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Nearly 100 participants joined the Women+ in Physics Canada (WIPC+) Conference, an event designed to foster inclusivity and diversity within the physics community by providing a platform for gender minorities and their allies to share research, network, and develop professionally. Conference delegates also had the opportunity to build networks, explore career paths, and present research, while also promoting gender equity and taking part in conversations about women in physics, equity, and inclusivity issues.

The 11th such event, held last week on the �ʹ�����’s campus, was hosted by the , the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, the , and .

Dr. Kristine Spekkens speaks prior to the keynote address by Marcela Carena.

“It’s been a long time coming and we’ve been working really hard to make sure that as many people had the opportunity to come as possible,” says Kristine Spekkens, a professor in the Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy and a key member of the organizing committee. “We are happy with the attendance and the participants from across the country. This conference has researchers that are leaders on the world stage, and we are lucky to have them join us.”

Dr. Spekkens adds that for people wondering if there is a place for them in physics, the answer to that question is yes. “In Canada and around the world physics is one of the subfields of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) in which women are most strongly underrepresented. Representation matters, role models matter. One of the really important elements of this conference is to remind people of that. We need to make sure people of all sorts of identities can identify physics as a field that is welcoming.”

Also present at the conference were advocates and allies that strongly support gender diversity in physics. Department head Lawrence Widrow says they have been supporting the conference since �ʹ�����’s University was selected as a host. “We have been encouraging our Faculty to support this event,” Dr. Widrow says.

Organizing committee member Robert Knobel (Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy) says providing support is very important to himself and the department. “We want to celebrate the successes of people in this area, and we want to support our colleagues. Women in physics has, historically, not been a very welcoming place. What we do in the classroom, what we do in the laboratory, what we do at this conference, what we do in our recruitment is try to correct those historical wrongs.”

Conference co-organizer Alexandra Pedersen (r) welcomes Marcela Carena prior to her keynote address.

The keynote address was presented by , an Argentine theoretical physicist, and since November 2024 the executive director of the in Waterloo. She is its first woman director.

“I started my career in a field that was mainly male dominated,” says Dr. Carena. “Even when I got my first tenure track position, everyone was very friendly, but I don’t think they had seen a person in my position that was not a white male. Now I’m in the position where I can open the door for others so it’s important I attend this conference for that reason. I’m really honoured to be here and to contribute to what this conference is trying to achieve.”

During her presentation, she talked about who is she and what she values in science, and she was hoping other academics at the conference would talk to her and perhaps she could inspire them as a woman working in Physics. “I’m hoping this is an opportunity to get to know the people at �ʹ�����’s a little better and hoping to start stronger collaborations that are more inclusive.”

Read more about the conference on the website.