Paul Dufour

Of Dinosaurs, Slime Moulds and YouTube

By Paul Dufour

You would be mistaken in thinking that this is a commentary on current political discourse, or a screed about technophiles afflicted with CPA (Continuous Partial Attention). Rather, as we turn the corner on the new year, a reflection about our next generation and their keen interest in science and fast emerging technical knowledge is perhaps more germane. This new cool culture of knowledge is what my kids, grand daughters and their peers are now experiencing — but in a very different environment from that which we faced several decades ago.

To be sure, these days we see a litany of data that would indicate a decline of interest in some fields of science and engineering by students and school children, especially among Western developed nations. At a recent conference I attended in Washington, DC the event was devoted to assessing data on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education system with associated concerns about whether America can still compete with the rise of growing competition from the East.

Respected global rankings of students show that Canadian kids do very well in math and science education. In the latest OECD survey of science ability among 15-year olds, Canadian students rank third (one should note that girls do as well as boys). And we certainly are producing a lot of skilled talent with all of the recent research funding that has gone into our universities.

We also have a population that is interested in science and finds it important to invest in. But rather counter-intuitively, a recent comparative study from Norway suggests that there is an inverse correlation between interest in science and overall support for science and technology. In short, the greater S&T-driven is the economy, the more there is an apparent lack of interest in S&T studies and careers among youth.

wealth of programs

Before we start scratching our heads or wringing our hands over this, it is worth considering that there are positive and practical things happening out there led by dynamic and passionate champions. Science outreach organizations such as Let's Talk Science, Actua, Youth Science Foundation, Shad Valley and Science Pour Tous demonstrate tremendous initiative in designing new, flexible incentives for our young people keen on science and civic duty. The annual Canada-Wide Science Fair bringing in school students from all across the country will be taking place next May in Ottawa to celebrate its 46th anniversary.

Our granting councils and other federal and provincial organizations are also active in this arena, with such experiments as the women in science and engineering chairs (with NSERC and private sector partners), the Synapse youth connection program of CIHR and the Geee! in Genome exhibits of Genome Canada with the Museum of Nature and other partners.

The science centres and museums across this country are mobilizing themselves to ensure they can keep up with the new ways of stimulating the science and entrepreneurial cultures and will host a major international gathering this June in Toronto. In celebrating the current International Polar Year, experiments and expeditions such as Students on Board with ArcticNet and Students on Ice are showing how we can energize young people about the culture, environment and health dimensions of our indigenous populations, as well as becoming polar research ambassadors of the future.

We have an annual National Science & Technology Week, National Biotechnology Week and the Prime Minister's Awards for Teaching Excellence have been re-launched. More talent in science and entrepreneurship is a key element of the federal S&T Strategy which calls for encouraging young people to become interested in studying science and help stimulate a culture of science, technology and, not to mention better coordination of efforts to lever greater impact. Ontario, Quebec, Alberta and BC are examples of just some provinces that have turned their attention to the need to engage our young people in the new currency of ingenuity and S&T. And Nobel Prize winner Carl Weiman, attracted from the US to the University of British Columbia, is working to improve the teaching of science in schools.

Private sector initiatives — such as the recent $12-million donation by the Gates Foundation to University of Waterloo for enhanced youth outreach efforts in math and computer science, the Manning Innovation Awards supported by EnCana and other players, and the L'Oréal– UNESCO fellowships for women in science — are all positive signals of growing interest in the next generation and the application and use of science and technology for everyday life.

At the end of the day, however, the critical issue will be to focus on ensuring that our citizens are well prepared for the "post-scientific world". As Chris Hill argues in his paper, The Post-Scientific Society (Issues in Science and Technology, Fall 2007) more attention must be paid to science and engineering graduates.

science council advice still relevant

But there must also be a focus on having our citizens prepared for global workforce opportunities and skill sets that will have them engage in key areas, including business acumen, international languages, networking skills and team work. Indeed, the Science Council of Canada, in its landmark 1984 study, Science for Every Student, offered five key areas for why any society should care about dinosaurs and slime moulds. The Council argued that studying science (in its widest definition) is important to:

* develop citizens able to participate fully in the political and social choices facing a technological society;

* train those with a special interest in science and technology fields for further study;

* provide an appropriate preparation for the modern work world; and

* stimulate intellectual and moral growth to help students develop into rational autonomous individuals.

These remain with us today as guideposts for the future. We can certainly build on the synergies offered by this wealth of activity to mobilize science and entrepreneurial assets for the demands of our next generation. Perhaps then we can unselfishly and collectively answer that decades-old query about what has posterity ever done for me?

Paul Dufour is with the International Development Research Centre on secondment to the Office of the National Science Advisor. The views expressed are his own.