Bacteria heaven Keyboards around campus can carry more germs than toilets. Curling champs South Van high school team thrives with help from Marpole Hello, Voice Radio Latest weekly Voice podcast gives you news on the go. Listen P3 Curling Club. P8 online at langaravoice.ca PRODUCED BY LAN? — ANGARAVOICE.CA Huawei hearing ignites emotions P2 | ' A man burning a flag to protest the recent actions of the Chinese government. The protest took place outside of B.C. Supreme Court in downtown Vancouver during Meng Wanzhou's March 6 hearing. Wanzhou was arrested in December on charges of allegedly violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. Nick 148A PHOTO STEM fields male-skewed Despite rise in women, there is still a huge disparity: expert By KRISTIAN TREVENA espite an increase in numbers, women are still underrepresented in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, says one UBC professor. A 2018 study by Randstad Canada found that only 20 per cent of women who attended post-second- ary institutions chose a STEM degree. In contrast, 40 per cent of men with post-secondary education opted for a degree in STEM fields. According to Malabika Pramanik, a math professor at UBC, there is a need for diversity of women in the workplace, in order to prevent feel- ings of isolation. “A workplace cannot really have a good record of retention from diverse teams unless the culture and lots of people see people that are success- ful from (various) backgrounds and ethnicities, races,” Pramanik said. She said the number of women can be increased by encouraging students in elementary school, as well as changing societal percep- tions. “Now women are more, I guess, empowered by one another just to “We don’t go speak out.” do a good “ . Langara has enough job You can gain launched the 2 ferent | recognition and show Scivnoe ena careers. 1 ect, created There’s this other young girls that to promote perception it S possible. women enter- that only a —RACHEL LEONG, GR. 9 STUDENT, DAVID fell STEM select lew THOMPSON SECONDARY SCHOOL c10s, can do it,” The initia- Pramanik said. Each year, Langara hosts the Vancouver District Science Fair. Rachel Leong, a grade nine partici- pant from David Thompson Second- ary School, said that school events like the science fair are a big deal for young students interested in science. “You can gain recognition and show other young girls that it’s possible,” said Leong, who wants to pursue a career in the medical field. Nadine Assaf, a Langara science student, said women seem to be taking more of a stand today in STEM fields. tive assists students through education, financial support and encouragement, said Gerda Krause, the dean for Langara’s faculty of science. “There isn't a great deal of empha- sis on recruiting students because that would go into the high schools,” Krause said. “It’s certainly some- thing we started talking about. “But this is a very new group, the intent here rather, is to encour- age and support students in the ’ ” sciences. Social and cultural norms relating to gender equality and stereo- types in the media. Parents’ and peers’ expectations, beliefs, education level and socio- economic status can influence girls and women’s choices. Learning and school environment, teachers’ experience, beliefs, cur- ricula and resources. Brain structure and function, plus hormones, genetics and psycho- logical factors all play a role. SOURCE: UNESCO.ORG MARCH 7, 2019 * VOL. 51 NO. 04 * VANCOUVER, B.C. Digital arts revamp New Langara program partners with San Fran to focus on skills By CHELSEA LIU A new partnership between Langara and San Francisco's Academy of Art University will give students specialized train- ing in digital arts, and the full tablet of technical skills that are often lack- ing in other programs. ‘The ArtU partnership will add to the existing creative digital arts programs in Vancouver. Courses will be held at the ArtU and Langara campus located at the South Flatz office building in False Creek. ‘The program is designed to give students a leg up over other digital arts graduates in Vancouver. Other Vancouver post-secondary institutions are also partnered with ArtU, all with campuses located at the South Flatz offices. But the other schools often neglect refin- ing student’s technical skills, while Langara’s new programs will focus on it, said Adrian Lipsett, program manager of creative and applied arts at Langara. He said what makes Langara’s partnership with ArtU unique is that students start off at a higher level. “We make sure students gradu- ate with confidence,” Lipsett said, adding that the two-year streams take students from the fundamen- tals to being fully trained to “capa- bly” enter the industry. Carl Whiteside, executive producer at Waterproof Studios, another Vancouver digital arts studio, said his company refrains from hiring new graduates because they often fall short of industry requirements. Whiteside said he needs people with experience, given “the quality bar of work and timeline we’re on.” Atomic Cartoons, a Vancouver- based animation studio, looks for people with strong creative skills and a visual eye, said human resources director Colin Beadle. “Coming directly out of school, the most important thing to have is a strong demo reel,” he said.