The First Regional Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering (1997–2003)

This chapter describes the first five regional Chairs of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)‘s Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering program, and how the Chairholders interacted and formed a tight bond. They include Monique Frize in Ontario, Claire Deschênes in Quebec, F. Mary Williams in the Atlantic region, Maria Klawe in the British Columbia and Yukon region, and Elizabeth Cannon in the Prairies. Salient elements of each region’s Chair are summarized, emphasizing lasting projects, some of which still exist today. Each Chairholder worked on a wide range of issues in institutional, community, regional, national, and international arenas, with a shared sense of purpose and urgency that was characteristic of the first Chair. The group hosted the 12th International Conference of Women Engineers and Scientists (ICWES) conference and was instrumental in the formation of International Network of Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES) in 2002.