Thinking Outside the Box
STAN 2024 • Virtual Conference • February 27-29, 2024
Join us in February 2024 for three days of
professional development and networking opportunities.
This year’s STAN Conference theme, Thinking Outside the Box, will invite participants to challenge the status quo. We will consider questions such as: What practices need to change in order to center equity and sustainability? What beliefs do we need to revisit to keep up with the changing face of education? How can we harness technology to drive innovation and radical change in a resource-constrained sector?
We invite you to join us at the 2024 Science & Technology Awareness Network (STAN) Annual Conference, which will be held primarily virtually. We hope to welcome over 150 delegates from across the country. The three-day Conference will include a mix of invited and member-proposed sessions, engaging and interactive sessions, panels, and keynote speakers. Opportunities to network with your Canadian peers will be offered throughout the program. STAN’s Annual General Meeting will be built into the proceedings.
Program Information
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Sustaining Canada's Economic Growth: A critical need to foster STEM equity
February 27, 2024 at 11am Eastern Standard Time
It is critical, for Canada’s economic development and global competitiveness, that inequities in STEM are addressed, as a diverse and inclusive STEM sector can unlock the full potential of Canada’s labour force. Inclusive STEM practices also enhance problem-solving and innovation by leveraging diverse perspectives and knowledge. By focusing on key systemic issues including pay equity, IDEAS in STEM, childcare/parental leave/flex work, education, and leadership and GBV, Canada can lead the way in creating an equitable and sustainable STEM future.
Dr. Poh Tan (she/her)
SCWIST Past President
Dr. Melanie Ratnam (she/her)
SCWIST President
*Schedule displayed in Eastern Time
February 27, 2024
11:00-11:30: Welcome and Land Acknowledgement : Meet Your Fellow STAN Members
STAN
11:30-12:45: Session #1 Sustaining Canada's Economic Growth: A critical need to foster STEM equity
Presented by Dr. Poh Tan & Melanie Ratman (SCWIST)
Followed by open networking
13:30-14:00: Annual General Meeting
STAN
14:00-15:15: Session #2 It looks like you're trying to use AI. Can I help?
Presented by Andy Forest (Steamlabs) & Melissa Valdez (Zafin / Enterprise Quantum)
15:15-16:00: Session #3 Networking with your Peers
Presented by STAN
February 28, 2024
11:00-11:30: Check-in | Coffee & Open Chat
11:30-12:45: Session #4 Leading Change in the SETT Workplace
Presented by Carrie Vos
Followed by open networking
13:30-14:30 Session #5 Advancing the E in STEM
Presented by Rebecca White (Engineers of Tomorrow), Kim Bouffard (Engineers Canada)
14:45-16:00 Session #6 STEM Equity Community of Practice - a collective impact approach for more diversity in STEM
Presented by Catherine Paisley (Ontario Science Centre), Dr. Julia Lalande (Ontario Science Centre), Sandra Corbeil (Ingenium)
February 29, 2024
11:00-11:30: Check-in | Coffee & Open Chat
11:30-12:45: Session #7 Shaping a Greener Tomorrow Through Creative Approaches to Sustainability Education
Presented by Alexandra Gellé (Climate Change Advisory Committee), Aloïs Gallet, (EcoNova Education), Constantin Kozlow (Climate Fresk) & Amanda Stanger (Relay)
Followed by open networking
13:30-14:30: Session #8 Data Visualization
Presented by Sadish D, Curtis Collier (Red Meat Games)
Followed by open networking
15:00-16:00: Session #9 Finding your Seat at the Table - Improving equity in STEM through outreach
Presented by Rebecca McCullough (WWEST), Alina Perrault (Indigenous Women in Tech), Jarman Ley (SuperNOVA at Dalhousie University), Jo-Anne Coggan (BIG Little Science Centre)
Followed by open networking
Agents of Change
in a New Era
STAN 2023 • Virtual Conference • February 14-16, 2023
This year’s STAN Conference theme, Agents of Change in a New Era, will be an opportunity to consider how our industry and work has evolved over the past few years. It will highlight the shifts we have experienced in our practices to reflect on how these changes affect the way we work and how we can embrace the change to build new ways forward. We will focus on breaking down barriers, new ways of thinking, and how to support youth and our future work.
We invite you to join us at the 2023 Science & Technology Awareness Network (STAN) Annual Conference, which will be held primarily virtually. We hope to welcome over 150 delegates from across the country. The three-day Conference will include a mix of invited and member-proposed sessions, engaging and interactive sessions, panels, and keynote speakers. Opportunities to network with your Canadian peers will be offered throughout the program. STAN’s Annual General Meeting will be built into the proceedings.
