WWEST has been very successful – piloting programs for the retention of women in STEM, finding ways to measure the impact of those programs, and bringing groups together from across the province to coordinate and strategically collaborate on how to recruit and retain women in science and engineering.
We are excited to share news that will help to further the goals of WWEST. Dr. Elizabeth Croft has been appointed the Associate Dean for Education and Professional Development in the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC. Elizabeth will strengthen the Faculty’s commitment to attract a much larger pool of highly qualified women students to engineering. She is enthusiastic about this opportunity to improve the student educational experience, and expand professional development throughout the faculty.
We are also excited to welcome Dr. Sheryl Staub-French as our WWEST Faculty Associate, in recognition of the importance of gender diversity to UBC Engineering. In this new position, Sheryl will ensure WWEST has strong links with our communities, our sponsors, and UBC Engineering.
Dr. Staub-French is an Associate Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. She has a PhD from Stanford University and her research focuses on developing model-based approaches to multi-disciplinary coordination in the delivery of sustainable building projects. Her work requires a collaborative approach, involving partners from a variety of disciplines spanning architecture, community planning and computer science as well as significant involvement from industry.
Collaboration is central to her approach to research and has been a hallmark of her tenure at UBC, including her role as a mentor and advocate for young women in engineering. Mentoring and outreach has been a passion of Sheryl’s going back to her work as a graduate student where she created a new mentoring program while at Stanford. She has also been a strong advocate for women in engineering since joining UBC, serving as a mentor and Board Member for UBC’s Tri-mentoring program.
