STEM Education Today (April 2018) by STEM Learning Lab

April 2018

The Dream & STEAM of a Flying

Elvis

Robert Martellacci - MindShare Learning and C21

STEAM Competition p

Rundle College - 2nd Annual

Lauren Benson â&#x20AC;&#x201C; STEM on the Run! p

Feature Educator:

Science l Technology l Engineering l Mathematics

Where kids come to learn and play!

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Elvis Stojko - Krista Malden

Lauren Benson -

STEM on the Run

OUR TEAM

Editor-in-Chief Publisher Co-Publisher Editor/Chief Motivator

Dr. Gina Cherkowski Krista Malden Wayne Carley Tracy Beairsto

Robert Martellacci -

MindShare Learning and C21 - Krista Malden

Special thanks to: STEM Learning Lab’s Team

International Women’s Day

Elvis Stojko Wendy Hutchins / Kitchen Science

Rundle College- 2nd Annual STEAM Competition

Meet Stacey Waldal -

Lauren Benson Robert Martellacci

Million Women Mentor Lin Farnholz –

Women to Celebrate

Kitchen Science -

Wendy Hutchins

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About STEM Education Today STEM Education Today is a free resource that provides a platform where everyone can become a part of an ever-growing network of global innovation and change! A note from our Editor-In-Chief, Dr. Gina Cherkowski

How did STEM Education Today come to life? As a Social Justice STEM Educator and Innovator, I am on a mission to ensure all students have access to high quality STEM learning experiences so they are aptly prepared for our technology- driven, dynamic world. Parents, teachers and community members are seeking ideas, resources, and inspiration so that they too can join this empowering movement. STEM Education Today is helping to expand academic focus on STEM , STEAM, and Making and invites everyone to learn, share, and create.

“The

Dream is Everything!”

Elvis Stojko

by Krista Malden Canadian figure skater, performer, actor and inspiration! Elvis Stojko is a three-time men’s figure-skating World champion, two-time Olympic silver medalist and seven-time Canadian champion.

When asked the simple question - what do you do for a living - Elvis said “I put on a pair of figure skates and perform.” That’s it, plain and simple. But what goes into skating? And how has technology impacted training and performances? And how many times do you have to fall before you “land the winning jump”?

Elvis first began to like figure skating very early in his life, at around the age of 2 ½. His parents later put him into skating lessons when he was 4 years old and he fell even more in love with the sport. When we talk about figure skating’s progression, Elvis is known for making figure skating “cool” with back flips, high jumps, rock and roll and great costumes. “I love what I do and the people I work with,” said Elvis when asked

about Stars on Ice. He is currently getting ready to take the stage with the Stars on Ice Tour which begins in April 2018 and which will be in Calgary on May 12. Elvis performs anywhere from 80 to 100 shows per year, but he also presents seminars and is pursuing acting to hone his performance skills. “Skating used to be more popular and I used to do up to 180 shows a year,” explained Elvis. “This year will be a big year for figure skating

though, because it is an Olympic year.” Elvis is known for being the first man to land a quadruple jump in combination (quadruple toe-loop, double toe-loop) which he landed at the 1991 World Championships. He is also the first man to land a quadruple/triple jump combination (quadruple toe-loop, triple toe-loop) which he accomplished at the 1997 Grand Prix Final. He has also been inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2006, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Canadian Olympic

Hall of Fame in 2011 in recognition of his contributions to the sport of figure skating and Canadian sports in general. As we know, technology has had a great impact on all sports, in education and in everyday life. Elvis discussed his experience with training and technology and the enhancements that technology has made within the figure skating industry.

