Dear participants:

On behalf of the Organizing Committee of the 2023 Women in Physics Canada Conference (WIPC2023) taking place at the University of Manitoba’s Fort Garry Campus, I am thrilled to extend a most warm welcome to all of you joining us from across Canada and abroad!

As a University of Manitoba (UM) community, we acknowledge that this conference is taking place on the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation.
We also acknowledge and recognize that there is under-representation of women and other minority groups in the fields of Physics, Astronomy and STEM; and as numerous studies show, diversity and inclusive environments promote performance, creativity, innovation, and success.  This is our main motivation behind organizing this conference and at the UM which values Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) as one of its main Pillars. Originally planned for 2020, just around the time COVID-19 hit and changed the world, WIPC is finally happening! We sincerely hope that this in-person meeting will stimulate exciting and unique connections and networking opportunities, showcase the amazing work and discoveries made by many of you, and will create wonderful memories and excitement for a bright future ahead.

Thank you all (women, allies, and everyone who’s passionate about Physics and Astronomy and EDI in STEM) for joining us! We are so thrilled to host Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell as our conference keynote speaker. Jocelyn is not only the discoverer of pulsars, a breakthrough in Astrophysics and Science, but is also a champion of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

We are grateful to our invited speakers and panelists – all successful and innovative physicists and scientists – for their time and dedication to helping the next generation of trailblazers in Physics & Astronomy and Science!
Please take the time to connect with all these inspiring women. We have arranged an exciting program of talks and posters, workshops, panel discussions, and one-on-one networking opportunities. For those of you seeking graduate programs, please visit the Grad Fair happening at lunchtime on Friday.

We are grateful to our conference sponsors for their tremendous support. This meeting would not have been possible without the generous contributions we received from so many sponsors across the country (Big Bang, Extragalactic, Galactic, Stellar, Planetary, Higgs and Leptons).

Their generosity enabled us to plan an affordable meeting, and particularly provide support for students (in the form of travel awards and students prizes), support for speakers, childcare support, and food throughout the conference!  Lunches, breaks, and dinners will be covered. And don’t miss the banquet dinner at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, happening Wednesday evening and which should be an amazing experience! If you have registered for the full conference, you have registered for the banquet!

We look forward to everyone’s participation and we hope that you will have a most memorable conference and time in Winnipeg! Please enjoy, network and connect!

 

Sincerely,
Samar Safi-Harb
Professor, Canada Research Chair
WIPC Organizing Committee Chair
On behalf of the WIPC2023 organizing committee and volunteers