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Women in STEM professions network across borders

Dr. Tina Greenfield, UWinnipeg and Chris Gunning, Principal Officer at the US Consulate in Winnipeg; photo supplied by US Consulate

Dr. Tina Greenfield, UWinnipeg and Chris Gunning, Principal Officer at the US Consulate in Winnipeg; photo supplied by US Consulate

University of Winnipeg Anthropology faculty member Dr. Tina Greenfield is currently participating in a ten-day professional exchange through the U.S. Government’s International Visitor Program Leadership Program, designed to introduce Canadian women in STEM professions to their U.S. counterparts.

Selected by the United States Consulate Winnipeg, Greenfield joins seven other participants from across Canada on a group project focusing on Women in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) professions in the United States. The program looks at ways to engage in new realms of discovery and technological innovation. Women are underrepresented in the STEM fields in many countries even though more and more women study STEM subjects at the university level.

“As a young student, I was once told, ‘women do not belong in the field of archaeology, ’” said Greenfield.  “This program helps provide women with the support and tools to achieve their goals, so never again will a girl be told she cannot realize her dream STEM career because of her gender. I welcome the opportunity to be a part of this extraordinary program.”

Dr. Tina Greenfield is a zooarchaeologist who has worked on archaeological sites in Canada, Europe, Israel, Kurdistan, Southern Iraq, South Africa, and Turkey. She is interested in ancient animal economies of early empires. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Cambridge, UK and her dissertation  focused on the political economy of the Neo-Assyrian Empire. She teaches at the University of Winnipeg (Anthropology) and is co-director of the Near Eastern and Biblical Archaeology Lab (NEBAL) at the University of Manitoba. She is actively working on archaeological projects in Israel, Turkey and Iraq.