panelists include: Monique Frize, Jennifer Flanagan, and Elza Seregelyi When: June 2, 1998 from 7 to 9 p.m. Where: Nortel Building 1285 Baseline Road (rear entrance) East-West Boardroom Monique Frize worked as a clinical engineer for 18 years before taking an academic position at the University of New Brunswick in the Electrical Engineering Department. Monique was the first holder of the Nortel-NSERC Women in Engineering Chair and is presently holds the Ontario NSERC/Nortel joint Chair for Women in Science and Engineering at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. She has dedicated a large portion of her work to the enhancement of the image of women in male-dominated fields, women's issues and improving the retainment of women in science and engineering. Jennifer Flanagan is the National Coordinator of Youth Engineering and Science Camps of Canada (YES Camps) a network of 26 organizations across the country. Jennifer received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Bio-Psychology from the University of New Brunswick in 1996. Her experience in Science Promotion began 6 years ago when she worked as an instructor at Worlds Unbound, Engineering, Science and Technology Program in New Brunswick. In the past five years she has worked on various science promotion projects such as writing a manual about starting and running summer camps for kids, launching a science program for Learning Disabled children, and starting a Consulting Company called Learning Curve. Elza Seregelyi joined Nortel (Northen telecom) in 1987, where she was involved with the design and evaluation of fiber optic equipment. After five years in this role, her strong interest in working with students and teachers prompted her move to an education-oriented role. Elza is currently manager of Nortel's Education Interaction group, which develops and implements collaborative initiatives with elementary and secondary education, especially in the areas of science and technology. Elza has volunteered in various executive capacities for WISE at the National and regional levels, she was also chair of the 1995.
  



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