Engineering Diversity: Evaluating Effective Outreach
Virtual summit November 21st, 2024
Register for free using the green “Register” button above.
Featured Speakers
Dr. Agnes d’Entremont, P.Eng
Dr. Agnes d’Entremont, P.Eng., is an Associate Professor of Teaching in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Associate Dean pro tem, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion for the Faculty of Applied Science at UBC. Her work focuses on student learning and curriculum development in mechanical engineering. She teaches courses in mechanics (including biomechanics), statistics, and experimental design, and teaches Arts and Commerce students about engineering. Her research focuses on student decision-making around entering engineering and/or particular disciplines, the impacts of STEM outreach initiatives, open educational practices and student usage of open homework systems, and, more generally, equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) issues in engineering education and the broader engineering profession.
Questions (and a few answers) about assessing the impact of STEM outreach
STEM outreach programs, such as summer science and engineering camps, are widely used to address the underrepresentation of women, girls, and other marginalized groups in engineering. Outreach goals are typically to create a welcoming space where children and youth can learn and get excited about STEM topics, and, ultimately, to influence them to enter engineering.
However, determining exactly what leads a young outreach participant to enter engineering school, often years later, is an enormously complex and understudied problem. There are also questions of access (are we reaching those who could most benefit?), construct (what specific measurable changes lead to an engineering trajectory? are they the same for all groups?), and paradigm (should we try to change girls to fit into STEM culture, or try to change STEM culture to meet girls where they are?).
In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing research program, including a systematic review of existing methodological approaches to evaluating STEM outreach with marginalized populations, as well as results from our early studies with children, youth, and parents/caregivers in a large urban STEM outreach program
Dr. Daniel Munro
Dr. Daniel Munro is Director of Research & Innovation at Actua and Co-Director of Shift Insights, a research shop that examines the social, technological and economic challenges and opportunities
facing Canada. Dan has been an analyst, researcher, advisor and writer on innovation, ethics and public policy at the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, the Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship, the Conference Board of Canada, and the Council of Canadian Academies. He has taught political science, philosophy and innovation studies at the University of Toronto, Western University, the University of Ottawa, and Queen’s University, was co-host of the Ethics Lab radio show on NewsTalk1310 and Maclean’s Magazine’s Ethics Lab columnist. Dan’s research interests span innovation, education, applied ethics, risk and uncertainty, JAWS and the Apollo 8 mission. He holds degrees from the University of Toronto (BA), Western University (MA) and M.I.T. (PhD).
Measuring and Communicating the Effectiveness of STEM Outreach
“You can observe a lot by watching!” – Yogi Berra
In this session, Actua’s Director of Research & Innovation, Dan Munro, will share insights on how Actua approaches the measurement and communication of the impact of STEM outreach programs. He will discuss how the methodologies we choose and the ways we communicate impact depend on the audience(s) we need to engage; the aims, structure, stage, and content of outreach programs; characteristics and capacities of youth participants; and the broader context in which programs are delivered – while ensuring that evaluation is ethically sound and practically possible. Drawing on examples of Actua’s evaluation work, Dan will share thoughts about what seems to work, what doesn’t, and what else we can try in measuring and communicating the success of STEM outreach programs.
Allison Van
Allison Van is the Executive Director of Spark: a centre for social research innovation at McMaster University. She specializes in mixed-methods complex systems analysis,
community/academic partnerships, and the translation of research into social change. Her career has traversed sectors and disciplines, including extensive work in agricultural and rural development, poverty, child welfare and juvenile justice, social entrepreneurship, and medical innovation. Uniting these experiences was a common approach to applied research and experimentation, allowing Allison to transform radically different systems and organizations. Previously, she was the Associate Director of Evaluation at the North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute at University of North Carolina. Prior to that she worked at Winrock International, Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the National Rural Funders Collaborative.
Using Numerical Measures and Narrative Detail to Create Data Storytelling
Ms. Van will discuss some of the ways to understand the subjective experiences of different participants in programs and partnerships, and how to think about combining specific, numerical measures with more narrative detail to both expand the level of insight into how effective the program was for different groups under different circumstances, and to tell a more compelling story to the general public, policymakers and the partners themselves. We will also discuss some of the myriad ways of visualizing qualitative data to enhance data storytelling.
Maria Klawe’s Biography
Hilary Bergsieker is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Waterloo, where she directs the Diversity and Intergroup Relations Lab. She joined the faculty at Waterloo after completing her bachelors degree in Psychology at Stanford and a Fulbright Enterprise Scholarship in Berlin, Germany, followed by her Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Policy at Princeton. Dr. Bergsieker has expertise in trust formation and maintenance in diverse groups, social network analysis, and bias reduction, and was named a Rising Star by the Association for Psychological Science in 2017. She is a Fellow of the Engendering Success in STEM research consortium, collaborating with industry partners to use science-based interventions to advance the inclusion and success of women in engineering. When not pursuing her passion for research, Hilary also loves to spend time with her husband and three little boys, hike, camp, ski, watch spy movies, craft, and travel.
Associate Director of Engineering Outreach at the University of Toronto, Dawn Britton is a leader in STEM education in Canada. Britton, who has worked at U of T for 15 years and in the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering for 10 years, devotes herself to various outreach efforts, including the Da Vinci Engineering Enrichment Program (DEEP) Summer Academy, Jr. DEEP, Go Eng Girl and In-School Workshops. Encouraging diverse representation in the field of engineering, Britton dedicates herself to inclusive STEM programming, growing specialty programs such as Girls Jr. Deep – an all girls day camp focused on females in engineering – and ENGage – a collaboration between U of T’s Chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering. Managing the core K-12 STEM programming, Britton’s mission is to ensure that there are no barriers to young people thinking that they can be successful in engineering. In doing so, she ultimately seeks to get youth to think about engineering as a design process, preparing them for a world of complex social issues that requires the creativity fostered by STEM education.
