Pal.STEM4girls

Testing magnetic properties of everyday objects around us, observing magnetic fields in action and creating magnetic mazes was a fun and hands-on way to learn magnetism!

Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Kitchener Public Library
Waterloo Public Library
Ontario Ministry of Education

Congratulations to Nikhita Joshi, recipient of the 2026 Governor General’s Gold Medal at the doctoral level. The Governor General’s Gold Medal is one of the highest student honours awarded by the University of Waterloo and Joshi is the first person from the Cheriton School of Computer Science to win this award in ten years!

Joshi’s doctoral research has been praised widely by the human–computer interaction (HCI) community for revealing insights into digital reading, writing interfaces, and human–AI collaboration, with implications for the design of future technologies.

Read more about her research here: https://cs.uwaterloo.ca/news/nikhita-joshi-awarded-prestigious-governor-generals-gold

It was a great privilege and such a joy to offer one of my STEM workshops at a Waterloo Region District School Board's school past month!

It was very impressive to see the students collaborate in teams to build towers using only paper and tape, investigate ramps made of different materials, construct simple machines, and witness the Newton's third law in action!

Hands-on STEM activities--sometimes I call it "organized chaos" .... are one of my favourite ways to learn. It's quite amazing when a room full of students are exploring, creating, building, observing, testing, asking questions, and working with their peers to solve problems---messy, exciting, and full of learning opportunities!

I am incredibly grateful to the classroom teacher for inviting me into their class, for their trust, guidance and encouragement, and for their tremendous help and support throughout the session. 🙏🙏

Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Kitchener Public Library
Waterloo Public Library
Java Garden
Ontario Centre of Innovation
Ontario Ministry of Education

This month we are learning about different forms of energy and energy transformations---- starting with electricity and electrical circuits this week.

It was quite impressive to see our girls build circuits with lights, fans and switches.... and even more with their persistence and problem solving abilities..... they tested the circuits, trouble shot, and retested all again and again until all the circuit breakers were fixed and working!

A lovely example of STEM in Action -----> knowledge and curiosity, teamwork, perseverance, and experimentation!

Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Waterloo Region District School Board
Kitchener Public Library
Waterloo Public Library
Java Garden
Laurelwood Elementary School
Laurier Centre for Women in Science
Society for Canadian Women in Science & Technology (SCWIST)

What a wonderful way to wrap up our financial literacy theme this May!

We were super thrilled to have Tabitha Schwarz, Chief Financial Officer at SpringTide Holdings, join us and take us through her journey--- from hobbies and interests to her high school choices to her current career in finance and leadership.

One of my favourite was when Tabitha connected our girls' recent participation in Pal.STEM4girls' Bake to her own work as a CFO ----and explained how tracking expenses, calculating profits, analyzing numbers, and understanding how decisions impact people, are all a part of making decisions in a business.

Our girls made many decisions with numbers this month--- from budgeting the bake sale, to calculating their expenses and profits, evaluation on what STEM kits and resources they should buy from the Bake sale proceeds and making decisions on two schools who would actually need and benefit from these STEM resources--- it was truly inspiring to see our girls being mindful of the impact they will make with their decisions.

A huge Thank you to Tabitha for taking the time to inspire and encourage the girls, and answer their questions!

Pal.STEM4girls
https://sites.google.com/view/palstem4girls/home

Waterloo Region District School Board
Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Kitchener Public Library
Waterloo Public Library
Ontario Ministry of Education
Laurelwood Elementary School

If female role models can help increase women representation in STEM at entry and senior levels in higher education (Tal et al., 2024) --a stage where women have already chosen to study STEM fields and pursue STEM careers, --what impact can female role models have on young girls in elementary grades who are only beginning to explore their interests , identities, and aspirations in STEM?
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10956-024-10114-y

So here we are .......super excited to introduce our next Female role model in STEM as we wrap up our Financial Literacy theme this month: Tabitha Schwarz, Chief Financial Officer at SpringTide Holdings, a multinational group of companies serving water and wastewater industry. https://sites.google.com/view/palstem4girls/home/our-team/our-leaders-stem-role-models-volunteers

We are incredibly grateful to have Tabitha join us in-person to meet our girls, share her own journey in STEM, and engage with them through conversations and answering their thoughtful questions.

If you are looking for some STEM programs for your K-6 girls, do reach us at Pal.STEM4girls. Do check out our Spring sessions for the month of June.
https://sites.google.com/view/palstem4girls

Waterloo Region Small Business Centre
Waterloo Region District School Board
Kitchener Public Library
Waterloo Public Library
Java Garden
Ontario Ministry of Education
Laurelwood Elementary School
Laurier Centre for Women in Science
Waterloo Region Community Foundation
Society for Canadian Women in Science & Technology (SCWIST)

Congratulations, Gurnoor! Way to go!

Muslims in Waterloo and around the world will be coming together to mark Eid al-Adha, also known as the Festival of Sacrifice.

With friends and family coming together to pray, share meals and care for those in need, this is one of the holiest celebrations in Islam.

May the spirit of Eid al-Adha bring joy, peace and unity to your hearts and homes.

Eid Mubarak!

Note: There will be an Eid event tomorrow morning at RIM Park, and traffic will be heavy on University Avenue East between 8 and 10:30 a.m. Visitors to the facility are encouraged to arrive early and consider getting a ride, carpooling or using public transit. Please leave extra time to walk to the entrance from the parking lots if necessary.

Red Raccoon Bike Rescue is back at Albert McCormick Community Centre this summer!

Volunteers will be available to help repair your bike, but be prepared to get your hands dirty and learn some new skills. 🔧

Drop by May 27, June 10, July 8 and August 19, 6-8 p.m.
Note: this popular free program is first-come, first-served.

Presented in partnership by Waterloo Public Library, the City of Waterloo and Red Raccoon Bike Rescue.

Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/1526549582585100/1526549589251766