The discrepancy is clear to me. Women are interested in STEM, but systemic barriers, stereotypes, and a lack of role models continue to limit representation in the workforce. I recognized that challenge during my undergraduate years, and so did Blake Noyes, a PhD candidate at the Queen\u2019s University Centre for Neuroscience Studies.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n Blake runs the Women in Neuro (WiN) club at Queen\u2019s, a student-led initiative at focused on creating a supportive community for women-identifying neuroscientists. The club focuses on research discussions, mentorship opportunities, outreach activities, and an annual conference, to help students navigate academic and professional pathways, while inspiring the next generation of women scientists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Blake, the idea of WiN began with a simple observation, \u201cI came up with the plan after chatting with some fellow students in my program,\u201d she explained. \u201cAt the time, we were predominantly women (and I think we still are) but the faculty, including our supervisors, were predominantly men.\u201d Recognizing these issues, Blake and her colleagues set out to build something new. She says, \u201cwe wanted to build a community to support each other [through] these challenges and provide mentorship from women who have gotten through it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond issues of representation, there is an inherent competitiveness in academia. Graduate students frequently compete for the same grants, fellowships, and conference opportunities, and these pressures that can intensify feelings of isolation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGrad school can feel competitive at times,\u201d Blake says. \u201cWe are often all applying [for] the same grants. We are all trying to win the oral presentation spots at conferences. But I think we have a lot to learn from each other.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Women in Neuro aims to counter that culture by emphasizing collaboration and community building. One example is the organization\u2019s annual Women in Neuro conference, which highlights the diverse research of women neuroscientists across Ontario. The next conference will take place on March 21, 2026.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Events like this one create spaces where students can present their work, meet potential mentors, and build networks that extend beyond their own institutions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGetting the community together makes our research stronger and grows our network heading into the future,\u201d Blake says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another key feature of the club is to inspire the next generation of women scientists. As Blake says: \u201cI think it\u2019s super important for young girls to know it\u2019s a possibility to be neuroscientists, or scientists in general.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing up, she recalls watching science programs like Bill Nye the Science Guy<\/em> but rarely seeing women represented on the show. \u201cWhen I was growing up, we watched Bill Nye, and I didn\u2019t really see a lot of women in science.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To help overcome this issue, the organization runs outreach programs for students ranging from elementary school to high school. Activities are tailored to different age groups and emphasize hands on learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith young kids, we introduce the lobes of the brain and do hands-on activities like making playdough neurons,\u201d Blake explained. \u201cOlder students get more insight into the work we actually do, including testing equipment like microscopes, the EyeLink eye tracker, or the KINARM.\u201d [Note: links included]<\/p>\n\n\n\n These experiences often provide students with their first real glimpse of neuroscience research. Perhaps more important are the informal conversations that follow. \u201cMore importantly, we have time to answer their questions about university and tell them how we ended up where we are today,\u201d Blake says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Support from initiatives like Connected Minds has also played an important role in expanding Women in Neuro\u2019s reach. \u201cConnected Minds gave us funding for our conference last year towards the purchase of our new poster display boards,\u201d Blake explains. \u201cThat was a huge help and saves us the cost of rentals in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Organizing conferences can be expensive, and student-run initiatives often rely on sponsorship and grants. Funding support allowed the team to keep registration accessible for students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were able to keep last year\u2019s student ticket price at $25,\u201d Blake explained. \u201cWe thought that was a great deal for a full-day conference with lunch, snacks, and unlimited coffee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some attendees, the impact has been lasting. \u201cSome undergraduates told me the conference gave them the confidence to pursue graduate school,\u201d Blake says. \u201cSupport from funders like Connected Minds has been very influential in advancing the next generation of neuroscientists.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As neuroscience continues to evolve, collaboration is becoming increasingly central to scientific progress. \u201cScientific research has been moving towards more collaborative efforts,\u201d Blake says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By bringing together women researchers across institutions and career stages, Women in Neuro hopes to strengthen those networks and encourage future partnerships. Blake concludes by noting \u201cbringing women in neuroscience together now will facilitate knowledge transfer and encourage future collaborations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" When I started graduate school at Queen\u2019s University, one of the first things I did was look for a neuroscience club for women-identifying students. During my undergraduate degree, I co-founded the Women in STEM club at Simon Fraser University, having recognized the lack of community and representation for women in the sciences. Most of my 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Dodd","author_link":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/author\/jaspreet"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"Connected Minds<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"When I started graduate school at Queen\u2019s University, one of the first things I did was look for a neuroscience club for women-identifying students. During my undergraduate degree, I co-founded the Women in STEM club at Simon Fraser University, having recognized the lack of community and representation for women in the sciences. Most of my…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=647"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":652,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647\/revisions\/652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Blake-Noyes.webp\")
Why was Women in Neuro created?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
While their supervisors were supportive, Blake and her peers noticed that some experiences specific to women in science were difficult for male mentors to fully relate to. She explained, \u201cthough our supervisors are incredibly supportive, there are certain challenges like biases about women in science or managing pregnancy during graduate school that they don\u2019t have experience with.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Women in scientific training often face a unique set of challenges, from implicit biases about competence to limited representation in senior academic roles. Issues such as the \u201cglass ceiling,\u201d unequal pay, and the career interruptions associated with caregiving can make academic pathways particularly complex to navigate<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nChallenging the Competitive Culture of Academia<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cmblog.neuroscience.queensu.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Women-in-Neuro-1-1-1024x683.jpg\")
Inspiring the Next Generation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Role of Connected Minds<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Looking Ahead<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n