CANADIAN NEWS
Study shows Canadians want more minority groups in STEM jobs New research released this summer by 3M shows that 87 percent of Canadians feel it’s important to increase diversity and inclusion in STEM jobs and 68 percent acknowledge that underrepresented minority groups often don’t receive access to STEM education. The annual State of Science Index, an independent research study commissioned by 3M, tracks and explores global attitudes toward science. Most Canadians (89 percent) believe that science gives hope for the future, and a majority are hopeful that 2021 will be a better year than 2020 because of science. The survey was conducted earlier this year in 17 countries among 1,000 general population adults. Fifty percent believe more diversity equals greater global collaboration, and almost half feel diversity and inclusion will result in more innovative ideas. Ninetythree percent of Canadians recognize scientists as being critical to our future well-being in light of the pandemic, and 44 percent feel more inspired to pursue a STEM career due to the pandemic.
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“Diverse experiences and perspectives working together leads to more effective solutions,” explains Penny Wise, president of 3M Canada. “The 3M State of Science Index results underpin the need to unite educators, government, corporations and families, to ensure underrepresented students have equal access to STEM education.” Wise believes that Canada needs to support and design an education system that is representative of diverse world views, diverse role models need to be recognized, and actions need to take the conversation about diversity to the next level. Vanessa Raquel Raponi, a product development engineer and founder of EngiQueers, believes that younger people need to be able to see themselves reflected in the science community and have champions in their life who support those goals. “To do this,” she says, “we need to lead youth to show them the path to a career in STEM, that it is possible, that there are opportunities for people just like them and that there are supportive programs, educators and champions along the way who will help lift them to an endless array of possibilities.”
TINY INSECTS CAUSE BIG THREAT TO WOODLAND CARIBOU Threats to Canada’s endangered woodland caribou can be traced back to spruce budworm infestations and salvage logging, says a paper co-authored by University of Saskatchewan (USask) researcher Philip McLoughlin. “Spruce budworms kill the forest, which then leads to a flush of vegetation of benefit to moose. More moose means more wolves, and caribou don’t do well when there’s a lot of wolves around,” noted McLoughlin, an associate professor of biology. These outbreaks recur about every 30 years, and have an effect similar to forest fires and human-caused disruptions like logging, with impacts across the food chain. Outbreaks are expected to increase under climate change. The NSERC-funded research is the first to show how an insect can play an important role in how species interact. The impact on caribou was magnified by forestry companies establishing roads and trails for salvage logging.