Recording and watching playbacks are a big part of every sport. When Elvis first started training, he would always watch himself skate via recordings and watch other performers skate to learn from his and their movements, mistakes and successes. Before we could record practices and performances on phones or digitally, large video cameras and a VHS machine had to be used. To slow the motion down and analyze that

move in slow motion took time and patience and did not always give a clear picture or set of pictures. “With VHS you had limitations - now there are no limitations,” said Elvis. “All you need is your tablet now. There are so many options for playback and there are programs designed for playback such as Dartfish.” Dartfish has built a patented, Emmy-winning development application to unleash the full potential of video analytics, used by many coaches, athletes, performers and health care workers, along with

teachers, students and researchers around the world. This technology is an important development for all sports, not just figure skating. “Being able to see how your body moves and how you landed a jump or why you fell is giving athletes and coaches a much better understanding of moves, the body, structure and the importance of position.” It’s giving athletes, coaches and judges a chance to re-evaluate how things are done on the ice and off the ice in

practices, performances and competitions. “I always record everything I do, from practicing skating moves to rehearsing a scene for an audition,” noted Elvis. Technology has made many things better, but there are still things that can always be improved upon. “Skates used to be handmade and durable,” said Elvis, “a pair of skates would last me a year; although they took longer to breakin, they lasted longer.”

Now skates are made with lighter material, and they only take a day or two to break-in instead of a month. “To compete in skates that are not broken in will deeply affect a skater’s performance,” said Elvis, so understanding the technological changes is important. “If a skate breaks that could end a competition for a skater,” Elvis further explained.

of just reading about it. Just like skating.” Elvis was asked once how many times he fell until he nailed the triple axel. “I fell down about 5,000 times before I landed it,” he answered. Instead of looking at it as falling 5,000 times, he looked at it as a learning opportunity. He learned 5,000 ways how not to jump. And he never gave up! Falling and failing are not negatives, they allow us to grow and learn and become the best. And Elvis is all about reaching the next level no matter how many times he falls, because he always gets back up again! Elvis takes pride in reaching his goals and is always looking for new goals and new ways to discover more about himself and grow in his abilities. Aside from his figure skating career, Elvis has had many other adventures, from winning first place in the Chinese Martial Arts Division at the WKA Canadian Championships in 2005 to racing karts in the Canadian Rotax DD2 Master Class and the SKUSA Mexico Series starting in 2011. Elvis is still enjoying being a professional skater, but he is also taking acting classes, auditioning and performing as an actor.

When asked what advice he would give to young people who are looking to reach their goals, Elvis responded, “you need to understand yourself first. Your strengths, your weaknesses, your passions and what drives you and how far you can push yourself. It’s all in the dream,” he continued to explain, “you need to dream to be able to accomplish your goals, but you still need to understand yourself first.” While school wasn’t one of Elvis favorite places to be, he navigated through school with history as his favorite subject. “I was the kid who couldn’t sit still,” Elvis explained, “everyone learns differently, and I am a hands-on learner. I do better when I physically get to do it, instead

“Skating allows the audience to feel the emotion; acting in films takes it to another dimension.” Elvis continued, “I love the process of the movies and love telling a story and I would like to be a part of helping people get lost in the movies.” Elvis looks forward to what’s next in his journey and can’t wait to see where life takes him and what he can accomplish.

“You need to dream to be able to accomplish your goals, but you still need to understand yourself first.”

Elvis Fun Facts: -

Elvis loves video games: His favorite video game is Ratchet and Clank

He loves competing in Motor Cross

Has played Billy Flynn in “Chicago” on stage to rave reviews

He has three dogs

Elvis with wife, figure skater Gladys Orozco

Lauren Benson

Meet : Researcher, Teacher, Runner and World Traveler

Get to know Lauren Benson: 1. Why do you like running?

Lauren Benson has taken her passions for running, science and research and combined them together to help prevent injuries in athletes through her work in sports injury research and innovation. Lauren is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Calgary where she works with two research groups: the Running Injury Clinic led by Dr. Reed Ferber, and the Sports Injury Prevention Research Centre led by Dr. Carolyn Emery. Lauren has a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry from Amherst College (2008), a Master’s Degree in Kinesiology (specialization: Biomechanics) from the University of WisconsinMilwaukee (2013) and a PhD in Health Sciences (specialization: Biomechanics) from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2016).

