13. Women in science at U of G

Among the school’s numerous science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs are women, both faculty and students, who work tirelessly in the pursuit of research. As one of Canada’s top 20 research universities, U of G, and its scientific ventures, overflows with female talent.

In 2020, U of G celebrated International Day of Women and Girls in STEM on Feb. 11 by featuring student profiles from the College of Biological Science. This year, The Ontarion spotlights a few more women from the university’s staff and student body who pursue science.

Before joining the U of G faculty, Dr. Joanne O’Meara taught at McMaster University where she also obtained her B.Sc with honours in applied physics in 1995. Her studies were fostered by a love for science and math dating back to her elementary school days. Though her longterm plans weren’t always clear, she knew she wanted to pursue science.

“I ended up going to McMaster because they didn’t make me choose a major in first year,” O’Meara told The Ontarion. “I knew it would be science-based but I didn’t know what exactly.”

“I really enjoyed physics and math in first year so I ended up following that and was lucky to get a summer job working with a professor in medical physics between first and second year. I never really had much of a plan – just kept following where my interests led me.”

From 2000 to 2001, she was also a postdoctoral associate in the department of nuclear engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the U.S.

In 2002, O’Meara finally joined U of G as assistant professor in the department of physics.

“It was a great move professionally because I joined a group of physicists who are really committed to excellence in teaching as well as in research,” she said.

Since then, O’Meara has become an associate professor with tenure as well as a second year coordinator for the department of physics. While she isn’t currently working on any research projects, her focus at U of G has been the use of X-ray fluorescence in quantitative measurements of elements in materials ranging from the dairy cows at the Ontario Veterinary College to the soil on Mars.

“It is a very versatile analysis technique,” said O’Meara. “But the challenge is always in opti-

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mizing the system so that it can detect the smallest quantities possible for the given bulk material and geometry.”

O’Meara is currently spending her time teaching while also establishing Royal City Science, a not-for-profit organization offering science programs with a goal to develop a science centre in Guelph. Its website states that it will “serve as a hub for informal STEM education to ignite curiosity, build confidence, and inspire the scientist in us all.”

Though she says it’s cliché, O’Meara urges women pursuing STEM to follow their passions.

“I think it’s really important to choose a program that you are excited about. In every major there will be struggles, but if you can step back and look at the big picture of why you love the program, it will help you get through.”

Dr. Tami A. Martino completed her B.Sc at McMaster Health Sciences and then pursued her M.Sc at the Hospital for Sick Children in the department of microbiology at the University of Toronto. There, she investigated verocytotoxin producing E. coli, the causative agent of hemorrhagic colitis and hemolytic uremic syndrome.

When she was recruited as assistant professor at U of G in 2009, Martino pioneered circadian medicine, a new field of medicine that explores how the daily rhythms of organs, such as the rhythm of heartbeats, affects health.

Martino’s research focuses on “translating fundamental knowledge about the circadian biology of the cardiovascular system into clinical applications,” and her team investigates how circadian dysregulation contributes to heart diseases.

“I love being a woman in STEM,” Martino told The Ontarion. “I am a PhD scientist and professor. I do innovative research on cardiovascular disease, and circadian medicine. I’ve met amazing people, and gotten to travel to fabulous places.”

In 2014, Martino was promoted to associate professor, and then became the founding director of the Centre for Cardiovascular Investigations in 2015.

Martino has spoken at TedX Talks and has been granted multiple awards, such as the career investigator award from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada in 2019, the distinguished chair in molecular cardiovascular research award in 2020, and a Guelph Y woman of distinction title.

“It’s never a direct path, even if it looks like that to others on the outside,” said Martino. “I’ve changed universities, I’ve changed majors, I’ve gotten married and had two children during my graduate studies, I spent some time in industry before returning to academics. But ultimately I am very fortunate to be recruited to the University of Guelph.”

