The fascinating world of the sciences

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This article was published 08/03/2021 (819 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are an ever increasing number of scholarships available to girls in Grade 12 who are going on to study science, technology, engineering or math (the STEM subjects) in a post-secondary institution.

There are also scholarships available for those students who have already started their studies in a STEM field.   

But what does a scientist actually do? The government’s Canadian STEM femmes blog (online at: http://bit.ly/westendhawe_) answers that question with a compilation of stories written by approximately 20 women working (mainly) in the sciences. They recount how they first became interested in science, what career paths they followed, some of their best experiences at work, and why they like their jobs. The personal accounts are an interesting read and the blog does a good job of highlighting the surprising diversity of jobs in the sciences.

Lisa Fernando is one of the scientists profiled on the blog. She is the zoonotic diseases and special pathogens program manager at the Public Health Agency of Canada’s National Microbiology Laboratory (NML) on Arlington Street. The NHL contains the only Level 4 containment lab (CL4) in Canada and houses deadly pathogens  such as the Ebola and Marburg viruses.

Scientists at Winnipeg’s virology lab, as it is popularly known, are always preparing for the next infectious disease outbreak. Even before confirming the very first Canadian case of COVID-19 on Jan. 27, 2020, they had prioritized the fight against COVID-19.

“It is extremely exciting to be able to contribute to solving a much larger global problem,” Fernando said.

The scientists are presently sequencing COVID samples from across Canada that are flagged as having variants of concern; testing vaccines at various stages of development as well as monitoring levels of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in waste water, which gives cities real-time warnings of outbreaks in specific neighbourhoods, and even facilities.

COVID-19 isn’t the only infectious virus of concern right now.

“If the recent resurgence of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea escalates, the lab could be faced with helping to fight an epidemic during a pandemic,” Fernando said.

This is because the NML has an established leadership role in international Ebola outbreak emergency response and diagnostic support.

An amazing amount of collaboration between scientists worldwide is furthering our advances in the fight against COVID-19. Sharing research and data is part of the scientific world and helps to further knowledge around the world and counter inequalities between rich and poorer nations. It is another great reason why a career in the sciences can be very fulfilling.

Anne Hawe is a community correspondent for the West End. She can be reached at annie_hawe@hotmail.com

Anne Hawe
West End community correspondent

Anne Hawe is a community correspondent for the West End. She can be reached at annie_hawe@hotmail.com

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