Inspiring Diversity in stem

2022 (Virtual)

4th Biennial Conference

“I enjoyed every single aspect of the conference! The conference was such a great way to ignite conversations around EDI in STEM. I wasn’t aware of all nuances of this important topic and I now plan on learning more about it. ”
— Anonymous feedback

keynote speakers

  • Dr. Parshati Patel, Astrophysicist turned Science Communicator

  • Dr. Matthew Davison, Western University Dean of Science

  • Jasmine Shaw, Professional Engineer and Entrepreneur

  • Dr. Yara Hosein, ADEISS Centre Director of Operations

  • Dr. Jude Kong, York University Professor and Director of the ACADIC

Panel discussionS

  • Saturday: Q&A discussion with Saturday’s keynote speakers, moderated by Simran Sethi

  • Sunday: Q&A discussion with Sunday’s keynote speakers and Student Leaders in EDI (Sadaf Mehrabi and Hunster Yang), moderated by Dr. Ornela Kljakic

Graduate Program Expo

Canadian Association of Physicists, Biochemistry, Biology, Engineering, Health & Rehabilitation Science, Medical Biophysics, Microbiology & Immunology, Neuroscience, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Psychology

WorkshopS

  • Resume & Cover Letter Writing (Ann Ayinde)

  • Basics of Coding & Machine Learning (Miriam Hewlett)

  • Abstract Writing (Doug Campbell)

  • Ins & Outs of Networking with LinkedIn (Cam Malthaner)

  • Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (Dr. Alex Levine)

  • Entrepreneurship in STEM (Deniz Edwards)

Industry Expo

Amgen, General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada, Inspirit VR, KPMG, LGC Standards, London Economic Development Corporation, Modus Medical Devices, Newcomp Analytics, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (Ontario Rising Stars in Cancer Research), Scintica, TandemLaunch, Trojan Technologies, and Trudell Medical Limited

In-Person SOCIAL

Hosted by the Hume Cronyn Memorial Observatory at Western University

undergraduate poster award winners

Group 1: Neuroscience
1st Place: Mathusha Pushparajah
Runners Up: Ashlyn Hersey, Hiruthika Ravi

Group 2: Psychology
1st Place: Khashayar Khasheeipour
Runners Up: Brian Krivoruk, Sierra Sweet

Group 3: Biology
1st Place: Keshini Sriarulnathan
Runners Up: Amel Sassi, Yanghao Fu

Group 4: Chemistry/Biochemistry/Health Science
1st Place: Khushi Sheth
Runners Up: Maria Azab, Ruthie Zhuang 

Group 5: Engineering/Physics/Biophysics/Math/Computer Science
1st Place: Celeste Groux
Runners Up: Gabrielle Alimorad, Shanti Mehta

2022 conference summary report

  • 300+ registered conference attendees across Canada and internationally

  • 77 accepted poster abstracts

  • $1000 in poster awards

  • 12 industry partners and 12 graduate programs

2022 Conference Organizing Committee

Co-Chairs
Simran Sethi, Gurneet Jassal

Head of Industry and Graduate Program Expos
Dr. Ornela Kljakic

Poster Committee
Cailey Salagovic (Head), Neha Khemani

Social Media Representative
Kara Hannah

2022 Sponsors

BrainsCAN (Western University)
Biomedical Research Imaging Centre (Western University)

“The experiences shared by the speakers were very inspiring and helpful. The sessions were filled with positive energy and I got to learn new things from so many people from various backgrounds.”
— Anonymous feedback
 
 
We're excited to announce that applications to join the 2025-26 IDSTEM Organizing Committee are NOW OPEN! 🎉 Are you a graduate student interested in planning the IDSTEM 2026 conference? Submit your application by November 24th at 11:59 ET at the lin
A gracious thank you to #IDSTEM24's sponsors! This includes our primary sponsor, Western BrainsCAN, as well as the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry! Our conference would not have been possible without their generous support. #WesternU
It's already been over a week since #IDSTEM24 ended. 😥 We are so grateful for everyone who was able to join us this year! A feedback survey will be sent out very soon. We are still compiling photos, and those will be emailed to attendees as soon as
📝 Workshop: Steps Toward a Queer Friendly STEM 📢 Meet our workshop leader, Dr. Jennifer Epp! Jennifer Epp is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Huron at Western. Her research investigates intersections between the ethics, ep
📝 Workshop: Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and Resilience 📢 Meet our workshop leader, Rebecca Brown! Rebecca Brown career has spanned over 36 years within medical social work, child welfare and crisis response. The majority of her career wa
📝 Workshop: Implicit Bias in Human and Artificial Intelligence 📢 Meet our workshop leader, Prof. Roy Eagleson! Professor Eagleson teaches Human-Computer Interaction, Hardware/Software for Minds and Machines, and co-organizes an annual workshop on
📝 Workshop: A Neurodiversity-Affirming Approach to Research and Grad School 📢 Meet our workshop leader, Carolynn Hare! Carolynn is a 4th year PhD student in Psychology in the Cognitive, Developmental, and Brain Sciences stream. Her research has 2
📣 Meet our final keynote, Delaney Hines! 🎉 Delaney Hines is best known for his keen ability to foster relationships and strike partnerships to help realize equitable health outcomes. He is deeply committed to advancing health equity and is a stron
📣 Highlighting our next keynote, Carly Charron! 🎉 Carly completed her Bachelor’s of Science, Honors Specialization in Genetics at Western in 2020. During her undergraduate degree she participated in the Western Science Internship Program and