I like running because it is such an accessible form of exercise. It is a sport that can be done almost anywhere, with minimal equipment, and with any number of people at one time. I love how running enables me to explore a city, park or neighborhood. It is a great way to get to know a place, experience beautiful scenery or simply get outside. Also, I typically run with my wife, which provides an opportunity to have intentional conversations without the distraction of technology or other obligations. 2. Why did you decide to study chemistry and biomechanics? Ever since I was little, I have had an interest in science “or as my parents would tell you, I would constantly be asking them “Why?”. Some great chemistry professors and teachers - including my mom - inspired my studies in chemistry throughout high school and college. The more time I spent studying chemistry, the more I was interested in its application to real-world problems. This led to internships and research projects involving prospective medications for malaria and cancer. I brought this desire to explore real-world science applications to my first post-undergraduate job as a high school chemistry teacher, always trying to show my students how the chemistry concepts we were studying showed

up in everyday life. Along with being a chemistry teacher, I was also coaching field hockey and track and field. Coaching enabled me to stay connected with another one of my passions: sports. But coaching by saying things like “run faster” or “hit the ball harder” didn’t work so well, and I quickly found that there was a whole field of biomechanics where sports and science came together. So, I went to graduate school to learn biomechanics, and my current work involves quantifying the real-world movement patterns of athletes using wearable sensors.

3. What do you study in each research group? I started my Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Running Injury Clinic, where we monitor runners as they train for a marathon or half marathon. Our goal is to identify when they exhibit running patterns that suggest they are at risk for injury. While I am continuing my involvement with the Running Injury Clinic, I have recently joined the Sports Injury Prevention Research Centre. Our goal in the Sports Injury Prevention Research Centre is to identify factors that contribute to injury in youth sports such as basketball and ice hockey.

4. How have you used technology and science to impact the way you study, run and do research? The primary goal of my research is to prevent sports-related injuries. From a biomechanics perspective, this is done by analyzing someone’s movement pattern and identifying movement patterns that indicate a risk for injury. There is special equipment used in biomechanics that allows researchers like me to get very precise measurements of exactly how someone is moving. However, traditionally, this expensive equipment could only be used within a biomechanics lab, and most people don’t play sports inside of a biomechanics lab. My work, therefore, involves using wearable sensors to track movement during sports in real-world settings. The goal is still the same - identify when someone is moving in a way that might indicate a risk for injury - but I am looking at their movement in their natural environment. For example, we have tracked the movement of runners during all of their training runs throughout a marathon training program. I even tracked myself, and it has been interesting to see how my movement pattern changes in different running conditions or during the course of a marathon race. 5. What are wearables? Wearable technology refers to ( usually small) sensors that are worn somewhere on the body and record information about the body. My research involves a specific type of wearable device called an inertial measurement unit, which simply quantifies motion. From the signal that the sensor produces, I use machine learning techniques to identify distinct movement patterns for an individual. I can observe how that pattern changes over time or I can compare that individual’s movement pattern to other people with similar or different movement patterns.

6. What findings/results have you found using the sensors?

7. Once you identify a problem - what is the next step in the injury prevention process?

Wearable sensors provide a signal that represents movement. My job is to find relevant patterns in that signal. For example, running is a cyclical movement, and runners generate a similar pattern with every step. However, I can use machine learning to identify small changes in that running pattern. These changes could be due to a number of factors including running on soft or hard surfaces, going up or down hills, running in a fatigued state, or changes in mechanics due to injury.

Knowledge translation from the lab to the real-world is an important component of the research process and is a big reason why I chose this particular field. There is a direct application of my research to the real-world problem of sports injuries. Many people already use wearable sensors on a daily basis to track things like the number of steps they take in a day. My research shows that these sensors can provide so much more information, and the goal is to get more advanced metrics to be a part of athletesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; daily lives, so we can reduce the risk of injury. My colleagues and I recently applied for a patent that would facilitate this. Hopefully advances in wearable technology will allow this to become a reality in the near future.

