Canada risks falling behind in the global skills race, report warns
July 30, 2012
Canada is in danger of losing ground in the global economy unless educators and governments convince more young people to pursue science-related careers, a new report suggests.
The report, “Competing in the 21st century skills race”, says that Canada faces a growing shortage of workers with university degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in large part because relatively few Canadian high school graduates choose to enrol in such programs.
The report cites a 2010 survey of Canadians aged 16 to 18, only 37 per cent of whom expressed an interest in taking even one science course at the post-secondary level.
“Our research indicates that Canadian students recognize the need for more people to study science, but that a majority of them are not themselves attracted to such programs or careers,” the authors say.
The report’s authors are Graham Orpwood, professor emeritus of education at York University in Toronto, Bonnie Schmidt, president and founder of Let’s Talk Science, a national not-for-profit organization, and Hu Jun, associate professor at the China National Institute for Educational Sciences in Beijing.
The authors acknowledge that Canada’s education system has many strengths. Literacy and numeracy rates are relatively high by international standards, and enrolment in university and college programs is also high.
Canada performs poorly, however, in international comparisons of student participation in university-level science, engineering and math programs. And Canada is near the bottom of the pack among industrialized countries when it comes to the overall number of PhD graduates per 100,000 people.
The report notes that India, China and other fast-growing Asian economies are putting a special emphasis on educating large numbers of highly qualified graduates in science-related fields, in particular engineering. In China, for example, more than one in three newly granted university degrees are in engineering disciplines. In Canada, the comparable rate is only one in 10.
“As we consider how best to strengthen Canada’s educational system, it is essential that we pay close attention to what other countries are doing to address their own needs for highly skilled labour,” the report says.
Today’s paper is the sixth in a series of reports commissioned by the Canadian Council of Chief Executives (CCCE) to explore the impact on Canada of Asia’s rapid economic development. The views expressed in the paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the CCCE or its members.
The CCCE is the senior voice of Canada’s business community, representing 150 chief executives and leading entrepreneurs in all sectors and regions of the country. Its members lead companies that collectively administer $4.5 trillion in assets, employ more than 1.4 million men and women and are responsible for most of Canada’s private-sector exports, investment and training.
In September, the CCCE will host “Canada in the Pacific Century,” a conference bringing together more than 200 top CEOs, senior government officials, educators and other leaders from across Canadian society. The goal of the conference is to consider strategies that will ensure Canada’s success in a world in which economic power is shifting to Asia.
Founding Chair of Let’s Talk Science honoured with City of London Lifetime Achievement Award
July 12, 2012
On June 26, Mitch Baran, Founding Chair of Let's Talk Science, and President and CEO of Trudell Medical Group, was honoured with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the City of London. At a ceremony held at City Hall, Mayor Fontana and council members paid tribute to Baran and recognized his philanthropy and efforts to stimulate London's economy. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his significant contributions to the city and his impact on the development of the community. 
Let's Talk Science President and Founder, Bonnie Schmidt, fully supported Baran's nomination for the award and members of Let's Talk Science were on-site at the ceremony.
Baran was the Founding Chair of Let's Talk Science and one of the first financial supporters of the organization. In the early 1990's, Baran became concerned about Canada's record in science education. He met with Bonnie Schmidt in 1998 and helped her incorporate the science outreach organization. Since the beginning, Baran has acted as a mentor to Schmidt and continues to assist the organization as a current board member. Trudell Medical has financially supported Let's Talk Science for over 10 years.
Originally from Brantford, Baran went to Western University where he earned his degree in business. After purchasing Trudell, a small, family-owned distributing firm, Baran evolved the company into Trudell Medical. The company has now been in operation for over 90 years.
Three additional events added to McMaster Outreach site leads to Coordinator of the Year
Students in the Hamilton area have three new large-scale events thanks to the efforts of Megan Dodd, Let's Talk Science Outreach Coordinator at McMaster University.
Over the past two years as co-coordinator at the McMaster site, Megan has implemented three new events: a Rock and Mineral show with 12 new activities that she designed, a family science night, and a Science in the Media day. This year's 2nd Annual Science in the Media day saw the number of students attending double. While implementing these successful events, Megan also improved the infrastructure of the outreach site. She started a site newsletter, had weekly office hours, and conducted a personalized follow-up after each volunteer's outreach activity.
