Laurier expert alert: International Women’s Day

March 3, 2021
For Immediate Release

WATERLOO – International Women’s Day is Monday, March 8. Wilfrid Laurier University experts are available to speak about women’s achievements, feminist activism, gender equality and related issues.

Tarah Brookfield, associate professor in the departments of History and Youth and Children’s Studies, is an expert on the history of women’s suffrage in Ontario and on the history of Canadian women’s political activism and child welfare work, particularly during the World Wars and Cold War. Contact: tbrookfield@wlu.ca

Maria DiCenzo, professor in Laurier’s Department of English and Film Studies, is a feminist media historian. She is available to comment on the historical dimensions to some of the current issues around women's rights. Her research focuses on early women's movements before and after the First World War, with a special focus on the suffrage campaign in Britain. Contact: mdicenzo@wlu.ca

Shohini Ghose, is a professor in the Department of Physics and Computer Sciences, the NSERC Chair for Women in Science and Engineering and the director of the Centre for Women in Science. An advocate for women in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, she has spoken extensively about equity, diversity and inclusion in science. Contact: sghose@wlu.ca 

Stacey Hannem, associate professor and chair in the Department of Criminology, is an expert on the effects of crime and legal regulation on the lives of marginalized and vulnerable persons. She is currently conducting an international comparative study of the legal regulation of sex work in Canada, New Zealand, and Nevada, USA. Her forthcoming book (co-authored with Christopher J. Schneider) is Defining Sexual Misconduct: Media, Power and #MeToo. Contact: 519.755.2053 or shannem@wlu.ca

Ginette Lafreniere, associate professor in the Faculty of Social Work, director of Laurier’s Social Innovation Research Group and director of the Manulife Centre for Community Health Research, is an expert on women and community engagement and arts-based social development. Contact: glafreniere@wlu.ca

Allison McDonald, associate professor in Laurier’s Department of Biology, is an expert in bioenergetics. She is available to comment on issues facing women and people with disabilities in science, as well as on science communication. Contact: amcdonald@wlu.ca 

Shoshana Pollack is a professor in the Faculty of Social Work and director of the Walls to Bridges Canada program, which brings incarcerated students and campus-enrolled students together to learn as classmates. She is an expert on violence against women, mental health, prisons, the criminalization of women and childhood abuse. In particular, she has studied peer support teams in women’s prisons; women’s routes to law-breaking; treatment and programming for incarcerated women; women’s experiences of post-prison release; and the impact of the Walls to Bridges program on both imprisoned women and MSW students. Contact: spollack@wlu.ca