Program Information
*Schedule displayed in Eastern Time
February 14, 2023
10:30-11:00: Welcome and Land Acknowledgement : Meet Your Fellow STAN Members
STAN
11:00-12:00: Building Confidence in Youth through STEM
ACTUA
Followed by open networking
13:00-13:30: Annual General Meeting
STAN
13:30-15:00: BIPOC in STEM spaces - How do we build a more inclusive space for us?
WISEST
15:00-15:45: KEYNOTE: The critical role of science literacy and effective communication in our “Anthropocene” world, John P. Smol, OC, PhD, FRSC, FRS
President, Academy of Science, Royal Society of Canada
February 15, 2023
10:30-11:00: Check-in | Coffee & Open Chat
11:00-12:15: New Opportunities from New Tech
Panel
Followed by open networking
13:00-14:00 Decentering Dominant Narratives and Practices in Science Education: A reflective and collaborative journey
Simon Fraser University
14:00-14:45 Networking with Peers
February 16, 2023
10:30-11:00: Check-in | Coffee & Open Chat
11:00-12:15: Paddling together: Open conversation about the spectrum of science communication as a series of streams
Fuse Consulting
Followed by open networking
13:00-14:15: Aligning Indigenous Voices and STEM
ACTUA
Followed by open networking
A Future For Everyone
STAN 2022 • Virtual Conference • February 22-24, 2022
We invite you to join us at the 2022 Science & Technology Awareness Network (STAN) Annual Conference, which will be held primarily virtually. The three-day Conference will include a mix of invited and member-proposed sessions, engaging and interactive sessions, panels, and keynote speakers. Opportunities to network with your Canadian peers will be offered throughout the program.
This year’s STAN Conference, A Future For Everyone, will be an opportunity to network and to reflect, imagine, and build together. The goals of the Conference are to build relationships with our peers, imagine future possibilities for our common work, and reflect on the impacts of our work on systemic issues. We hope to promote awareness so conversations stay alive.
Program Information
*Schedule displayed in Eastern Time
February 22, 2022
10:30-12:00: Welcome and Networking: Meet Your Fellow STAN Members
STAN
12:30-12:50: Annual General Meeting
STAN
13:00-14:00: Hiring for Merit, Hiring for Diversity - Keynote
Deepak Kashyap, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Professional
Followed by open networking
February 23, 2022
10:30: Check-in | Coffee & Open Chat
11:00-12:00: Beyond Science Literacy - Exploring Science Capital
Janette Bulkan, Associate Professor, Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia
Deanna Burgart, P.Eng, CET is a Cree-Dene-Irish Senior Instructor and Teaching Chair in the Schulich School of Engineering
Sandra Corbeil, Director, Strategic Partnerships and Networks, Canada's Museums of Science and Innovation
Leroy Clarke, President and Executive Director of e-CAMP MENTORing
Dr. Wanja Gitari, Associate Professor of science education, University of Toronto
Followed by open networking
13:00-14:30 BIPOC in STEM spaces - How do we build a more inclusive space for us?
Helen Yip, Outreach Coordinator, WISEST, University of Alberta
Angela Mamudu, Process operations personnel, Research and Development
Samiha Sajida, Health Systems Researcher and Policy Analyst at Alberta Health Services
Followed by open networking
February 24, 2022
10:30: Check-in | Coffee & Open Chat
11:00-12:15: Digital Science Communication: Background, Barriers and Battleplan
Helen Yip, Outreach Coordinator, WISEST, University of Alberta
Followed by open networking
13:00-14:15 Innovative Methods to build and improve science literacy in youth and adults
Krishana Sankar, Science Advisor, ScienceUpFirst
Anthony Morgan, Founder of Science Everywhere, science communicator, experience designer, PhD researcher
Ainsley Latour, scientist, author, educator and researcher, co-founder of IDEA-STEM
Jon Farrow, Manager of Communications & Social Media, ScienceUpFirst
Followed by open networking
Thank you to our sponsors and partners
Supported nationally by
STAN 2021: #STANdTogether
Virtual Conference • February 23-25, 2021
The Science and Technology Awareness Network held its first fully virtual Conference! Our delegates met online
to network and recharge. We tried to adopt a lens of hope and collaboration, in an effort to highlight the resiliency of our members in the face of the adversity we were facing through the Covid-19 pandemic.
We discussed our community's spirit of perseverance and adaptability in the face of a global shift. We dove into topics such as improving all lives through STEAM, adapting to virtual-based business models in STEM and education, and best platforms and tools to use when working from home, among others.