While my main focus has been on runners, I have also used wearables in other populations. In graduate school I used wearable sensors to look at the risk of falling among older adults and stroke survivors. Recently, I have been involved in some projects with ice hockey and basketball, but I am just starting out in these sports. The beauty of working with wearable technology is that it can be applied in many situations.

8. What do you do once this research is done? Given the many potential applications of wearable technology in human movement, I think there will always be more research questions to answer about how to make our movements safe and effective.

9. What is your next goal in your career? My goal is to contribute to the development of technology that is used by all kinds of athletes for injury prevention. When people are uninjured they avoid degenerative diseases like osteoarthritis and remain active and healthy. I hope my work can enable others to lead healthy lifestyles. FUN FACTS: •

Favorite color is Red

•

Favorite food is Chocolate Ice Cream

•

In 2010 Lauren did a round the world trip with her brother and sister

•

Likes even numbers

•

Hiking is one of her favorite activities

•

At various points in her life she wanted to be an author or a lawyer

•

She has been to 49 of the 50 states in the USA (and can say the names of all 50 from memory in less than 30 seconds)

•

She has been to 29 countries

•

She has run 21 marathons (with several more planned for 2018)

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“It Takes a Digital Village to Raise a Child in the 21st Century” Robert Martellacci

Robert Martellacci: Passionate lifelong learner, Founder of MindShare Learning and Founder and CEO of C21 Canada. By Krista Malden C21 Canada (Canadians for 21st Century Learning and Technology) is a national, notfor-profit organization that advocates for 21st Century models in learning and education. Formed in 2011, C21 Canada and its members support and enhance learning in the foundation areas of literacy, numeracy and science while infusing 21st Century skills such as critical thinking, creative problem-solving and global citizenship.

Robert Martellacci strives to make a positive difference and to be at the leading edge of education. Through coaching, inspiring and counselling Martellacci is working to foster the success of educators and students across Canada. MindShare Learning Technology is Canada’s leading EdTech strategy consulting, news, and professional learning events company. Its hallmark is providing strategic solutions to learning and technology providers in the K-12, higher ed and lifelong learning space, to support student success, growth and creativity.

Robert explains that “I’ve always been a passionate lifelong learner. I was intrigued by technology back in the 90’s when we first got on the internet at York University where I served as an administrator.” Robert was given the opportunity to launch Kevin O’Leary’s Learning Company School Division. “This was an amazing three-year journey,” he said. “After we were sold to Mattel, I was inspired to launch MindShare Learning Technology to follow my passion in supporting and nurturing innovation in education to support student success.”

He is also still very involved with York University as an alumnus. This year will mark the 30th year that he has played on the faculty hockey team. When asked why he is still involved with the York University community and scholarships fund, Robert responded: “It takes a digital village to raise a child in the 21st Century. I was grateful for the opportunity that York University gave me, both as a student and employee. I see it as a mutually beneficial partnership and lifelong journey. A mutual mentorship of sorts. To give back and provide opportunities for others to do the same felt like the right thing to do.” Robert likes to say that “it’s never been a more exciting time to be in education.” Across Canada, educators, students and parents are all faced with burgeoning technologies, the growth and enhancement of opportunities for how those technologies are being used and particularly, how they are impacting education and the ways we teach, parent and learn. “The promise of tech-infused learning to engage students and