Martino wants women interested in science to know how amazing the field is. As a scientist, she gets to use state-of-theart (i.e. “really cool,” according to Martino) equipment and techniques such as echocardiography, bioinformatics, and more.

She’s also been able travel all around the world and meet “fabulous and inspiring women” such as U of G’s own president Charlotte Yates.

“Even if you’re not interested in an academic career like me, you can use your skills to do all sorts of other fabulous work,” said Martino.

“Scientists are needed in academic settings, but also government agencies, industry, and private organizations. If your path is different from your friends’ paths — that’s OK — find what is uniquely you. Do what you love, love what you do, and work with others to pursue excellence together.”

U of G where more than half of the faculty are women.

Her focus is on dietetics, a program that combines hard sciences like biochemistry and microbiology with social sciences like psychology and sociology.

“Oddly enough, I was not the strongest science student in high school,” said Donovan. “There were aspects to each science that I enjoyed which was reflected in my grades. I had a passion for nutrition and its relationship with the body and that was what made me want to pursue the program rather than a general love of science that encouraged my pursuit.”

After she graduates, Donovan plans on becoming a registered dietician, an idea she’s been pursuing after taking a course on “older adults in a food-focused setting.”

She states that she connected with this portion of the population, and so she plans on learning more about its demographic so that she can better assist her future clientele.

“Building a background creates comfort and familiarity with subject matters and concerns relevant to this portion of the population to ensure the best quality of services,” said Donovan.

However, she also acknowledges that the circumstances of learning can present its own unique challenges.

“I think that asking for help is a traditionally challenging subject that is stigmatized,” she said. “Therefore, it feels like your intelligence is at risk when you admit weakness when it is not. This is something I am continuously learning.”

Donovan explains that while lots of women are interested in science, societal pressures can hinder their pursuits. However, she urges other women to go for it. “You are brilliant, you deserve the opportunity to show that to the world,” Donovan said. “There are some highly admirable women in science who have paved the way and history likes to hide them. Refuse to be ignored and let your passion guide you.”

Kristen Ashworth is in her third year studying biomedical science at U of G, and like many other STEM majors, she’s always been interested in the way things work.

Driven by this interest, Ashworth explored as many STEM fields as she could in high school. She was on the robotics team, took part in math competitions, and was even a student leader on the STEM Council. But more than any other avenue of science, she had an “unwavering passion” for the mechanical and physiological functions of the human body.

Now pursuing that passion in her studies, Ashworth’s dream is to work as a medical researcher in the field of childhood cancer and to become a pediatrician at SickKids.

Ashworth said that she wants “nothing else but to help hospitalized children that have just as much potential as any other child. I want to heal these children so that they can live a life all children deserve — in health and in happiness.”

Along with her passions, Ashworth also juggles the quick pace and heightened workload that accompanies post-secondary studies. Ashworth states that the transition between high school and university “felt like someone was turning the treadmill speed from level one to level ten in a couple of seconds.”

Having attended an all-girls school for 12 years, Ashworth believes that women are capable of accomplishing anything they set their minds to, so she encourages other women to never question their capabilities because of their gender.

“If you even see the slightest bit of yourself in the role of a groundbreaking scientist, accomplished mathematician, or revolutionary engineer, take the leap and make yourself part of that world,” said Ashworth.

“Don’t allow yourself to be held back because of a stereotype, a stigma, or a social standard. Do what makes you happy, and do it with confidence. As an empowered female, empower those around you and never stop. We can be trailblazers independently, but when we, as strong women, lift each other up, we collectively change the world.”

ALYCIA DONOVAN FOURTH-YEAR APPLIED HUMAN NUTRITION STUDENT

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KRISTEN ASHWORTH THIRD-YEAR BIOMEDICAL STUDENT

Dr. Joanne O’Meara, Physics professor and second year coordinator Dr. Tami A. Martino, Distinguished chair in molecular cardiovascular research and biomedical professor