EngiQueers Canada (EQ) is a national non-profit founded by Vanessa Raponi and Alexander Dow in response to the 2014 McMaster songbook scandal. EQ’s mission is to provide safe spaces for queer engineering students, fostering a welcoming profession through education, advocacy, social connection, and professional development.

Jessica Thiede, a student in the UNBC/UBC joint environmental engineering program, found her community and passion through EQ. Attending the inaugural 2023 EQ conference, she was embraced by an inclusive engineering community. This experience led her to run for an executive position, opening numerous doors for promoting equity and diversity in engineering. Now VP of EQ, Jessica plans to continue her involvement for years to come.

EQ has chapters at nearly every engineering school in Canada, including UBC’s Gears and Queers. Since 2022, President Ana Bandari has led Gears and Queers in uplifting LGBTQ2+ engineering students at UBC Vancouver. The club creates welcoming spaces through study nights and events like painting the Cairn for Trans Day of Remembrance. They advocate for inclusive practices in engineering and collaborate with other LGBTQ2+ groups on campus, forming a unified community.

For more information, follow @gears.and.queers on Instagram or read more in The Ubyssey: Queering Gears and Students Paint Engineering Cairn in Honour of Transgender Day of Remembrance.

The Geering Up team has their hearts set on breaking down barriers for youth. When it comes to EDII in Applied Science (and beyond!), their Indigenous Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (InSTEM) team collaborates with Indigenous community partners. They centre Etuaptmumk—a term shared by Mi’kmaq Elder Albert Marshall and is what we commonly refer to as a two-eyed seeing approach—to benefit everyone.  

Indigenous People have always been at the forefront of engineering and science, so when we teach STEM only through a western science lens, we miss out on critical gaps in knowledge. The InSTEM team works alongside knowledge keepers and Elders and engages with traditional learning practices to deliver in-community classroom workshops and land-based engineering-focused summer camps with Indigenous Youth. At the same time, InSTEM instructors take home invaluable Indigenous knowledge and culture to transform how these university students view the world.  

The InSTEM team also invites high school students from different communities to explore post-secondary pathways through the UBC Campus Visit program that launched in 2023. 

Geering Up’s InSTEM Assistant Manager, Sara, shares why InSTEM and EDII are so important to her and to Geering Up.  

“I grew up with grandparents who proudly told me we were Latvian and Japanese. Throughout my life, I saw cultural differences celebrated and I also saw role models. 

As a privileged immigrant and settler on Musqueam Territory, I came to UBC to study Conservation Science. I started to question the history of and motivations for parks and ecological restoration in Canada and the United States, where I was raised. After graduating, I started working with Geering Up’s InSTEM team and opened my eyes to new Indigenous perspectives.  

I’ve continued to learn from our community partners, Elders, mentors, and colleagues. I’m surrounded by a supportive team that dedicates time at every meeting to dive into EDII topics. Cultural humility is at the centre of everything we do at Geering Up and that is why the InSTEM program has continued to flourish. I hope that our work will continue to celebrate different cultures and give youth role models in STEM.” 

Sara, centre, with members of the Geering Up team volunteering at the Intergenerational march September 30, 2023 on Main Mall, UBC

Reflection: Exploring Indigeneity in Engineering
As an advocate for environmental sustainability and an ally for Indigenous stewardship, I recently participated in the Ocean Wise Eco Action Accelerator program. This 16-week
part-time microgrant program, tailored for Canada Service Corps (CSC) alumni like myself, provided a platform to scale up service project ideas while focusing on long-term sustainability. Throughout the program, I delved into three interconnected components designed to support the development and delivery of my project. From a 3-day retreat in British Columbia to entrepreneurial workshops and mentorship calls, I was immersed in a collaborative environment.
My project, inspired by a previous pop-up museum, aimed to explore the intersectionality of Indigeneity and engineering in the Pacific Northwest. The museum was housed in the Fred Kaiser atrium from March 4 to March 18, situated to draw in students, faculty, and staff from Applied Science. The museum focused on design case studies highlighting how Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest harnessed their natural surroundings through engineering to sustain their way of life.
On March 16, I hosted a launch party for friends and family, providing them with an
opportunity to engage with the museum and learn about my project’s journey. As I stood
amidst the exhibit, I couldn’t help but be overcome by a mix of emotions – grief for the lost opportunities to shape our world today using traditional knowledge, awe for the remarkable tools and techniques used by Indigenous groups, and an unwavering passion to continue exploring Indigeneity in engineering.
Reflecting on my experience, I am grateful to Ocean Wise and the Faculty of Applied
Science for their support, guidance, and resources that have empowered me to complete this
project.

Sarvpreet Brar and the pop up museum she created