It is with a full hard drive of footage, a filled tummy with food for thought and mind that has been challenged, we have already completed our time at our first initiative, PolyGone Technologies, based at the University of Waterloo. We went into our first initiative thinking that we would get to learn more about microplastics specifically (which we did!), but we came out with so much more.
We can't really tell you what the best part was- it could have been the super cool microplastic experiments that Nicole, a co-founder of PolyGone, showed us (yes, it did reinforce our love for science experiments!), the bright dyes which lit up the workbench in the lab, the microplastics glowing under UV light on the petri dishes, but also the thought-provoking conversations we had about the challenges and opportunities that come up when working in a field of that nature. It was an eye-opener for us into the gender and subject matter disparities in terms of funding and support that unfortunately still exist in our world today. It is more than a shame that our identities and who we are, can so profoundly influence the extent to which ones 'science' is recognised, judged, accepted or supported. Amidst the social hardship that accompanies academia, it was beyond inspiring to witness the attitudes of persevered that are so deeply invested in Nicole and Lauren (Founder of PolyGone). Regardless of the challenges and difficulties they've been faced with, they have maintained focus and perspective throughout. Failure is too often associated with a negative connotation, and yet it is through failure that we can learn, grow, develop and evolve.
Right, we better get back to editing our video so you can find out more about what PolyGone is all about and who the phenomenal individuals behind this company are.
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