STEM conference highlights work of women

By Lethbridge Herald on February 11, 2025.

Herald photo by Alejandra Pulido-Guzman Dozens take part of the Women in Stem conference Tuesday afternoon at the University of Lethbridge Science Commons.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman – LETHBRIDGE HERALD – apulido@lethbridgeherald.com

The University of Lethbridge hosted their annual Women in STEM conference on Tuesday to bring together women across all STEM disciplines at the university and showcase their work and connect with others in the field.

STEM is an acronym that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics and the event featured poster sessions, a keynote address, a panel discussion, and family-friendly STEM activities. 

Event organizer Laura Keffer, told reporters Tuesday that the event is an annual conference celebrating all women and female identifying researchers at the university. 

“It’s part of the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. And we’re just celebrating all the awesome research that gets done here on campus by all of our wonderful female researchers,” said Keffer. 

She said it is important to highlight women in STEM because many of the fields are still highly dominated by men.

Keffer said there is a leaky pipeline of women through their STEM journey that might be really interested in science as young people but then throughout life they realize it might not be for them because of the systemic issues that a lot of STEM fields have.

“Having events like this is great for everyone but especially for younger students to see all the research that goes on within campus. And to meet mentors, to talk to other students that have been a part of the different graduate programs that we have here and to really help bolster those numbers into the different STEM fields,” said Keffer. 

She said she loves events like the Women in STEM conference, because it brings people together who have a passion for their research and gives them a safe place to talk about it.

“Everyone is just super encouraging. I’ve organized other conferences before and the feedback that I get from any of the participants are always about this being the best conference. I had such a great time. I learned so much from everybody that was participating,” said Keffer. 

One of those participants was Audra Lutterotti, a master student who said that being a women in STEM is great at the University as there is a place for her, she feels welcomed and empowered by those around her in the field. 

“Being a chemist, I only see that side of it. So, to see everyone within the other streams is really cool. It’s wonderful that we’re having this event today and I’m doing organic fluorine chemistry, mainly working with carbons and Fluorine in pharmaceutical and agrochemical research,” said Lutterotti. 

She said she had a poster up to explain what she is working on to those attending the conference and it was her second time taking part of the event, her second year in a row. 

“I wanted to do it again because I love this kind of stuff. I love supporting women in STEM and just being part of that community,” said Lutterotti. 

She said she originally wanted to become a chemistry teacher, but once at the university, the first time she put on a lab coat, she realized that is where she belong. 

“It was like putting on a superhero cape and I was like this is where I’m meant to be. And I know there’s a struggle in women in STEM because not a lot of girls get into it right away,” said Lutterotti.