User:An.scottt/Alicia Bjarnason

Alicia Bjarnason is a Canadian EDI (equity, diversity, and inclusion) strategist, researcher, Human Geographer, Geoscientist, and advocate for women in STEM.

Bjarnason is an experienced geologist who, after working for 13 years as a geoscientist, co-founded the Women's Workplace Improvement Network (WWIN). She is currently working as a project and EDI strategist for the Canadian Coalition of Women in Science, Engineering, Trade, and Technology (CCWESTT). She also runs her own consulting company called “Bjarg”, which has been running since 2012.

Bjarnason's advocacy for women in STEM has helped many women get into and stay in STEM. She has been recognized for her efforts, receiving the “Stars of Alberta Volunteer Award” in 2019.

Biography

Bjarnason received a Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the University of Saskatchewan in 1999, a Master of the Arts in Human Geography in 2018, a CCIP certification from the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion in 2019, and a certificate in Indigenous studies from the University of Alberta in 2021. Bjarnason has two children.

In February 2014, Bjarnason created a team for the childhood cancer group “Tour for Kids” called “Kiptyns Crusaders”, in honour of her son, Kiptyn, who is a survivor of childhood cancer.

Career

Bjarnason began her career around 1999, gravitating toward geology due to her enjoyment of being outdoors and the lack of competition between women in the field. She co-founded an organization called the Women's Workplace Improvement Network, which aims to break down the barriers regarding the narration of women in the workplace. The main goal of the organization is to figure out a way to reincorporate women who have taken a step away from their careers to tend to their families or themselves, therefore preventing the individual's credentials from losing their status and meaning. She was also the president of the Alberta Women's Science Network. She was also the president for six years at the Alberta Women's Science Network, and along the way, she helped create the document mentioned above, which is referred to as an electronic business document, according to EDI Basics.

After receiving her MA from the University of Calgary in Human Geography, Bjarnason has become a professional geoscientist, using her degree to support her work in her company, Bjarg Consulting, and her affiliations with the AWSN and the CCWESTT. Her job is to look at the equity and diversity within the workforce, more specifically within the STEM field, attempt to rectify any lack in the inclusion of qualified women, and give a voice to working women.

She uses her company, Bjarg Consulting, to ensure that companies abide by the agreements stated in their EBD, and incorporate policies that introduce women into their companies and help previously qualified women receive opportunities after a lengthy break from the workforce.

Alongside her research and company, Bjarnason also co-hosted a podcast called Exclusion. During her podcast, she would talk about her work as a geologist, her consulting business, and her point of view as a woman in the workplace (Exclusion 2023).

Recognition and legacy

Bjarnason believes that the key to an innovative future only comes through equity, inclusivity, and diversity of thought, which is her legacy. After spending 15 years as an exploration geoscientist, she conducted geological surveys and analyzed data based on said surveys. Using this data, she recommended resource extraction, mining, drilling, and fracking. After 15 years, she returned to school to achieve a master's in human geography, focusing on corporate culture, equity, and inclusion.

She won many accolades and awards, like the Queen Elizabeth Scholarship and the Alberta Graduate Citizenship Award, as a graduate student. To this day, Bjarnason is a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional through the Canadian Centre of Diversity and Inclusion. She has volunteered at the Alberta Women's Science Network since 2013, where she held the position of president/co-president for almost a decade. The company advocates for the networking and support of programs that promote diversity.

In 2015, Bjarnason initiated the AWSN Work Re-engagement Program, which investigated the hardships of women in STEM who have struggled to re-engage in their fields after extended leave. The program created a document that sought to help and guide women on their journey back to employment. The program identified that many STEM companies would benefit from equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) support. Finally, the program created an EDI document, which helped these companies incorporate EDI into their workplaces.

Bjarnason has been a member of the greater STEM community as well. She currently sits as an EDI advisor on boards such as Technology Alberta, Mining Industry Human Resources Council, Canadian Coalition of Women in Engineering, Science, Trades, and Technology, Women in the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta, and many more. She also serves as the director of the Operation Minerva Program, a mentoring series aimed at motivating young girls and gender-diverse students to feel a sense of belonging in STEM. Finally, in 2021, Bjarnason designed and implemented an AWSN Equitable Scholarship, which has won an APEGA Summit Award and an ASTech Award for social innovation. The scholarship uses “the guidance of a gender-based analysis plus (GBA+); the program uses an intersectional lens and is structured in a way that allows AWSN to distribute the awards equitably, limiting unconscious bias, stereotypes, and other barriers commonly faced by underrepresented groups.”

Bjarnason has cemented herself with a legacy of scientific inclusion and diversity. Helping provide countless opportunities, scholarships, and guidance to underrepresented people in STEM so those people can continue to contribute and study in the various fields of STEM.

Awards

Bjarnason has received three different awards due to the AWSN-Alberta Women in Science Network, a scholarship she helped create. Bjarnason is the vice president of the AWSN. In 2022, the scholarship program won the ASTech award in the social innovation category, specifically programs promoting women. Then, in 2023, it won an APEGA award, which congratulated the scholarship's substantial contribution to the uplifting of women in geoscience. The scholarship is given to undergrad, full-time STEM students continuing education who have had some form of leadership experience and are disadvantaged. Bjarnason herself was also awarded the Stars of Alberta award in 2019 to congratulate her work in the STEM field and acknowledge her advocacy.