2020 Sparking Curiosity
The 2020 Conference was focused on the future of STEAM, and how to engage youth and the public in science through outreach. Our two-day event was held in Calgary, AB, on February 26 and 27, 2020 at TELUS Spark. With a focus on networking opportunities, we also hosted seminars, panel discussions, and breakout sessions. The majority of our sessions were populated via a Call for Proposals that went out in October 2019. This proved to be an excellent model for planning Conference, and STAN aims to continue this way in the future.
2019 Full STEAM for Sustainability
Science literacy in support of sustainable development
Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa ON
March 28 & 29, 2019
The Science and Technology Awareness Network hosted a conference built around Canada’s role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out by the United Nations.
“The Sustainable Development Goals are a call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet.” — United Nations
Answers to many of the challenges we are facing across the globe, including environmental protection, health, education, and social equity may lie in the sciences. Therefore, STAN designed this Conference program for STEAM professionals, specifically through this lens. We explored the research and outreach Canadians being undertaken in support of studying and caring for our planet, giving our delegates the tools needed to align their work with the SDGs and promote greater public science literacy.
For the morning of March 29, STAN organised three optional cultural visits in the Ottawa region, giving STAN members unique behind-the-scenes access to the Diefenbunker: Canada’s Cold War Museum, the Canadian Museum of Nature's Natural Heritage Campus (archives), or the Hydro Generating Station 2 on Victoria Island.
This conference was supported nationally by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.
AND
Was presented under the patronage of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO
Building Bridge & Connecting Communities | STAN 2018
On April 11, 2018, 75 STAN delegates convened in beautiful Vancouver, BC at Science World at TELUS World of Science, to discuss the future of STEAM across Canada. The Conference followed a successful, blended model developed by STAN in recent years including keynote speakers, panel discussions and unconference sessions. STAN members engaged in conversations and presentations focused on the power of collaboration, the future of STEM learning, accessibility and inclusivity.
This was STAN’s first time hosting a conference outside of Ontario, and our membership benefited from outreach to new organisations and professionals. We also partnered with the Science Writers and Communicators of Canada (SWCC) to host a joint Bridge Day between our respective conference schedule for delegates of both annual, national events on April 12. Groups of delegates took part in excursions to TRIUMF, the Centre for Drug Research and Development, and the Department of Fisheries and Oceans as well as behind the scenes tours of TELUS World of Science. The Bridge Day culminated in an evening event, presented by SWCC, featuring PowerPoint Karaoke, Curiosity Collider and Science Slam and serves as the kick off for the SWCC’s multi-day conference.
STAN is grateful for NSERC support of its 2018 Conference.
STEM 150: Looking Ahead
STAN 2017
The 2017 STAN Conference welcomed more than 100 participants at the Ontario Science Centre.
The conference committee adopted a hybrid approach and included traditional sessions and ‘unconference’ sessions.
Derek Phillips, Engineering Director at Google helped launch the day. Watch the video below to hear how he engaged the network in a discussion of leadership in STEM and how we can shape the future of STEM. You’ll see how he emphasizes that collaboration is key, and that we have no excuse; it’s simply no longer effective or okay not to collaborate. Derek shared the four attributes he believes will make people successful, attributes of the next STEM Leader: Curiosity, Flexibility, Empathy and Passion.
❛You can no longer pretend that the only experts are the ones sitting in the same room as you.❜
Panel: STEM Learning in a technology and digital filled future
Moderated by Tracy Ross, see how panelists Tomi Poutanen, Melissa Sariffodeen and Sara Diamond share their thoughts on what the future holds in this new era and the skills needed to succeeds.
❛Diverse perspectives from different sectors and societies can help drive and influence STEM, whether it be by the integration of digital media, design, arts or indigenous culture.❜
Our unconference sessions were a favourite of many participants but were not recorded.
Panel: Driving national impact through networking and partnerships
Panelists shared examples of initiatives and how networking and partnerships were critical to these efforts. Jesse Hildebrand spoke of Science Literacy Week, Bonnie Schmidt shared the Canada 2067 project while Judy Paron spoke of Science Odyssey.
❛Partners can help expand your network to mobilize a larger community.❜
The day wrapped up with our final keynote by Brandy Callahan who shared her thoughts on setting women up for success in neuroscience and psychology from the current status, to challenges and what needs to be done to optimize potential for the future. Brandy shared how, historically speaking, these are fields dominated by men. While junior positions are widely held by women, ore senior level positions are held by men --women abandon science before they are promoted. Why is this?
Brandy shares insight on funding gaps, struggles with prestige, power and authorship positions and the cyclical influences of these. She also shares thoughts on “imposter phenomenon” and what can be done to improve these situations including offering support, speaking up, addressing issues, and promoting honest dialogue.
❛Imposter phenomenon: An intense feeling of professional inadequacy, regardless of objective measures of success.❜
STAN is grateful for NSERC support of its 2017 Conference.
STAN 2014
