Today we honor and remember the victims of the École Polytechnique massacre, and the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women that was established as a result. In the wake of this tragedy, there is an energy of pride and the importance of highlighting women in STEM across Canada. We took this opportunity to connect with Laurice Eppers, one of our female engineers located in our Vancouver Office.
Laurice is originally from north of Chicago. She graduated in Milwaukee with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture in 1989 and later pursued a second Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering, as well as a Master’s Degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Structural Engineering. Between her schooling she worked as an engineer in Chicago and later decided she wanted to move to the West Coast, which landed her in Vancouver. With her architectural background, Laurice is detail-oriented and has a strong eye for visualizing things three-dimensionally and translating that information to two-dimensional documents. Her favorite part of her job is coordinating with contractors and architects early on in a project or in the construction phase, helping keep things up to date so there are no loose ends in construction documents.
When asked about her experience as a woman in the industry, Laurice reflected that it can be a rollercoaster, and couldn’t deny that depending who you are dealing with, there is a certain energy of hesitation towards women in the broader industry. Despite the clear hierarchy that does exist, she feels lucky to have had a generally good experience in her time. For the girls or women out there who feel intimidated, Laurice has one message: “Stick to your guns and never let anyone deter you from your passions or goals.”
Since today is a day of not only remembrance but action, join us in taking some time to honor the legacy of the victims of December 6th, 1989. Research local and national organizations to donate if you are able. Spend some time educating yourself to find out other ways to support these important causes or learn about women who have paved the way for younger generations and are paving the way for generations to come.
Learn:
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/polytechnique-tragedy
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/ecole-polytechnique-thirty-years-anti-feminist-1.5381510
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/women-in-stem
https://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/063.nsf/eng/h_97413.html
https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/02/11/10-canadian-women-in-stem-fields.html
Donate:
