For the final event of the year, STEM Sorority members participated in a hair-raising Van de Graaff generator demo. With safety in mind, members were given a crash course in electricity and charge as well as how a Van de Graaff generator works before the commencement of the event.

The first demonstration involved a dazzling lightning show. The dome was allowed to charge for some time then grounded in milliseconds using a grounding rod held several centimetres away from it. With the lights off, members could see a stream of electrons travelling between the rod and the dome, creating a blue fluorescent glow. 

Then, members were given the chance to let their bodies interact with the Van de Graaff generator. One by one, they stood on an insulating styrofoam block and let the generator charge them, their hair slowly rising up and forming a frizzy mess. Members watched in awe as they saw properties of like and opposite charges in action. They questioned whether or not the same thing would happen when two members, both on insulating blocks and one touching the Van de Graaff generator, held hands. Sure enough, both members could feel the charges rush into them as their hair rose up. After slowly getting grounded with a wooden meter stick, the members commented on how they had formed electrifying bonds of friendship through the activity.

As the hosts moved on to the bubbles demonstration, they realized that there was an issue with the bubble blaster! Jenny frantically looked for a way to fix the blaster while Judy continued on with the next activity.

To further observe the properties of like and opposite charges, a rice krispies demonstration was prepared. A small plastic container full of rice krispies was placed on the charging Van de Graaff generator. After a short period of time, the rice krispies flew out of the container like fireworks due to how light they are and their sensitivity to such little force. Judy also ended up spilling the entire rice krispies container. Ms. Chan sighed as she saw the mess being made in the classroom. 

As members cleaned up the classroom, Jenny returned with a working bubble blaster. Out of breath, she explained how separation of charge works and why neutral things are attracted to charged things. In the dying minutes of lunchtime, members watched the final demonstration of the meeting involving bubbles rebounding off the Van de Graaff generator. 

Overall, this activity helped members find their spark in school again, both figuratively and literally!

Click here to see our career highlights video and the full recordings of each of our breakout rooms!

On Feb. 12, STEM Sorority hosted our first event, a career workshop featuring 3 prominent women in STEM from healthcare and biotech sectors. With around 80 girls from schools all across Vancouver attending, the event was a great success and many girls stated that they gained valuable knowledge about how to meet their future career goals. The event started with short introductions from each of the speakers in front of all the attendees. Then, attendees were split into breakout rooms with their desired speaker to listen to a 10 minute presentation and then participate in a 10 minute Q&A session.

In Breakout Room 1 was Dr. Laura Arbour, a clinical geneticist and researcher of Indigenous genetic diseases. In Dr. Arbour’s workshop, she introduced Long QT syndrome to us, a research topic she has been involved in for many years. This syndrome, although rare, is a genetic mutation mostly found in Indigenous Peoples which disrupts the heart rhythm, possibly leading to sudden seizures or even death. She explained that the syndrome can be easily treated with a beta blocker, so it is crucial to offer Indigenous People accessible genetic testing. Dr. Arbour has also worked to set up inherited arrhythmia clinics in Northern BC and emphasized the importance of working with local Indigenous Peoples of the area, such as educating their community about genetic diseases. Her goal is to bridge the genetic divide, providing for those in less supported and acknowledge regions. Lastly, she gave us some tips about how to pursue a career as a researcher and work on a team like hers, such as always being curious and proactive.

In Breakout Room 2 was Ms. Norma Biln. During STEM Sorority’s speaker day, Norma Biln talked a bit about her company, Augurex, but also about her experiences getting to where she is now. We learned about the biomarkers Augurex makes that help diagnose rheumatoid arthritis at an earlier stage. She also talked about how it’s important to focus on what you want to do, and not what stops from doing it, and how it’s helpful to take steps to volunteer/work to get experience in the field of study you want to pursue. Even while presently working and managing her own company, she believes in continuing education, and is currently halfway through a PhD degree.

In Breakout Room 3 was Dr. Alissa Wright, head of Infectious Diseases at Vancouver General Hospital. For her presentation, she talked about her her career path and the education needed to achieve her esteemed position as a woman in STEM. Surprisingly Dr. Wright knew she was interested in medicine ever since she was young despite not having many influences pushing her towards a career path in medicine. It was fascinating to hear about the turning points which helped Alissa Wright determine what fields she was interested during numerous years of education and finally reaching the important positions, such as department head of the Infectious Diseases and running the Transplant Department at Vancouver General Hospital. In the Q & A portion, Dr. Wright gave many enlightening and well thought out responses to our questions and provided valuable career advice.

Check out this together mode screenshot from our workshop below 🙂