Media Releases and Opportunities

Dr. Kevin Hewitt, a professor in Dalhousie University’s Department of Physics and Atmospheric Science, has been selected as one of three inaugural chairs that will work to increase the participation and retention of women and underrepresented groups in science and engineering.

In this new role, he will join Atlantic Chairs for Inclusion in Science and Engineering (A-CISE) for a two-year term that will help change the face of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in the Atlantic region.  

With colleagues from Cape Breton University and Memorial University of Newfoundland, Dr. Hewitt will create STEM-focused initiatives to support women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized groups and members of 2SLGBTQI+ communities, with a particular focus on First Nations and Francophone communities, Nova Scotians of African descent and those in remote communities.

The chairs will focus on recruitment and retention within STEM fields by building on successful local programs, extending them regionally and nationally. This will include four programs offered by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Chairs for Women in Science and Engineering in Atlantic Canada.

Dr. Hewitt is available to discuss this important initiative and how this work will address critical issues in STEM, while developing educational recommendations and creating a scholar employment program for Grades 9 and 10 when students make the decision to enter STEM.

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Media contact:

Alison Auld 
Senior Research Reporter 
Communications, Marketing and Creative Services 
Dalhousie University 
Cell: 1-902-220-0491 
Email: alison.auld@dal.ca