Building Excellence in Students
in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM)
A national network of out-of-school-time programs supporting Black, Indigenous, and LatinX students for pathways into STEM programs and professions.
We will create a national network of out-of-school-time (OST) programs that support and prepare Black, Indigenous and LatinX elementary and secondary level students for pathways into postsecondary science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and professions. This will be done through exchange of expertise, materials, training and personnel. Black, Indigenous and LatinX STEM outreach programs across Canada face a shortage of qualified scientists and staff that represent these communities; our project will alleviate this shortage by providing intensive training and materials to staff at outreach sites across Canada.
Our project has been designed by a consortium of experts in outreach programming at:
Dr. Pemberton Cyrus, Industrial Engineering Professor, President of Imhotep’s Legacy Academy
Dr. Juliet Daniel, Biology Professor and Associate Dean Research & External Relations, and co-lead of Mac-ISTEP STEM outreach for Black youth
Dr. Jennifer Adams, Canada Research Chair in Creativity and STEM
Anthonia Ogundele, Director of Ethós Labs
Our designs are based on the 21-year experience of Imhotep’s Legacy Academy in delivering successful STEM programs for Black secondary students in Nova Scotia. ILA's programs have contributed to significant enrollment increases in STEM programs at Dalhousie University over the 2010-2020 period. Program development and revision will be done by Black, Indigenous and LatinX senior university students or recent graduates, under the supervision of Black, Indigenous and LatinX university professors.
Dalhousie University, Halifax
(McMaster Black Youth IMHOTEP STEM Enrichment Program)
McMaster University, Hamilton
University of Calgary, Calgary
Vancouver
One-off hands-on STEM presentations at schools, which will be used to recruit Black, Indigenous and LatinX students to our weekly and summer programs. The presentations have two objectives:
Weekly out-of-school-time hands-on STEM programs at schools, community centers and online. These are designed to engage students in STEM continuously over the school year, and across years from grades 6 to 9.
Specialized two-week summer camps will be held to attract grade 10 & 11 students in areas that are experiencing the lowest uptake of Black, Indigenous and LatinX students: physics and engineering.
A national conference to share the experience of all the sites and disseminate the best practices to others who may wish to create similar programs.
BESTSTEM Activities Ignite a Passion for STEM Excellence!
Black, Indigenous and Latinx students have statistically been participating in STEM education at a lower rate than the Canadian population. A recent study by Dr. Carl James, Professor at York University and Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora, has shown that, for example, third generation Black immigrants perform significantly worse than the first or second generations.
In a presentation at the iBET Conference in November 2023, D’Andre Wilson-Ihejirika shows that the largest percentage of Black graduates from Canadian engineering programs are international students. The numbers taper off as the generation status increases and none of the graduates are 3rd generation Canadian. This implies that we are not doing enough to encourage Black students born and raised in Canada to pursue engineering.
In reference to graduation timelines, a 2021 report from the Peel District School Board showed that Latinx and Latin American students, as well as Black and Indigenous students, were two to five times less likely to graduate within five years, when compared with the average Peel student.
In a 2022 report, Dr Shanti Morell-Hart proposes that more needs to be done to highlight Latin America in university teaching.
Multiple reports speak to the need to support Indigenous students in their post-secondary studies.
The project is expected to redress the effects of racism by immersing students in culturally rich STEM programming. A successful project will encourage other organizations to replicate the ILA program model at sites across Canada, multiplying the positive effects of our programs, and increasing the number of Indigenous, Black and LatinX Canadian students in STEM (especially those born and educated in Canada).
The Government of Canada has announced nearly $1.1 million in funding for three Black-led and Black-focused organizations in Nova Scotia, including Imhotep’s Legacy Academy (ILA) at Dalhousie University. The ILA will receive a substantial funding injection of $829,570 over three years. The academy will use the funding to support its project, Canada-Wide Out of School Time Experiential STEM Activities for Underrepresented Youth, which aims to establish a national network of extracurricular programs for Black, Indigenous or Latin youth that focuses on STEM, confidence building and personal development. This investment is part of the government’s efforts to combat anti-Black racism and discrimination, promote equality and empower Black Canadians.
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