Dr. Viau was invited to a special session of the 2024 Canadian Chemical Engineering Conference hosted by the Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering (CSChE) on October 7th in Toronto. Entitled “Celebrating Minorities and Women Leaders in Science and Engineering: In Memoriam of Jane Phillips“, the goal of this special symposium was to celebrate diversity, inclusivity, and equity in science and chemical engineering in Canada. The purpose was to highlight our field’s progress, spotlight rising stars, and promote networking and initiate dialogues on a variety of topics on creating a culture that promotes and nurtures the next generation, where everyone from all backgrounds could contribute and be their best. It was a true pleasure meeting the other invited speakers and seeing the excellence and breadth of expertise across a diverse group of people. Dr. Viau spoke about his work on mass-timber structures against extreme load effects, such as earthquakes, fires, impacts, and blast explosions.
Special thanks to the organizers, Drs. Ariel Chan, Cathy Chin, José E. Herrera, Bertrand Neyhouse, and Marisa Sterling, for the invitation.
The symposium honoured the late Jane Phillips (1931-2024), one of the first female faculty member of the University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and possibly the first in North America, who had pioneered the field and contributed to catalytic science, to education, as well as serving as the first female academic PEO President in 1992.