WITCO (Working Toward Inclusivity in Chemistry Toronto) held its annual pancake event on all three campuses this year, in conjunction with other Global Women's Breakfasts held around the world. The GWB is an annual event spearheaded by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry and this year's theme was Catalyzing Diversity in Science.
According to the IUPAC site, the goal of the breakfast series is to establish an active network of people of all genders to overcome the barriers to gender equality in science.
"WICTO hosts an event on each of the 3 campuses during the week that the Global Women's Breakfast is being held," said Abbey Clapperton, a 3rd year PhD student in Polymers and Materials Chemistry in the Tran group who is the current chair of the organization. "This year at UTSG we made a pancake breakfast, at UTSC and at UTM we had pastries and coffee. Our goal for this event is community building and encouraging folks from the department to come together and interact in a comfortable environment."
Activities at the UTSG campus encouraged attendees to reflect on how to inspire inclusion. At UTM, Clapperton said, the topic was how to can catalyze diversity in chemistry at UofT and the scientists students find inspiring.
Selfie station in the Davenport Atrium.
Thoughts on inspiration, diversity, as students enjoy a shared round of doughnuts.
WICTO sponsors events and seminars as part of their work for advocacy and education on issues of equity, diversity, and inclusion within the Chemistry community and the broader STEM context. To learn more or become involved, visit their website or follow them on X or Instagram.