For all of Megan's hard work and dedication to science outreach, she was awarded the Let's Talk Science Coordinator of the Year Award for 2012. The annual National Site Coordinator Award recognizes an outstanding Site Coordinator who is passionate about science and science outreach and is committed to strengthening and developing his/her site locally, while thinking nationally. The recipient demonstrates excellent communication, administrative and volunteer management skills, while being a positive role model to volunteers and youth.
"I know there are a lot of coordinators who have really developed some unique and impactful initiatives, so I was truly honoured to receive the award," said Megan.
Megan began volunteering with Let's Talk Science in 2008. After two years as a volunteer, she took on a coordinator role at the McMaster University site.
"I thought there was a real need to provide youth with the opportunity to learn more about science through hands-on experience, and to hear directly from people who were conducting research themselves," said Megan. "It was an experience I wish I had more of when I was younger."
As a coordinator, Megan enjoyed the variety of responsibilities that came with the job while learning lessons along the way.
"Students at all levels are capable of understanding and retaining what we might perceive to be "high level" concepts, and detailed information on all aspects of science if it is presented to them in the right way," said Megan. "My experience with being a Let's Talk Science coordinator has opened my mind to what is possible with science education in Ontario. I think the incorporation of more hands-on science can really help to reinforce science concepts. After all, most of science research is hands-on and I think that should be mirrored in our education."
As outgoing Coordinator of the McMaster Let's Talk Science Outreach site, Megan is looking to finish her PhD in Biomedical Engineering at the end of this year. In the future, she still intends to share her love of science.
"At this point, I am searching for a career that would allow me to stay involved with biomedical research while pursuing my passion for science outreach and science literacy."
Joan Francolini recognizes Let’s Talk Science at Western University's Spring Convocation
On June 18th, Joan Francolini, past Let's Talk Science board member and one of the first supporters of Let’s Talk Science’s mission, discussed the history of Let’s Talk Science with a group of graduating Western students from the Faculty of Health Sciences, Brescia University College, Huron University College, and the School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Using Let’s Talk Science President, Bonnie Schmidt as an example, she urges graduates to reach out beyond their personal and professional lives by striving to make a difference in their communities.
“Life education, the act of embracing community life, that surrounds family and work, it’s not a duty; it’s a step in the fullness of life,” she states.
Listen to Francolini discuss Let's Talk Science's history below. To view the full video, please visit Western University’s youtube page at www.youtube.com/user/WesternUniversity.
University of Ottawa student receives Let’s Talk Science National Volunteer Award
Gabriel Potvin, Let’s Talk Science Outreach volunteer and PhD student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Ottawa, is 2012’s Let’s Talk Science National Volunteer Award winner.
The Let’s Talk Science National Volunteer Award recognizes an outstanding volunteer who is passionate about science, committed to enhancing science education through effective communication, innovation in approach and activities, and is a positive role model for children and teens.
For the past three years, Potvin has volunteered with the Let’s Talk Science Outreach program at the University of Ottawa. He began volunteering with Let’s Talk Science at the beginning of his graduate studies. Potvin enjoys the opportunity to share his enthusiasm and love of science with younger students. With a fascination of science and an enjoyment of public speaking, Potvin found that volunteering with Let’s Talk Science gave him a way to combine his passions.
“Back when I was in elementary and high school I would have loved to have scientists visit our classes to give presentations and discuss their research,” said Potvin. “Given that I am now in a position to do just that I’ve seized the opportunity to contribute. I do, of course, have a lot fun every time I visit a classroom.”
Potvin’s enthusiasm for science learning has made him a worthy candidate for the National Volunteer Award. As a graduate student, Potvin has had the opportunity to host small groups of students in his laboratory to discuss his work in more detail and execute activities based on these students’ interests.
“These visits are rewarding for the students, reinforce their interest, and they return to their schools ambassadors for science as they enthusiastically share their experience with their peers,” said Potvin. “I find these visits extremely rewarding as I get to share my passion for my own research and really get the opportunity to interact with students that may pursue studies in a similar field.”
Potvin is one of over 3,000 Let’s Talk Science Outreach volunteers at 36 Outreach sites across the country. He was humbled to receive the National Volunteer Award.
“It is a tremendous honour not only to receive this award, but also to be part of [Let’s Talk Science], especially given that I know from first-hand experiences how many amazing, dedicated, and equally deserving volunteers are involved in this organization,” said Potvin.
On his plans for the future, Potvin will be the new Let’s Talk Science Coordinator at the University of Ottawa next year and hopes to eventually “pursue an academic career as, I enjoy both teaching and active scientific research.”
