Denise Amyot

Towards a stronger public dialogue on science

By Denise Amyot

Canadian scientists and researchers have made important discoveries and innovations that are well known to the public — insulin, Imax, the Canadarm and the Blackberry, to name a few. Why, then, are so few young Canadians choosing to study science at the college or university level? What would it take to engage youth so that they see science as a viable and meaningful career option? How do we create a science culture in Canada that will, in turn, lead to new discoveries and innovations, and wealth for our country?

A survey of young Canadians' attitudes towards science was released this year by Ipsos-Reid for the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and yielded some curious results. Canadian youth, ranging from 12 to 18 years of age were surveyed and 78% of respondents considered it important to have an understanding of science. In a 2006 study performed by the Programme for International Student Assessment, only Hong Kong and Finland scored higher than Canada in science tests administered to 15 year olds.

These results suggest that a significant percentage of Canadian students are keen scientists-in-the-making. However, only 12% of young Canadians could answer six or more questions correctly on a nine-question science test. Fully 53% of high school students interviewed indicated that they had no interest whatsoever in a science career. And lastly, Canada currently ranks a poor 24th out of 35 nations in the percentage of students graduating from university in the sciences.

How are we, as scientists, educators, science museum and science centre staff, and policy makers, to interpret these findings? What causes this disjuncture between what appears to be a high general interest in science, and a low selection rate of science as a career? The answer does not only rest in the classroom. The CFI survey observed that parents and peers have a defining influence over a student's interest and success in the sciences. These surveys highlight the extent to which our nation under-appreciates the importance of science to our economy, policy decisions, and future stability. This has to change to make the acts of inquiry and discovery meaningful again for young people.

Additional funding to the sciences is one of the more obvious solutions. Canada is first among G7 nations and second among OECD members in providing public-sector financial support (relative to economy) for R&D at the university level, but in most cases that's too late to influence prospective students. Despite making increased public awareness about the value of investing in scientific research a high priority through the federal government Science and Technology Strategy and its funding agencies, the survey on youth and science does not provide any significant insight of any change in the public's attitude toward science.

On a broader scale, low public scientific literacy sometimes leads to a rejection or resistance to scientifically-provable facts. The health, environment, energy and food sectors supply daily examples of marketplace and policy battlegrounds where science-based evidence does not always prevail. Why are there such significant obstacles in having science penetrate the public mind?

The European Commission Joint Research Center and the American Association for the Advancement of Science have released an interesting paper calling on scientists and policy-makers for more integrity, openness, clarity and public engagement. The paper stirred debates — some called for scientists to engage in a public relations exercise to gain public support, others advised that the science community should be more attentive to what the public has to say about science instead of delivering a straight forward public education campaign based on a top-down academic teaching model. Scientists need to be trained to engage with the public and this is an area where museums and science centres can help.

The Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation engages the public in a unique way in Canada. With our three museums — the Canada Science and Technology Museum, Canada Aviation and Space Museum, and Canada Agriculture Museum — we are the nation's only national organization with the dual mandate of preserving our science, technology and innovation heritage through our world-renowned collection of S&T artifacts, and engaging the public in understanding science. We reach over eight million Canadians annually online and on site. We see, in the microcosms of our museums, children and youth exploring our real-space and virtual exhibits, participating in our programs, becoming interested, engaged and invested. Other sciences centres and educational institutions and organizations across the country do as well. However, this is not enough.

As our Corporation reviewed its national mandate last year, we held cross-country consultations to assess the needs for science education. We found that efforts to engage the public about science are scattered, isolated, uncoordinated and underfunded.

I believe that we need to shift our collective thinking on how science is promoted to Canadians. I see the need for a more active national dialogue on science beyond sharing information about research, or explaining how it will benefit us. We need an open and respectful dialogue between the experts and the citizens, the converted and the agnostics — a dialogue that spans the nation and involves universities, schools, science centres and museums, governments, businesses, community groups and individuals.

To change our collective thinking about science, more resources will need to be directed to this dialogue. But most importantly, it will require stronger collaborations and coordination between institutions nation-wide. Using emerging digital technologies and social media applications, the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation is committed to playing a leadership role in this area.

As members of the science community, we are responsible for ensuring that Canadians recognize not only the great achievements of our scientists, but seeing how science-based evidence should inform our everyday lives. I believe that the same curiosity and joy of discovery experienced by young Canadians visiting our science museums can be shared by all Canadians. I believe that this can then be turned into an active commitment to make Canada a country where scientific discovery and innovation shape our identity as Canadians, and contribute to the health of our economy and to the vibrancy of our nation.

Denise Amyot is president & CEO, Canada Science and Technology Museums Corp.