For more than three decades, Valerie Davidson has been an exceptional citizen within the engineering community and a dedicated champion of diversity in the profession. During her career, Dr. Davidson developed groundbreaking, fundamentals-based, engineering models of complex food processing systems. The first PhD graduate of the University of Toronto’s Canadian Food Engineering Research Program, she went on to serve as a professor at the University of Guelph’s School of Engineering from 1988 to 2012. Since retiring, she has been a consultant to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. A passionate advocate for creating a more inclusive profession, Dr. Davidson served as the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Ontario region Chair for Women in Science and Engineering from 2003 to 2011. Under her leadership, the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWiE) was launched, connecting all 16 engineering schools and faculties across Ontario.
Lukasz Golab is an Associate Professor at the University of Waterloo and a Canada Research Chair in Data Analytics for Sustainability. He holds a PhD in Computer Science from the University of Waterloo (with Alumni Gold Medal) and a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Toronto (with High Distinction). His research interests include data science for social good, large-scale data management, data mining, and data cleaning.
Cheryl Jensen joined Algonquin College in 2014 as the 8th College President, bringing with her more than 30 years of experience in the college system. Cheryl joined Algonquin from Mohawk College, where she held the position of Vice President, Academic, from 2009-2014. She first joined Mohawk as a Chemical Engineering Technology professor in 1983 and served as Dean, Executive Dean, and Vice President of Engineering Technology, Apprenticeship & Corporate Training.
Cassandra has been working on social justice and public engagement for 20 years on a diversity of campaigns and issues. Cassandra is the Interim Manager of Diversity and Outreach at Engineers Canada where she leads work on increasing the number of women in engineering, as well as improving Indigenous People’s access to the engineering profession in Canada. Previously, Cassandra worked as the Public Engagement Coordinator for the Ontario Council for International Cooperation, creating spaces for multi-stakeholder dialogue and creative collaboration through a variety of programming. Cassandra completed a Master of Arts in Cultural Analysis and Social Theory from Wilfrid Laurier University on transnational Muslim feminist mobilizations, and a Bachelor of Environment and Resource Studies (Honours) from the University of Waterloo. Her training and volunteer work in LGBTQ+ advocacy, environmental campaigns, and anti-oppression have continued to motivate and educate her ongoing work in diversity and inclusion.
Rebecca White is living proof of the life-changing potential of STEM youth outreach. As a diligent student who worked hard to get good grades, and enjoyed math and science, she had no idea how that could translate into a career. Like most kids, the careers she considered were those she was exposed to on a regular basis — teacher, doctor, nurse, dentist. Thanks to the success of Jurassic Park at the time, archaeologist was a leading contender for a while! However, starting in grade 3, Becky attended “Science Quest” engineering kids camp at Queen’s University in her hometown of Kingston. After spending time with engineering student counselors, exploring the campus and everything that the world of engineering had to offer, she fell in love and came back year after year. She attended Queen’s University and studied chemical engineering, then embarked on a 15 year career in manufacturing, presiding over the production of pharmaceuticals and food products. She held various roles including Production Co-ordinator, Production Manager, and Senior Continuous Improvement Specialist. Today, as the head of Engineers of Tomorrow, she reflects on her own engineering career and her own impact in helping people get the food and medicine they needed. She unlocks the potential of all STEM grads and engineers to become ambassadors for their own professions and industries, and to talk about their own ‘why’ with the skill, clarity, and heart that will inspire the next generation. Her own engineering outreach experience has come full circle — and she’s proud to show her own kids about the wonders of engineering to keep the cycle going!
Diana Wang-Martin is a chemistry teacher, STEM Teacher Advisor and International Baccalaureate Middle Years Program Coordinator at Glenforest Secondary School in Mississauga. Diana is a strong proponent of STEM Education and “Four Cs” learning. She partners with educators from elementary to post-secondary levels and with community leaders to design and implement opportunities for students to build their Four Cs skills. Under her supervision and guidance, Glenforest STEM students organize and host STEM outreach events such as science, health, technology and coding symposiums, as well as large-scale Canada-Wide Youth STEM Conferences for secondary and middle school students. She is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Awards for Teaching Excellence 2017 and 2018.
Lindsay Bolan is Manager, Strategic Recruitment & Enrollment with McMaster University’s Faculty of Engineering. Lindsay has worked in student recruitment and admissions for 13 years at three different Canadian universities. Lindsay has published research covering topics on marketing in Ontario universities, as well as the student experience of those in integrated college-university programs. At McMaster, Lindsay has implemented data-driven strategic recruitment initiatives with specific goals to increase the number of female students in Engineering. From customized emails to print materials highlighting the diversity of our student body, Lindsay’s team works with a marketing lens to ensure that female students receive clear and compelling communication throughout the applicant cycle.
Mary Wells is an award-winning engineer, professor and administrator who has spent more than 20 years in academia. She is currently the Dean at the University of Guelph’s College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Prior to this, Mary was the Associate Dean of Outreach and a professor in mechanical and mechatronics engineering at the University of Waterloo. She also chaired the Ontario Network of Women in Engineering (ONWiE) from 2013-2018. Mary’s outreach activities earned have earned her both the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada Award for Science Promotion, and the prestigious Support of Women in the Engineering Profession Award from Engineers Canada. A past president of the Metallurgy and Materials Society of the Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum, Mary holds a B.Eng. from McGill University and a PhD from UBC.