In April this year, the University of Waterloo’s Faculty of Engineering Outreach team launched a free community outreach program called Travelling STEM. Over the summer, the pilot program visited Indigenous communities across Ontario to share exciting STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) possibilities with youth from kindergarten to grade 11 in their home communities.
Funded by the Ontario government through the Regional Future Workforce Program of the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) and in partnership with industry partner Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, the Travelling STEM program is specifically designed to reach Indigenous youth, who are currently underrepresented as students in STEM fields at the post-secondary level, to help ensure that they are included in Canada’s technological future.
Supported by a team of five co-op students and two full-time staff members, the program visited 11 Indigenous communities and engaged with 276 students over 17 workshops in July and August.
“Currently, Indigenous youth are greatly underrepresented in higher education, particularly in STEM,” said Mary Robinson, Waterloo Engineering’s associate dean of outreach, equity and diversity. “The Travelling STEM program is one way for us to encourage Indigenous youths’ ongoing interest in post-secondary education pathways.”
Among the instructor team is Naomi Paul, a systems design engineering PhD student.
“One of my favourite parts of being involved with this program was seeing its impact across many different communities,” said Naomi.
“With each trip and workshop, we saw students develop interests in areas of STEM that were new to them."
Among the instructor team is Naomi Paul, a systems design engineering PhD student.
“One of my favourite parts of being involved with this program was seeing its impact across many different communities,” said Naomi.
“With each trip and workshop, we saw students develop interests in areas of STEM that were new to them."
"As an Indigenous student myself, I am very aware of the lack of Indigenous representation in STEM.
"It was incredibly rewarding and encouraging to see how excited the students were to learn that there are people like them working in STEM, that STEM related fields are places for them too.”
This story is an excerpt from Making STEM more inclusive on Waterloo News.
Naomi Paul, a Waterloo Engineering PhD student (systems design engineering) and Outreach instructor.