Shattering stereotypes for women in physics
Neha Nasir is pushing boundaries as a woman in STEM and advancing radiation protection in Canada’s military
For her undergraduate thesis project, Neha Nasir, a fourth-year student, is contributing to a study on developing a tool to detect radiation exposure in military personnel. Guided by professor Ana Pejović-Milić, she is collaborating with Defence Research and Development Canada to develop an instrument that can monitor low radiation levels.
“I think the profound impact of this opportunity is what really draws me towards it,” Nasir says. “Being involved in such a significant project makes me feel like I’m contributing to something important.”
In her program, Nasir is learning to apply physics-based concepts to diagnosing and treating illnesses. Graduates become qualified for roles such as lab technologist, radiation therapist and cardiac sonographer in hospitals and healthcare businesses, or can pursue graduate degrees in areas such as medicine, dentistry and pharmacy.
Outside the classroom, Nasir has presented her research at the Canadian Association of Physicists Congress and the Institute for Biomedical Engineering, Science and Technology (iBEST) Symposium. At this last event, her research with professor Miranda Kirby on sex differences in airway metrics and COPD won second place.
In 2021, Nasir co-chaired the online 57th Canadian Undergraduate Physics Conference at TMU, which attracted more than 200 participants.
“Hosting the conference with another female co-chair signified the positive evolution of physics, but the lack of female representation in the discipline persists,” she said.
Increasing female involvement in the discipline compelled Nasir to co-found the Women in Physics (external link, opens in new window) committee, which creates opportunities for women and other underrepresented groups. She is currently co-president of the Medical Physics course union, for which she has helped organize events such as a career night.
A 2022 Noel Award in Science recipient and 2020-2021 faculty dean’s list member, Nasir will pursue an MSc in CAMPEP Medical Physics at TMU under the supervision of professor Ana Pejović-Milić focusing on advancing radiation treatments for cancer patients.
“The amount of skills and experiences I’ve been able to build—I don’t think I would have gotten that at a different institution.”
Nasir will spend this July at a military base in Alberta assisting Defence Research and Development Canada with NATO training operations.