Announcing the 2021 National Let’s Talk Science Award Finalists

Over her time as a senior coordinator at the University of Ottawa, Amaal has advocated for youth in Black and Indigenous communities by helping transform the landscape of STEM to be more inclusive. She has taken an active role on the national Let’s Talk Science EDI coordinator committee as well as started a project with the goal of supporting Black youth in local high schools by encouraging them to pursue a career in STEM.

As a site coordinator at McGill University, Lintao has put a strong focus on reaching underserved youth in communities that otherwise might not have access to the same opportunities. His understanding of the importance of building and developing strong relationships with others has helped form new partnerships at his site, such as with the Quebec homeschool network over the past year.

In her leadership role among the coordinator team at the University of British Columbia, Sarah has worked to establish environments that encourage and support learning, mentorship, representation and inclusivity. She has led multiple initiatives to ensure long-term success at her site with a focus on EDI, continuity, financial sustainability and strong relationships with both her team and key partners of her site.

Aleen has demonstrated the ability to empower other volunteers with her strong leadership skills as a volunteer at Ryerson University. This year, she has used her expertise in leading virtual programs and her understanding of the importance of coding to help transition various Computer Literacy classroom activities to an engaging virtual format.

Claire has shown outstanding passion, professionalism and commitment as a team leader at the University of Ottawa this year. In working with others on new initiatives and activities, such as on a new bioinformatics symposium, she continually provides the tools for others to succeed and creates more enriching materials for others at her site.

Emily has used her remarkable teaching ability as a volunteer at the University of Moncton to serve as a role model and help students leave their comfort zones by using her own experience pursuing post-secondary education in her second language. She shows an eagerness and excitement to volunteer for new opportunities and inspires others at her site to volunteer.

Kevin has developed a variety of new and innovative virtual activities this year as part of Western University’s kit development volunteer committee. His student-centred approach to working in the classroom allows him to reach students of all abilities and to encourage independent discovery in hopes of pursuing a future in a STEM field.

Linda has focused on reaching students of all different backgrounds in her assistant coordinator role at the University of Manitoba. She demonstrates considerable empathy and a strong willingness to learn through her development of workshops focusing on Indigenous Sciences and her planning and delivery of a myriad of outreach activities in French.

The Let’s Talk Science Aboriginal Mentorship Program at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University has mentored an average of 30 high school Indigenous youth from the Algonquins of Pikwàkanagàn First Nation and the Mohawk Nation at Akwesasne communities to develop a science, research or design fair project each year for the past ten years. Volunteer mentors serve as science role models to students and help them see that science is both fun and a possible post-secondary option for them.

As part of a partnership between Let's Talk Science at Lakehead Orillia and the Education Department of the Beausoleil First Nation, 26 teacher candidates/Let's Talk Science volunteers carried out an intensive program of science outreach for the seven classes that make up the Christian Island Elementary School. Teams of volunteers provided live outreach, pre-recorded activity videos and other resources for each of these classes to engage students in science at a critical time.