Women in Science News Archive

May 15, 2025 — 
May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada, and the theme for 2025 is “Unity in Diversity: The Impact of Asian Communities in Shaping Canadian Identity”. At the Faculty of Science, we acknowledge the contributions from the diverse Asian Canadian communities and how they enrich everyone’s experience, from students to staff and faculty.

April 24, 2025 — 
U of M student awarded for new cholera treatment idea

April 17, 2025 — 
An exceptional group of students, staff and faculty were recognized with 2025 UM Sustainability Awards.

April 14, 2025 — 
UM researchers have developed a deep learning model to predict compound protein interactions. GraphBAN is an inductive graph-based approach. The model is all about discovering new drug candidates in the pre-clinical stage. This means speeding up the drug discovery process and making it more affordable.

March 31, 2025 — 
As a child of refugee parents from Uganda and a lifelong advocate for community health, Punam Mehta has built a career at the intersection of health research and women’s empowerment. Whether she’s supporting mothers with addictions through yoga and body mapping, researching chronic diseases in Northern Manitoba, or mentoring the next generation of women in STEM, Mehta’s work is guided by justice and equity.  Now an instructor in the Department of Community Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba, Mehta shares her story for Women’s Empowerment Month, reminding us that leadership is not just about rising—it’s about reaching back and bringing others with you. 

February 21, 2025 — 
Kara B. Loudon is an undergraduate student in the department of chemistry and a perennial NSERC URA winner who moved forward with the research published recently in the Royal Society of Chemistry. The study, “Estimating dietary exposure to polycyclic aromatic compounds from food grade plastics” looks at the migration of chemicals from food-storage containers under typical usage conditions and how they might impact human health.

February 11, 2025 — 
February 11 is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. Faculty of Science is proud to have many brilliant women contributing to our community as curious students, visionary researchers, empowering leaders, innovative instructors, and insightful support staff. This year, we talked with Dr. Katie Mitchell-Koch, associate professor at the Department of Chemistry and Kara Loudon, undergraduate chemistry student about their experience as a woman in science, their proudest achievements, and the challenges they have faced and how they have overcome those.

February 7, 2025 — 
Strep throat, something we’ve all had at some point in our lives, is caused by the bacteria Streptococcus pyogenes. Infection by Streptococcus can be fatal in serious cases and is the leading cause of death among flesh-eating diseases resulting in over half a million deaths annually. That scratchy, sore feeling at the back of your throat is a result of Streptococcus pyogenes infected by viruses called bacteriophages. These “phages” carry the genes for toxins that are responsible for strep throat, and when they invade Streptococcus pyogenes, they transfer these genes, enhancing the bacterium’s ability to cause infection.

January 17, 2025 — 
Dr. Lalonde's recent accomplishment, being among Canada's 100 Most Powerful Women as an Amex Emerging Leader, comes to no one's surprise as she is an extraordinary example of making bold choices and exploring new perspectives.

December 16, 2024 — 
Welcome to our 2024 journey of innovation and discovery at the Faculty of Science. This was yet another year where we made transformative progress in expanding the frontiers of knowledge, enhancing student experience and fostering an inclusive community. Join us as we take a look back at the highlights of 2024.