Across the University, 不良研究所 graduate students are busy exploring some of the most complex scientific questions the universe has to offer. A growing number of them, though, aren鈥檛 content with having those discussions restricted to their lecture halls or labs. They are sharing their passion for science with a broader public 鈥� whether through a podcast or over a pint in a pub.
Take Rackeb Tesfaye, MSc鈥�17, for instance. The doctoral student in neuroscience founded , a podcast driven by a desire to increase the representation of marginalized communities in science by providing them a platform to share their stories and lived experiences.
Broad Science has its roots in 2015 when Tesfaye (then doing a master鈥檚 in psychiatry) and a friend in her program began discussing the underrepresentation of women and visible minorities in science media. When Tesfaye began volunteering for CKUT, 不良研究所鈥檚 community radio station, it provided her with the inspiration and production skills necessary to make her vision a reality.
The Broad Science team has partnered with Confabulation, a storytelling collective, for some successful live events at the Phi Centre that focused on first-hand accounts of unusual or creative experiences with science. The podcast has dealt with issues ranging from the use of direct-to-consumer DNA tests to the prevalence of sexual harassment in academia.
鈥淲e know that in society, we have constructed a stereotype of who is capable or allowed to participate in science,鈥� Tesfaye explains. She mentions studies in which children, when asked to draw a scientist, default to Caucasian men in white coats, holding test tubes in a lab.
Tesfaye recognizes the importance of early exposure to science to combat long-held societal perceptions. The Broad Science team hosts science communication workshops where young people can learn about less traditional careers in STEM, pick up some radio production skills, and conduct interviews with actual scientists.
鈥淭he hope is that we can alert communities of low socioeconomic backgrounds, with diverse backgrounds, to the fact that there are people with all different backgrounds in science. And we have to start talking about them.鈥�
Lisa Dang, BSc鈥�16, a doctoral student in physics, is involved in a few science outreach initiatives at 不良研究所. Since 2016, she鈥檚 helped organize the 不良研究所 Physics Hackathon, an event that aims to provide physics students with hands-on programming experience.
鈥淢ost physics students won鈥檛 necessarily want to go to a hackathon, because they feel they鈥檙e competing against people who are much better at coding than them,鈥� says Dang. 鈥淲e wanted to provide a space that would allow them to gain that confidence.鈥�
Dang has also been an active board member of , the public outreach arm of the 不良研究所 Space Institute. The group has been working to educate the public about what鈥檚 going on in the sky above them since its debut a few years ago. One of the organization鈥檚 most popular initiatives is its Public Astro Nights, during which members of the 不良研究所 community and the general public are invited to attend lectures by experts (often from 不良研究所) in the field of astrophysics.
Accessibility is a priority for Dang and the team of fellow graduate students and volunteers who organize the events; the talks are free of charge, and the subject matter is presented in a straightforward, easily digestible manner. Speakers typically stick around to chat: 鈥淥ver the years, a lot of people have begun to stay after, to talk with the speaker and have a bit of a deeper understanding of the talk,鈥� she says.
Weather permitting, the lectures are followed by a trip outside to put Astro不良研究所鈥檚 telescopes to use and catch a glimpse of the night sky.
Down on the ground, doctoral student Marianne Falardeau-C么t茅鈥檚 research in the Department of Natural Resource Sciences has its focus on the Arctic Ocean and the way in which changes to its marine ecosystems impact the people that depend upon them. For the past five years, her work has brought her into close contact with the community of Cambridge Bay in Nunavut, where the majority of the population is Inuit.
Through surveys, community focus groups, and interviews, Falardeau-C么t茅 combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to better understand how the marine ecosystem is changing, how it may affect coastal communities now and into the future, and how to act upon these changes.
鈥淚'm really trying to understand the main community concerns about the marine ecosystem changing, asking people all the different benefits they think they get from the marine ecosystem.鈥�
Through her work, Falardeau-C么t茅 learned how the relationships of Inuit to the ocean and the land are so closely intertwined with their culture and identity. She has led participatory activities where she invited Inuit community members to explore how to be actively involved in maintaining healthy marine ecosystems, culture and well-being in the future. To that end, she has also led science camps and workshops with youth, both in Nunavut and Quebec, to try and kick start an early interest in the natural world.
鈥淲ith the younger ones, I always finish with the more interactive parts, and encourage them to think about what they can do for the future.鈥�
She recently made , a short film about her team鈥檚 work, that is available on YouTube. An enthusiastic proponent of science (she worked as a science journalist for the student newspaper during her undergraduate studies at Universit茅 Laval), Falardeau-C么t茅 is frequently interviewed by the media about her work. She was recently selected by Qu茅bec Science for a special podcast series about women who work in science and technology.
As the director of the Canadian chapter of Pint of Science, Alexandra Gell茅, a doctoral student in chemistry, is also committed to promoting the importance of university-based research.
Pint of Science was born in the U.K. in 2012 in an effort to bring the public together with researchers in a non-intimidating way. The organization鈥檚 work comes together in the form of its annual festival, a three-day, global event in which attendees gather in pubs, bars and caf茅s to listen to researchers in diverse fields, from astronomy to zoology, discuss their work in an open, accessible environment.
Montreal is just one of nearly 300 cities worldwide that takes part in the festival. Gell茅鈥檚 own involvement in the group began when she was on a student exchange at the University of Wollongong, in Australia. When she was given the opportunity to take on more responsibility upon her return to Montreal, she says, 鈥淚 just jumped at the chance, because I loved the idea. I was just in awe of what they were doing.鈥�
Now, as the head of Canadian operations, Gell茅 has helped to nearly double the organization鈥檚 reach across the country, with cities from Nanaimo to St. John鈥檚 participating, and 300 individual speakers involved. Quebec will play a big role in this year, with events planned for Chicoutimi, Montr茅al, Qu茅bec City, Sherbrooke and Trois-Rivi猫res. Pint of Science will take place from May 20 to May 22.
Gell茅 and the rest of the Pint of Science team are not alone in noticing a marked increase in community participation in science. If there鈥檚 a commonality to all of these diverse outreach initiatives, it鈥檚 that people in both local and international spheres seem eager to learn about science.
This embrace of science education is evidenced by the growth of Astro不良研究所: Dang says that attendance of their Public Astro Nights has risen from 10 regular guests to hundreds in the short time it鈥檚 been active. Tesfaye has been pleasantly surprised about the reception of Broad Science鈥檚 mission, both near and far: 鈥淎lthough Montreal is our hub, there are people in India, Japan and Australia listening to our podcast. That, to me, is mind-blowing.鈥�
The science outreach efforts of Tesfaye, Dang, Falardeau-C么t茅 and Gell茅 were all recently recognized during this year鈥檚 . You can find out about some of 不良研究所 science outreach offerings here.