Feature Post: Women in Mining University of Alberta Student Chapter
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The Women in Mining University of Alberta Student Chapter is the newest chapter under Women in Mining Canada and the only western Canadian student chapter. The group was started in early 2025, with the goal of fulfilling the need for an initiative on campus to encourage and uplift women and all students passionate about pursuing careers in mining. The University of Alberta has a robust and thriving mining engineering community, however WIM UofA aims to increase interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, geosciences, land reclamation, and any other students interested in the mining industry.
WIM UofA’s mission is to create a safe space for learning, mentorship, and to help quell negative stereotypes about being a woman in mining. To do this, the group aims to connect students with industry professionals both in Alberta and nationally, through mentorship and networking opportunities, and distribute resources to educate students on mining and the future of the industry locally and beyond. Encouraging interdisciplinary cooperation at the university level will provide an asset for mining, as these students are the next generation of mining professionals, and mining requires many disciplines to create solutions and push the industry forward. By creating these peer networks at this stage, students will make connections with future coworkers and collaborators, strengthening the fabric of the mining community.
According to the Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHR), as of 2023, women represented 16.8% of the mining workforce nationally, and 20.3% in Alberta (according to the Alberta Mining and Oil and Gas Extraction Industry Profile, 2023). While there are broader initiatives to support the inclusion of women in the mining industry, groups like WIM UofA have the unique stance to create change at the university level, by sharing resources and educating students early on about careers in mining. Edmonton is a significant mining hub, especially with its proximity to the oil sands, and there is a large network of professionals to share their experiences with students. By connecting with professionals, WIM UofA will be able to provide these networking and mentorship opportunities to students, so they can hear first-hand about being a woman in mining.
In their first year, WIM UofA has already made significant strides. After forming an 8-person executive team of engineering and geoscience students, they have recruited nearly 40 students to their mailing list, across a variety of faculties. They’ve recently hosted a social event at a local Edmonton craft studio to foster peer-peer connections, which was a great success, having over 20 participants. Looking forward into the new year, they are also planning a collaborative event with the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy, and Petroleum (CIM) Edmonton branch, which will be focused on women in mining. The event will be largely a speaker panel, with 5 speakers from a broad range of careers in mining, followed by a networking portion and a catered dinner. The event will connect current students, UofA alumni, UofA faculty, and industry professionals to have conversations about the bright future of women in mining, and highlight the importance of diversity and inclusion.
WIM UofA is currently developing their sponsorship network, and seeking opportunities for industry support. To put on events like the CIM mixer, social events, and future networking sessions and seminars, direct sponsorship allows the group to increase the scale of events and add the most value for students. Aside from event hosting, a goal is to create and maintain a travel fund for the executive team to attend a conference such as AME Roundup or PDAC yearly. Most undergraduate students don’t receive many opportunities to attend conferences, even though many conferences have student-focused mentorship events and provide excellent early-career networking opportunities. Attendance at conferences will provide not only good exposure for WIM UofA as a whole, but for students individually. The existence of a dedicated travel fund will also contribute to the longevity of the group, as a good incentive to become an executive member and maintain positive relationships with sponsors is the opportunity to attend conferences. At conferences like AME Roundup, there is also a large delegation of WIM members from provincial chapters such as WIM BC and Yukon WIM, which will allow WIM UofA to tap into the broader network of WIM Canada, and make way for future collaborations.
By supporting WIM UofA in their endeavours to attend conferences and put on student-focused events, companies have an opportunity to interact with and attract some of the best and brightest mining students from Alberta to their businesses. The industry must continue to support initiatives promoting diversity in mining, as that is how the best talent will change the future of mining for the better. If students see companies are invested in the futures of students, it creates a positive impression that will impact the critical career decisions they make upon graduation. If you or your company are interested in supporting WIM UofA, please contact wimuofa@ualberta.ca to discuss potential avenues for support.
Thank you to Women in Mining University of Alberta Student Chapter for preparing this article for use by ACR.
If you would like to have your organization, project or product featured in an ACR blog and Resources Letter, let us know! Contact communications@acr-alberta.com.
