Prior EDI Events

Tuesday, November 7th, 2023 from 6:30-7:30pm
Information from Demystifying Grad School" session [posted Nov. 10th, 2023]

CAGS Workshop Series for Graduate Students and Postdocs
ANTI-RACISM RESPONSE TRAINING​ Program ​(A.R.T.)

The Faculty of Science announced available funding for graduate students and postdocs interested in attending an ANTI-RACISM RESPONSE TRAINING​ Program ​(A.R.T.) offered by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies (CAGS) on March 30th, 2022. Consisting of a 3-hour workshop designed to build awareness around issues of race and racism in Canadian higher education, the ART Program used a witness-centred approach to disrupting racism and was designed to encourage participants to shift from being frozen or silent bystanders to becoming active witnesses. 

Participant Testimonials

“The Anti-Racism Response Training is engaging, eye-opening, and educational. The facilitators' approach of presenting factual information paired with sharing personal stories helped to capture their diverse audience. Reflection exercises not only encouraged participants to examine themselves and racism, but they also prompted open discussions among participants. Highly recommended for anyone and everyone wanting to start taking steps against racism.” - Instructor, Vancouver Community College

“A white, settler woman with significant privilege, I knew that I had a lot to learn about racism in Canada and what I could do about it. Participating in this well-designed and delivered training exceeded my expectations over and over! Not only did I learn so much about racism in Canada, past and present, I also learned from the presenters and participants about how these experiences have impacted them so significantly. In the training we learned and practiced effective skills to respond to witnessing or experiencing racist encounters. I will no longer be a bystander, wishing I had the words or confidence to act when I see racism in any form. I can now stand-up and speak-out to address the issue at the time or when it is safe to do so. We must all make the decision and take action to stop racism and the Anti-Racism Response Training program provides the practical skills and confidence to do so!” - Executive Director, Volunteer Campbell River

“This training was so interesting and important and should be offered in all workplaces and institutions. If it is important to you and your organization to truly understand the history of racism, its implications today, and what to do and say to combat racism, I highly recommend this training.” - Instructor, Vancouver Community College


Opportunities for BIPOC students in Biology | STEMM Mentorship Program
The Biology EDI committee hosted an information session on Summer internship awards on February 17th,, 2022
Special guests from STEMM Diversity @ McGill talked about mentorship programs
see poster

Game night for underrepresented students in biology
A fun event was held for undergraduate and graduate Biology students on February 8th, 2022
See poster

EDI Bookclub
The Biology EDI committee started a weekly EDI bookclub on Jan 18th, 2022 to discuss a book by a McGill graduate.
See poster

EDI Reports
An update from the EDI Committee was presented at the Biology General Assembly on March 19th, 2021. Slides of the presentation can be found HERE.

Everything you wanted to know about graduate school...2021 event

The McGill Biology EDI committee held two events to de-mystify grad school: learn what it is, how to prepare and apply, and why it might be right for you. There was an in-person meeting and panel discussion  on Wed Nov 3rd from 7-8 pm (Stewart S1/4) and a Zoom meeting with breakout rooms with faculty and students on Wed. Nov. 10th from 7-8 pm. 

"Picture a Scientist" Event (2021)

The Science Equity and Climate Committee in the Faculty of Science presented the film “Picture A Scientist” on Wednesday, November 17th (1-2pm, EDT).
An official selection at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, "Picture A Scientist" is a documentary that was created to raise visibility around the critical issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in science and invite viewers into a deeper conversation about how to make science more inclusive.

Indigenous Awareness Weeks (IAWs) give the McGill community an opportunity to learn more about Indigenous cultures, histories, and societies. IAWs seeks to encourage a greater understanding of Indigenous peoples among students, staff, and faculty at McGill, as well as fostering a dialogue about First Nations, Métis and Inuit topics. The events create a space for diverse Indigenous voices and perspectives. Each year, invited guests include academics, community members, Elders, and students. McGill will celebrate the 10th annual Indigenous Awareness Weeks from September 13th-24th. The theme of this year's IAWs is "Celebrating Indigenous Resilience and Excellence: Past, Present and Future". This year's topics include sustainability, UNDRIP, reconciliation, and health and wellbeing. The graphic design for this year's Indigenous Awareness Weeks is by Anouk Cree from Cree Communications. The artwork is by Eruoma Awashish. For more information about IAWs, please reach out to indigenousinitiatives [at] mcgill.ca.

Queer History Month

The events listings are now available: https://www.mcgill.ca/equity/initiatives-education/2slgbtqia-initiatives/queer-history-month/queer-history-month-2021.
In particular the keynote by Evolutionary Biologist Dr. Jessica Ware was very interesting.

Biology Summer Undergraduate Research Awards for 2021
The deadline for applications was March 22, 2021 and 53 applications were received! Details for this award can be found  HERE.

March 18th, 2021 - BIPOC Event
Interested in learning about opportunities for Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) in Biology and equity initiatives at mcGill? Join us on March 18th from 7:00pm EST via zoom.
See poster for details.

March 8th, 2021 - STEMM Diversity at McGill
STEMM Diversity at McGill invited 8 panelists who have pursued degrees in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM), and are now working in a diversity of professions, from wine making to educational development.

February 2021 - Biology EDI Bookclub
Looking for something meaningful to read this semester? Want to meet with colleagues to discuss issues in academia surrounding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion?
Then join our new Biology EDI Bookclub!

The first book we will be discussing is:
Equity in Science Representation, Culture, and the Dynamics of Change in Graduate Education by Julie Posselt
This book is available from the McGill Library as an e-book. Here’s a shortcut to access it: tinyurl.com/15l2fwa4

November 2020 Everything you wanted to know about Grad school but were afraid to ask.
This event was for Undergraduates, and we tried to especially reach out to those students who might not otherwise consider graduate school in their career path. After presentations by professors and graduate students, we had discussion groups where students could ask questions to professors directly. We have amassed the questions and answers that we were asked by students both before & at the event into this Grad School Q & A resource.

June 2020 Biology Anti-Racism event
The Biology department held our first anti-racism event in June 2020. In spite of being held out of the academic year, we had great attendance for this event, with over 70 members of our community attending. We broke into mixed student/staff/faculty groups and discussed EDI issues that were important for our community. You can find slides from this event here.

 

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