Saluting women trailblazers
March 8: Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ highlights female firsts on International Women's Day
As one of Canada's preeminent universities, it's not surprising that Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾'s principal.
"When Munroe-Blum became Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾'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 Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ history to play for a men's varsity team by joining the Redmen against St. Mary's in 2003.
Accounting: Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ 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: Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ 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 Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾'s first female chancellor in 1991.
Governance: Claire Kerrigan becomes the first woman elected to Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾'s Board of Governors in 1969.
Politics: Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾ 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: Â鶹´«Ã½ÍøÕ¾'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.
