On May 4, 2017, our Matrix Calgary office participated in Operation Minerva; introducing 13 grade 8 girls to the world of environmental and engineering consulting. Through a variety of interactive stations, the students had the opportunity to gain hands on experience with spill response, soil and surface water testing, water level measurements, pipeline water crossing evaluation and database development.

​To make the day a success, over 20 women contributed to the Matrix program. From presentation development to helping facilitate and plan the logistics and activities. Women from a number of teams across Matrix participated, including air quality, approvals, assessment, remediation, reclamation and monitoring (ARRM), environmental data services (EDS), GIS, human resources and corporate services, terrestrial, western hydrogeology and western surface water.

​“This was my first year participating, Matrix’s fourth, and I absolutely loved it. The students were engaged and seemed to have a lot of fun learning about the different disciplines we have at Matrix and some of the work we get to do. It was really impactful being able to motivate young girls to keep exploring STEM, open their eyes to different environmental careers, and share my story about how I ended up becoming an engineer,” said Katrina Stewart, an environmental engineer with Matrix’s approvals team in Calgary.

​​Operation Minerva (OM) has been running for over 25 years and is designed to provide young females with a positive hands-on experience in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workplaces. OM seeks to maintain, foster, and promote interest in STEM paths by encouraging students to continue science studies in high school, university and as a career choice.