From the Nominator

The Travelling STEM program, launched by the University of Waterloo's Faculty of Engineering Outreach in July 2023, is a community-outreach initiative aimed at Indigenous youth in Ontario. This program is a strategic initiative designed to address the Indigenous population's underrepresentation in higher education and STEM areas. Funded in part by the Ontario government and in partnership with Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, the program seeks to inspire interest in STEM fields among Indigenous students from kindergarten to grade 11. During its pilot phase, the program visited 11 Indigenous communities, conducting 17 workshops and engaging with 276 students. By bringing workshops directly to Indigenous communities, the program seeks to bridge the accessibility gap in STEM learning. This aligns with the faculty's broader goals to decolonize the campus, support the principles of the Truth and Reconciliation Report, and foster inclusivity and diversity in education. The program not only introduces Indigenous students to STEM but also integrates cultural respect and understanding, contributing to a more inclusive and equitable educational environment. Spanning July to September 2023, engineering students, led by an Indigenous engineering PhD candidate, obtained permission from Indigenous communities to design culturally appropriate STEM activities and offer them free to students. The objective is not to recruit students for Waterloo Engineering but instead to encourage them to pursue STEM activities. However, we are undertaking longitudinal tracking to see if Travelling STEM does lead to more Indigenous students choosing engineering at Waterloo.

From the Judges

This important initiative spoke to a real need in the community and was a smart and savvy use of existing resources. We appreciated how much they met the communities where they were both physically and fundamentally, incorporating Indigenous culture into their lessons. The metrics of this project speak to the impact they have had in this region, and the foundations for STEM education have been expanded and solidified.