accelerate learning is powerful,” Robert further explains. “Learning environments are evolving where teachers are facilitators and students are taking ownership of their learning. We still have a long way to go as we still for the most part have pockets of innovation.” Success in our ever-changing world requires us to be ever-learning. Robert believes that “Lifelong learning is a mindset that is critical to embrace in order to adapt in the era of the global knowledge-based economy to prepare students for jobs that don’t currently exist.” Robert Martellacci inspires us every day as he helps personally mentor and educate through MindShare Learning’s offerings of resources, podcasts, and other educational supports: “I encourage parents to support their children in discovering their passion by exposing them to extracurricular activities such as the arts and sports that provide great character building opportunities in order to become resilient digitally aware global citizens.” The advice that captures the essence of Robert Martelacci’s life passion is “until next time, keep the learning curve steep!” FUN FACTS: - Robert played Minor Hockey against Wayne Gretzky - He coached Hockey for 15 years (both girls and boys) - He received the IPN Global Partnership award in Oslo, Norway in 2016 He has been immersed in launching Canada’s first mall located coworking innovation space: The MindShare Workspace.

Imagine students exploring worlds; finding passion and purpose; inspiring each other; reaching beyond Imagine teachers energized, equipped, empowered; working together; learning along with their students; sharing what ifâ&#x20AC;Ś and wowâ&#x20AC;Ś!

Competencies for learning and leading

Imagine parents participating with confidence; enriching and being enriched by what the family is learning Imagine leaders inspiring possibilities and sharing insights; modelling, supporting and scaling

Creativity & innovation

New ideas and bold possibilities

Critical thinking

Fresh insights and durable solutions

Collaboration

Partnerships that work

Communication

Making sense and expanding perspectives

Character

Reaching higher and growing stronger

Culture & ethical citizenship Sharing what we value

Computer & digital technologies Transforming how we learn and lead

Imagine a new generation... Explore the 7Cs at C21canada.org

OUR GOALS Increase the percentage of high school girls planning to pursue STEM careers Increase the percentage of young women pursuing undergraduate degrees in STEM fields Increase the percentage of women staying and advancing in STEM careers

ÂŠ Million Women Mentors For more information email millionwomen@stemlearninglab.com

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY 2018 The world joined together on March 8th to celebrate women, women’s accomplishments, and the movement to encourage our girls and young women to believe in and embrace their dreams with confidence and strength. In some places in the world, International Women’s Day is a day of protest; in others, it is a day of recognition and celebration. Million Women Mentors Canada took the stage along with STEM Learning Lab at West Island College in Calgary, Alberta to share inspiring personal stories to a large group of interested parents and their children. The goal of this event was to inform parents, teachers, community members, corporate partners and students about the importance of engaging girls in STEM and to provide information as to how all can access information and resources regarding STEM and STEAM education. Attendees also participated in fun and engaging STEM and STEAM activities.

Watch for Million Women Mentors Canada’s next “Bring A Girl To STEM” Day taking place on April 7, 2018.

For more information, please use this link: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/bring-a-girl-tostem-day-tickets-44228969037?aff=es2 Million Women Mentors USA brought together leaders from around the world to virtually convene and to share insights and best-practices for moving more women into leadership roles within STEM careers. Reflecting on the importance of International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, women executives and professionals from QBE Insurance, Boeing, Catalyst, Inc., Ford Motor Company, and S&P Global discussed initiatives

within their organizations that are changing the conversation for women in leadership positions. The success of the Million Women Mentors movement was also celebrated, as MWM has also exceeded its goal of providing one million Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) mentoring relationships to girls and women, helping them to choose, persist and succeed in STEM programs and careers.

STEPHEN HAWKING “Science is not only a disciple of reason but, also, one of romance and passion.” - Stephen Hawking Thank you for all the knowledge you shared with the world. You will be forever remembered and will forever inspire generations to come… 8 January 1942 – 14 March 2018

STEAM COMPETITION

MARCH 20, 2018 hosted by RUNDLE COLLEGE Elementary School

With 15 schools competing, the second annual STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) Competition held by Rundle College Elementary was a huge success! How the STEAM Competition got started: “I was really thinking about what kind of a fun competition we could do in our new building that could potentially involve many schools from around Calgary. I was in a room with Ashley Donahue at the time and the idea of a STEAM competition came to me, knowing her passion around it and I just thought that would be a very fun and a different type of competition. It combines collaboration, problem solving, communication and creating with the thrill of timed competition while bringing many schools together. What could be more fun for kids this age?” Andrea Friesen, Rundle College Elementary School.

