MiPs' membership also includes some men, including some of Geddes-McAlister's mentors. The group focuses on recognizing and supporting mothers in proteomics and STEM disciplines in general. Members are encouraged to promote STEM careers in their own communities. GETTING STARTED The first session Geddes-McAlister hosted was a discussion panel at an international proteomics meeting that saw a good turnout and high participation from panellists. The feedback from the session was very positive, with participants acknowledging the need for support for women in the industry and to encourage change in academia, administration, and the industry. With help from their corporate sponsor, Bruker, MiPs has hosted several networking events, online and inperson, to allow members to meet and make connections with other women in STEM — both professional and personal. Creating opportunities for mentoring is an important part of the organization to encourage more women to participate. To promote MiPs, Geddes-McAlister designed buttons to distribute to the group's supporters. Three-quarters of the attendees at a plant proteomics conference in Greece proudly displayed these pins on their lanyards, demonstrating their support for the groups' goals, with many taking more home to their colleagues and family members. A recent group discussion focussed on what resources attendees to conferences needed; one of the biggest concerns raised was childcare at events to encourage more womento participate. Geddes-McAlister believes that this is one area where solutions could be found to support and encourage the participation of women. GRAIN FARMERS OF ONTARIO RESEARCH Recently, Geddes-McAlister completed a four-year research project with Grain Farmers of Ontario, studying fusarium head blight incereal crops, specifically mycotoxin contamination. Her research team has been studying wheat varieties and how they degrade or detoxify the mycotoxin that causes health effects in animals and humans. Using different molecular and biochemical strategies, Geddes-McAlister is trained in mass-spectrometry-based proteomics and is studying all the proteins that change in the plant when the mycotoxin is present. The research compared resistant and susceptible varieties to see how the proteins are different, with an overall goal of being able to make safer food products from wheat. More information about MiPs can be found at www.momsinproteomics.ca. l ONTARIO GRAIN FARMER 29 AUGUST 2023 The feedback from the session was very positive, with participants acknowledging the need for support for women in the industry and to encourage change in academia, administration, and the industry. Bringing technology to Join us at Eastern Canada’s largest outdoor farm show - an experience where the latest in agricultural technology comes to life in the field. September 12, 13 & 14, 2023 outdoorfarmshow.com
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