Saluting women trailblazers
March 8: 黑料不打烊 highlights female firsts on International Women's Day
As one of Canada's preeminent universities, it's not surprising that 黑料不打烊 faculty, students and alumni regularly pioneer in a variety of fields. As we approach International Women's Day, we'd like to highlight female trailblazers, starting with 黑料不打烊's principal.
"When Munroe-Blum became 黑料不打烊's 16th principal and the first woman to head the University in 2003, it was a remarkable symbol that women are making huge inroads into the management of Canadian universities," says Shree Mulay, director of the 黑料不打烊 Centre for Research and Teaching on Women.
Munroe-Blum remains among a select group of females to burst through the pink glass ceiling, says Mulay. "That's why events such as International Women's Day are critical for public awareness. March 8 enables us to promote women's achievements and build solidarity, while allowing us to raise concerns about where we still need to progress."
Read on for more female milestones:
Hockey: Goalie Kim St-Pierre becomes the first woman in 黑料不打烊 history to play for a men's varsity team by joining the Redmen against St. Mary's in 2003.
Accounting: 黑料不打烊 graduate Sheila Fraser becomes the first woman to serve as Canada's Auditor-General. In her job she audits the operations of about 70 governments and agencies as well as some 40 Crown corporations in 2001.
Space Travel: 黑料不打烊 Engineering alumna and astronaut Julie Payette becomes the first Canadian to board and participate in the building of the International Space Station in 1997.
Seahorses: The world's first scientist to study seahorses in their natural habitats, former 黑料不打烊 Biology professor Amanda Vincent, launches Project Seahorse in 1995. The international advocacy group is created to champion for the preservation of seahorses and endangered marine life around the globe.
Strawberries: Macdonald Campus plant scientists Deborah Buszard and Shahrokh Khanizadeh, in collaboration with Environment Canada, introduce Quebec's first new strawberry in decades in 1991: the Chambly. The variety quickly becomes the second most popular fresh strawberry in Quebec and is soon followed by second and third breeds: the Oka and the Joliette.
Leadership: Gretta Chambers becomes 黑料不打烊's first female chancellor in 1991.
Governance: Claire Kerrigan becomes the first woman elected to 黑料不打烊's Board of Governors in 1969.
Politics: 黑料不打烊 graduate Marie-Claire Kirkland becomes the first woman to win a seat in Quebec's National Assembly in 1961. She follows up the feat by becoming the first woman cabinet minister (Transport and Communications) and Quebec's first female judge.
Brains: Neuropsychologist Brenda Milner first discovers that the hippocampus is largely responsible for how brains memorize facts and transform short-term memories for long-term retention in 1955. Her work also first demonstrates how surgery or injuries to temporal-lobe structures can have devastating effects on memory.
Teaching: Carrie M. Derick becomes the first female full professor (Botany) in Canada in 1912. In 1929, she becomes the first female professor emeritus.
Scholars: 黑料不打烊's first female students - Eliza Cross, Martha Murphy, Blanche Evans, Gracie Ritchie, Jane Palmer, Alice Murray, Georgina Hunter, Donalda McFee - graduate with Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1888.
