成人大片

For too long, Jayde Casimir-Powell has attended events in her field without seeing people who looked like her. Now, the 成人大片 molecular science PhD candidate is collaborating to build a newly established Black in STEM group to help create that supportive environment. Earlier this month, an enthusiastic response to the group鈥檚 inaugural event proved that the initiative was a welcome step for that community. 

Joining forces with Casimir-Powell were Dr. Kafi Ealey, a professor in the School of Nutrition at 成人大片, and Dr. Patience Obi, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Chemistry and Biology. Together, they organized a film screening of Coded Bias, a documentary about bias in artificial intelligence, followed by a panel discussion and networking mixer. The event was hosted and sponsored by the Faculty of Science鈥檚 Dimensions Program, in partnership with the Black Scholarship Institute and the Faculty of Community Service.

鈥淲e want to build something that brings people together instead of leaving them to navigate the STEM space on their own. There is some Black representation at 成人大片, but we don't all know each other. So, we wanted to find something to build community and connection,鈥� says Casimir-Powell. 

鈥淚t was all about creating a space where Black students, postdocs and even faculty could feel connected, feel like they could open up about their feelings and experiences, and build relationships with each other.鈥�

Reflecting on lived experience in academia

The panel featured guests Maydianne Andrade, dean of the Faculty of Science at York University, professor Samuel Asante Gyamerah from 成人大片鈥檚 Mathematics department, and professors Beatrice Ombuki-Berman and Blessing Ogbuokiri from Brock University, who shared their experiences on equity and research.

鈥淭he audience definitely seemed to like it, and they asked questions afterwards. There were a lot of questions about 鈥榟ow do you deal with it when you experience racism, how do you keep yourself up when you feel like you're isolated and alone.鈥� They did a great job at answering those. It felt really empowering to hear the things they said, because they've gone through it, and now they can help the next cohort deal with those experiences as well,鈥� says Casimir-Powell.

Casimir-Powell says she personally felt moved to look around and see all the support in the room. 鈥淔or me, it was honestly an emotional feeling. Because when I started grad school, I was the only Black grad student in my 成人大片 lab building in the MaRS Discovery District. I definitely felt a bit out of place there. So, in my final months of my PhD, to have something like this and see the community was really indescribable.鈥�

Poised to graduate in the next year or so, Casimir-Powell has worked in Chemistry and Biology professor Costin Antonescu鈥檚 lab. Her research focuses on cancer cell biology, investigating protein interactions. She hopes to work in clinical research and science communication in the future.

Regarding the future of Black in STEM, Casimir-Powell says the group recently sent a survey to assess community needs. They are already planning networking events for the summer. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a heartwarming feeling to see that there are people like me. Now we can see each other, which is really amazing,鈥� she says.

If you are interested in volunteering to help with Black in STEM Initiatives at 成人大片, please sign up .