Schools from across Calgary and surrounding areas joined together for this great competition. Participating Schools: • Rundle College Elementary • Clear Water Academy • Calgary French and International School • Delta West Academy • Strathcona Tweedsmuir • St. Martha’s School • Wildwood School • Eric Harvie School • Renert School • Rundle Academy • Calgary Girls School • River Valley School • Millarville Community School • Heloise Lorimer School • Kathryn School

Here are the instructions the teams followed: The Challenge Problem of the Competition In this competition, the students will be given materials, but they will be missing a key component, called “the Wrench” – by taking away one of the elements of the design package (a material, a tool, a design criteria), this increases the challenge to the participants as they have to be more creative in their solutions. The teams are provided with a problem, material, challenge, criteria (including the “Wrench”)

and constraints, along with some “Think About” notes to stimulate creativity. Coaches are allowed to help the students prepare for the competition but once the competition starts, coaches are required to step aside and watch from the sidelines as each team completes the Challenge. The Challenge: “A Helping Arm” Problem: Prosthetic devices have helped restore functionality in humans for over three thousand years who suffer from diseases requiring amputation or from limbs lost in battle or through accidents.

The goal of a prosthetic is to help a person perform ordinary, day-to-day activities. Decades ago, losing a limb would have posed an unfathomable number of challenges for people who had to deal with this situation. But as the years have passed, the invention and development of prosthetics has opened the door to a new world of possibilities for amputees. Technology in prosthetics has improved to the point where some amputees can do everything they did before they lost the limb that the prosthetic helps replace.

Challenge: In this challenge, you and your group will design and could instruct an arm extender to help lift a load. Criteria • Your extender must be at least 100 cm long. • Your structure must be able to extend, pick up, lift and hold a load weighing 3lbs. • Groups must be able to explain within 2 minutes:

• Why they chose the materials they used.

Materials

• The reasoning behind their device’s design.

4 newspaper pages 2 paper towel rolls 10 large paper clips 4 brown paper bags 2 large binder clips 3 clothespins 10 popsicle sticks 2 PVC pipes (30cm in length and 1inch diameter) 6 pipe cleaners 1 strip of duct tape (200cm) 1 strip of masking tape (200cm) Zip ties 1 roll of tin foil 1 plastic hanger 5 sheets of white paper (8 ½” x 11”) 1 spool of kitchen string Cardboard (variety sizes) 5 straws 6 rubber bands 3 paper plates 2 latex gloves 1 glue stick 3 sheets construction paper 3 Solo Drinking Cups Nails & screws (variety pack)

• Reasons behind changes due to the “wrench”. • The extender must only be operated by one student, using only one hand/arm to control the structure. • Students will be required to provide a “blueprint/design” of their structure at the start of the competition (students will be given 15 minutes to complete this at the start of the competition). Constraints • You will not be aware of the actual load you will be lifting, just the weight of 3lbs. • You will only have 45 minutes to build your extender. • You must hold a load for a minimum of 10 seconds off the ground. • You may only use the materials and tools provided from the list below. • Your teacher/coach is not allowed to provide any assistance or advice on the day of the competition. They are there for moral support. • The “Wrench” - you are only allowed to use one of the PVC pipes on the material list, as originally there were two provided.

Tools (tools may not be used as part of the extender) Scissors X-acto knife Pliers Hot glue gun (5 glue sticks available per team) Screwdriver (Phillips & slotted) Meter stick Stapler Hammer Protective eyewear Gloves

Think About It • What are some situations where having a longer reach might be handy? • A prosthesis consists of a number of different parts. There’s the prosthetic limb itself, the socket (the connection or “interface” between the prosthetic limb and the patient’s body), the attachment mechanism, and the control system. • What are some things (qualities/characteristics) all holding devices have in common? TIP: A lever is a rigid bar that pivots, or turns, around a fulcrum. In these devices, the fulcrum is the point around which the two arms swivel. The teams are judged by a panel of guest judges. The judges have a list of criteria each team needs to meet which include: team communication and collaboration, creativity, the team explanation and blueprint of their design and how well they can describe and answer questions about their design, how long the load is held off the ground by the arm, how they adjusted to the “wrench” and last but not least RISK TAKING. The teams are judged on the willingness to take chances and view failures as an opportunity to learn and improve.

