Celebrating CCMEO Scientists on International Day of Women and Girls in Science

To mark the International Day of Women and Girls in Science, celebrated on February 11, three inspiring women who are advancing the Canada Centre for Mapping and Earth Observation’s (CCMEO) scientific objectives share their experience and work.

Each year, on February 11, the International Day of Women and Girls in Science sheds light on the contributions of women to the field of science. This observance is not just a date on the calendar — it serves as a reminder of the need for equal opportunities in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and recognizes the achievements of women and girls in these disciplines.

By bringing women into the team responsible for carrying out its mission, the CCMEO is actively shaping a more inclusive scientific landscape, where women not only contribute but also thrive.

Three inspiring CCMEO scientists

Mary-Anne Fobert joined the operations team in 2022. As a Senior Ground Station Engineer, she helps with infrastructure development, spectrum management and the onboarding of new missions and programs at the CCMEO.

Before earning her professional engineering licence, she completed a BA in aerospace engineering and honed her skills in the aircraft manufacturing industry. She later pursued a master's degree in space studies at the International Space University and joined the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing (CCRS) as a student in 2016. Now working with the CCMEO, she's on the path to a PhD in earth sciences at the University of New Brunswick.

Among the younger generation of scientists NRCan opened its doors to is Project Officer and Geomatics Developer, Charlotte Crevier, who has a BA in geomatics and an MA in remote sensing from Sherbrooke University. Initially joining the NRCan family through internships, she has been an integral part of the CCMEO's GeoBase division since July 2022. She currently works at developing tools to simplify the discovery of and access to geospatial data to facilitate their use in decision making and research.

On her end, Physical Sciences Specialist Marjan Asgari’s role at the CCMEO is to integrate computer science and geomatics focused on remote sensing . She holds a BA in geomatics engineering (2015) and an MA in geographic information systems (2018) from K. N. Toosi University of Technology in Theran, Iran. In 2019, she moved to Canada to pursue a PhD in the geography department of Guelph University. She joined NRCan as a student intern from June to August 2023, working with the CCMEO full time in December 2023.

Acknowledging the challenges that persist

The narratives of these scientists bring to life the strides made throughout their careers, emphasizing the importance of equal opportunities and paving the way for more diverse voices in the scientific community. Woven into their stories are the challenges that they've encountered along the way.

Asgari works in the field of distributive computing, which is highly specialized and does not yet have many experts. In this unique environment, she feels that her area of work is fairly gender-neutral and hasn't encountered discrimination or differential treatment from her male colleagues. However, her educational experience as a STEM scholar in Iran was less inclusive.

“In engineering, most of my classmates were men. School was not somewhere I felt included,” says Asgari. “Industry projects coming to the university were often assigned to male students first, as women were seen as the minority that was just there to study. But I loved engineering, so I disregarded everything else so I could do what I really wanted to do,” she adds. “After obtaining my master’s degree and realizing that I was still a minority there, I decided to move abroad to see if I could improve my career.”

Even as someone who studied in Canada, Crevier still echoed a similar sentiment. “In geomatics, my impression is that women are still very underrepresented. When I was doing my BA, I was the only woman in my cohort and most of the role models I had access to at the time were male scientists.”

“There aren’t many of us,” Fobert says in agreement. “In my program, 10 out of 60 students were female. Sometimes it feels like you need to work extra hard to be recognized. I was brought up never thinking about genders or thinking that I couldn’t do it. I’ve always loved space and physics. But when I was in high school and I got accepted in aerospace engineering, I remember telling somebody and they laughed at me!”

It struck her as odd that someone would have such an opinion, but it did not deter her from following the path that eventually led her to NRCan.

The NRCan experience

There were very few women scientists when Fobert joined NRCan in 2016, but as she saw more and more female students coming in, it made her feel like things were slowly changing. “In the engineering group (outside the policy team), I am the only woman,” Fobert says. “Fortunately, all my supervisors have been fantastic and very supportive, and I never felt like there was any kind of barrier.”

Not only has the number of women scientists been increasing, but NRCan has also launched initiatives that are geared toward women. “There’s a course offering that I keep seeing, but then when you click on it it’s always full,” Fobert chuckles.

When she arrived, Crevier was quickly invited to network with other women scientists from her division. Since then, her team reached gender parity (3-3). “My experience at NRCan has been very positive,” Crevier says. “I was able to find go-to people who had the desire to build a scientific community that is equitable and diverse.”

She stresses the importance of having employers who are committed to promoting women in male-dominated fields. “It is essential to break gender stereotypes. To do so, we need to create environments where every individual can excel.”

Asgari also believes the department has been actively supporting women’s careers in science. “Before I was hired, I was scrolling through job postings, and I saw openings for government positions that were specifically for women, which I found amazing.”

She thinks the methods and strategies her division is implementing could benefit from more diverse feedback and comments. “Having the perspective of women and men scientists is necessary for better results,” Asgari says. “NRCan seems to be taking that into consideration. In fact, in my research group, there is an equal number of men and women working on projects.”

"Seeing other women with PhDs in senior positions within the organization, especially in my job category, has made a huge impression on me,” she adds. “When I see these women, women like me, succeeding in the natural resources or physical sciences fields, these researchers become role models for me to follow and learn from. If it weren’t for them, I probably wouldn't have been inclined to set my sights so high.”

Hopes and expectations for the future

In the future, the three CCMEO scientists would love to see more female representation. According to Crevier, this is not a forgone conclusion. As a society, we must work actively to ensure that everyone feels included and that everyone can share equally positive experiences, even when they represent a minority.

“The desire to provide an equitable environment is there, and that’s a good starting point,” she says. “One crucial aspect is that individuals in positions of authority — managers, executives, etc. — need to be open to promoting this inclusion. Currently, many initiatives are coming from below, but efforts are required at every level. We need people at the top pushing for the same representation.”

Asgari adds that more tools should be given to women at the education stage rather than at the working stage. “Having spots open for women in computer science programs could give them the courage to step into that field,” she says.

In the future, she would like to see more companies promoting diversity and inclusion through the implementation of policies that would ensure equal opportunity.

Crevier feels just as strongly about the cause. “I am aware of my responsibility as a woman to contribute to this change,” she says. “Being a woman in the scientific field is, in itself, a driver of change. I have a strong conviction that our presence in scientific roles, including positions of power, will show the younger generation of girls that there is a place for them in STEM."