Date: Monday, July 11, 2022
Time: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Organized by: Dr. Blanka Sharma – University of Florida and Dr. Nika Shakiba – University of British Columbia
A highly regarded and popular event at the conference, the women’s luncheon serves to create a supportive network of women in TERM. Each annual luncheon focuses on a theme that is relevant to the community, providing a platform for attendees to engage with speakers and their peers while discussing the topic.
This year’s theme is “Navigating the New Normal”. The pandemic created massive disruptions to daily life, the workplace, as well as work-home boundaries, and continues to evolve 2 years later. Some changes, such as remote or hybrid workspaces, may remain long-term and will be important to navigate as trainees and early-career scientists advance in their careers. The pandemic has also shone a spotlight on the impact of societal inequities among women and minoritized groups. Studies indicate women have been disproportionately affected in their professions by the pandemic, largely due to shouldering the increased caregiving responsibilities for children and/or elderly family members. The objective of this workshop is to disseminate information about how academic institutions and industries are addressing these pandemic-related challenges, share insights into how institutions and industries will operate going forward given the issues brought to light by the pandemic, and to discuss strategies for navigating these challenges in the careers of women. Topics will include strategies for addressing gaps in training or research activity, professional networking in the era of hybrid or remote workplaces, and managing boundaries between work and home life. Though open to all TERMIS attendees, this event will examine the issues that women in particular face and provide tools and support to women in TERM for navigating the “new normal”. The event is also aimed at informing those in mentoring and leadership positions within the TERMIS community of these issues, so they may be become better advocates for their female colleagues and trainees. To accomplish this, we will assemble a panel of women with a breadth of experiences in academic research, academic administration, entrepreneurship, and industry to provide their perspectives.