“It was so exciting to watch all the students working together to create innovative arm extenders. Each team approached the challenge differently and it was fun to see all the results as we tested their final designs. Seeing students so engaged in learning makes all the planning and work worth it. We are looking forward to next year’s competition already!” Andrea Friesen The winning team of the 2018 STEAM Competition is Wildwood School’s STEAM Team. Congratulations to the Wildwood School STEAM Team: Austin Bell, Josh Back, Jack Manson, Liam Doyle and Coaches: Jon Manson, Tracy Bell and Darren Toews. STEM Education Today congratulates all those who planned, coached and took part in this competition!

Meet Stacey

Waldal;

Million Women Mentor

BSc in Natural Sciences concentrations in Chemistry & Physics, University of Calgary BSc Chemical Engineering, University of Calgary; Stacey is also a Professional Engineer (PEng) and holds the Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate & Designation. With her extensive background in the STEM fields as well as a passion to give back to her community, Stacey has joined the STEM Learning Lab Team to volunteer with Million Women Mentors Canada. A little Q & A with Stacey

Why do you want to empower girls and women? Studies show that high female literacy is correlated to a country’s high standard of living. António Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, states that societies where women can read, write and do math as efficiently as their male counterparts will be healthier, happier, more prosperous and have more stable populations. I have lived a life with so many privileges by virtue of being born into a loving and supportive family, with all basic necessities covered, with Canada as my homeland and with all of its rights and freedoms, was able to obtain education including University, and with so many countless other advantages that I am sure I take for granted. It’s simple- I want to make the most of these privileges to empower girls and women and to do my part in contributing to a better world.

Why do you think it’s important to encourage young girls to go into STEM fields?

It’s important to encourage young girls to go into STEM fields because there are many factors that may have them opt out (for example, lack of mentors/role models, lack of confidence, systemic bias, etc.) or not even consider themselves able to pursue STEM and there is a huge prize to be won. Studies show that if we advance gender equality, we can add $12 trillion to global growth by 2025 (“The Power of Parity”, McKinsey Global Institute) and 9 million new jobs in the USA alone are estimated to be in STEM fields by 2022 (“STEM 101: Intro to Tomorrow’s Jobs”, US Bureau of Labour Statistics). Additionally, females are currently underrepresented in STEM workplaces thus the importance to sustain and increase the number entering the field. Encouragement helps ensure girls’ confidence in their abilities and

contributes to their resilience when faced with challenges getting to their goals.

Who inspired you? And why? I have many mentors in my life who inspire me every day. Each person offers a different vantage point, a new perspective and no two paths are ever the same. But I always answer this question with: my mom. She is a chemist and growing up learning about her work inspired me to pursue STEM, and she ensured that I never questioned my ability to belong as a scientist simply due to my gender. Thanks to both my mom and my dad, I grew up believing anything was possible. My mom honestly does not take any days for granted and encourages everyone to do the same … even on Mondays.

What do you think is an important message to tell young girls/women about the STEM fields? STEM is so diverse in its possibilities. Even if you don’t love math or biology or chemistry, there is definitely something within STEM that you will love. And you can excel at it. Never stop asking questions as you explore what you want to do – that inherently makes you a scientist! The future has always been in STEM and your ability to achieve all your life’s dreams can be found in these fields. Don’t stop yourself at the first roadblock! And if you found your passion in STEM already, mentor others who aren’t as sure. By talking about your passion to others it will help you through the challenges and obstacles you, as everyone will, face.

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