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Nobel laureate Donna Strickland inspires at Women in STEM event

Strickland presented to about 125 in attendance at Wednesday's Guelph Chamber of Commerce event
20190423 Donna Strickland KA
Nobel Prize winner and University of Waterloo professor Donna Strickland spoke Wednesday at a Women in STEM event hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. Kenneth Armstrong/GuelphToday

Speaking at a Women in STEM event held in Guelph on Wednesday, Nobel Prize winner Donna Strickland said she is not necessarily the best person to speak about the challenges women have in science, technology, engineering and math careers.

Strickland, who picked up her Nobel Prize in physics in Sweden in December, was one of three women in a class of 25 at McMaster University. During her talk on Wednesday, she showed the audience a photo of the Laboratory for Laser Energetics team at the University of Rochester, which included about a dozen men and herself as the only woman. 

 “I either felt like I was one of the guys or I felt like I was special,” Strickland told the audience of about 125, most of whom where women. “I think I have been one of the lucky women all along that just enjoyed being one of those rare individuals.”

Strickland was born in Guelph and attended Victory School and GCVI before moving on to the engineering physics program at McMaster University and receiving a Ph.D. degree from the University of Rochester.

The Women in STEM event is in its second year and was held at the Frank Hasenfratz Centre for Excellence in Manufacturing, hosted by the Guelph Chamber of Commerce. STrickland's keynote address was presented by the University of Guelph.

During her speech on Wednesday, Strickland recounted the theory behind the work that won her and Gérard Mourou the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work with pulsed lasers. She used a number of diagrams and props to explain the science behind the award-winning work, called chirped pulse amplification (CPA) — including using a plastic slinky toy to simulate the wavelengths of the lasers.

Attendee Semantika Pandey, a Grade 11 student at Bishop Macdonell Catholic High School, said she was able to follow along with that portion of Strickland’s presentation.

“It was interesting because she started talking about photons and wavelengths and that’s what I am learning in school right now,” said Pandey. “It was good to hear something I knew and could connect to.”

Also speaking at the event were local leaders in the STEM fields, including Yumna Nasir, facilities operations director of Crosslinx Transit Solutions and Mary Wells, dean of the College of Physical Sciences and Engineering at University of Guelph. 

Pandey said she is interested in a career in STEM and attended the event to get an idea of how women are represented in those fields.

“I just want to hear from women who have been in the field and have been successful. It inspires me to pursue my education as an engineer,” she said.

One unconventional challenge Strickland had as a woman working in STEM was finding the right dress for the Nobel Prize ceremony held in Stockholm, Sweden in December. She ended up with a long red dress after having a ’say yes to the dress’ style fitting with friends and family.

 “All French women who go to the Nobel ceremony are always dressed by French designers. No Canadian designer came forward for me — I’m just saying,” said Strickland.

The dress ended up being a distraction for her onstage as she waited to receive her medal.

“That dress was so tight on me. I was sitting there thinking, ‘what happens if I am bowing to the Royal Swedish Academy with my back to the audience and that thing splits right down the back?’” she said.

The dress didn’t split, but it did end up giving Strickland her single favourite piece of press about herself, in which the Daily Mail newspaper noted its similarity to the dress worn at the same event by Princess Sofia of Sweden.

“They talked about how she was a little better accessorized than me, but they talked about how we were both wearing form-fitting red dresses with signature sleeves — but here is my favourite line in all media about me…” said Strickland. 

She went on to quote the Daily Mail article.

“She’s one of the most stylish royals around, but it seem Princess Sofia of Sweden has finally met her match in a glamourous Nobel laureate.”

 “Over the years a few people said, ‘don’t you think CPA might win the Nobel Prize?’ but I can tell you nobody ever once suggested I would pull off glamourous,” said Strickland. “So that’s a win.”

After the ceremony in Stockholm, Strickland was shown a book signed by all past winners of Nobel Prizes.

“They opened it up first to show me Albert Einstein’s signature, and then they showed me Marie Curie’s signature,” said Strickland. 

After poring over the signatures in the book, it was time for Strickland to add her own.

“There I am, signing the same book as Albert Einstein and Marie Currie. Such an amazing thing,” she said.

Speaking to GuelphToday immediately after the keynote address, Strickland said she is still adjusting to her new life as a public figure since winning the award. She said it has been difficult keeping up with personal appearances and other responsibilities that go with winning the Nobel Prize.

“I am always somewhere between amazement and exhausting. Two weeks ago I had an audience with the Pope. How many people get to do that?” said Strickland.

She said she finds the responsibility associated with her win to be difficult to live up to when she is expected to use her experience to speak on behalf of all women.

“I have really had wonderful experiences. I know there are so many women who have struggled, but I haven’t done that — so I find it hard to be their spokesperson when I haven’t actually walked in their shoes,” said Strickland. “Being a woman doesn’t mean I have walked in all of the shoes of all of the women, that’s why I find it very difficult.” 


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Kenneth Armstrong

About the Author: Kenneth Armstrong

Kenneth Armstrong is a news reporter and photojournalist who regularly covers municipal government, business and politics and photographs events, sports and features.
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