More than 100 Grade 9 girls are taking part in the Sparking Science through Mentorship Conference at U of T Scarborough – a conference showcasing women working in science and technology with a social purpose.
The event is a collaboration between Dunbarton High School, environmental charity EcoSpark and U of T Scarborough. On Sept. 21, the mentorship conference joins several events participating in Science Literacy Week – a week-long celebration of science in Canada. The event is open to Grade 9 girls from Dunbarton High School, Pickering High School, Pine Ridge Secondary School and Ajax High School.
David Gordon, a long-time teacher at Dunbarton High School and citizen scientist, was inspired to create the idea after several years work within science communities and discussions with Joyce Chau, executive director at EcoSpark.
“I’ve met so many young women practising science where it’s more than gathering some data, but there’s some sort of a broader social good attached to the whole undertaking,” says Gordon.
“Speaking with Joyce, I asked, wouldn’t it be cool to put a bunch of young girls in front of you to talk about work/life balance, careers in science, questions like, what do I do in high school if I want to have an interesting life after high school.”
From there, Gordon and Chau worked to get a National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) PromoScience grant, a grant specifically created for events promoting Science Literacy Week.
“We’ve been sending co-op students from Dunbarton to the Andrade Lab for 7 or 8 years, so we approached U of T Scarborough as a possible host site and then away it went,” says Gordon.
Professor Maydianne Andrade from the Department of Biological Sciences and Vice Dean of Faculty Affairs and Equity at U of T Scarborough, is the keynote speaker. She says it’s a thrill that Gordon and Chau chose to host the conference on campus and involve her in the program.
“We know that young women, proportionally are less likely to stay in the sciences even when they show early interest, ability and talent in science,” she says.
“The bottom line is that an event like this allows them to see the wide range of ways they can apply science, women who have made science a career and how you can end up somewhere satisfying and interesting, that maybe you didn’t anticipate in Grade 9.”
“The bottom line is that an event like this allows them to see the wide range of ways they can apply science, women who have made science a career and how you can end up somewhere satisfying and interesting, that maybe you didn’t anticipate in Grade 9.”
Andrade joins a diverse panel of women from different fields in science and job backgrounds to share their experiences in a series of interactive sessions with students.
Students have responded positively to the conference, says Gordon. “I was speaking with one of my Grade 11 students, and she says her sister is extremely excited to come to this event.”
It’s also an exciting experience for the mentors. Tanya Stemberger, a senior research analyst, featured mentor and U of T Scarborough alum says she looks forward to sharing her experiences with the students.
“When you’re younger, the world is your oyster,” says Stemberger. “I want these girls to do whatever they’re interested in and see where it leads as long as they keep pushing forward.”
The conference, also sponsored by the Office of the Vice-Principal Research and the Office of the Dean at U of T Scarborough, is a “pilot” event for what Chau, Gordon and Andrade hope will become an annual one-day conference.
“There’s always more we can do to promote women in science, and the earlier we can build the confidence in young girls, the better,” says Chau. “Connecting them with women they can connect with, women that are funny, smart, and have had their share of trials and tribulations in the field – that will go a long way towards girls entering into the field.”
