An innovative UBC summer research program for Indigenous youth has received federal funding through the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s (NSERC) PromoScience program.
The seed2STEM program, created by the International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries (ICORD), invites Indigenous youth in grades 9-12 in B.C. to participate in six-week paid summer internships in research labs on either the UBC Okanagan or UBC Vancouver campus.
ICORD colleagues Dr. Cornelia Laule and Cheryl Niamath co-founded the program, which provides students opportunities to help in labs, contribute to short-term research projects, and take part in weekly learning modules and field trips.
The PromoScience program supports science promotion and outreach programs that aim to engage and inspire young Canadians to develop their skills and curiosity through science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). UBC is leading two of the forty projects being funded in the latest round of grants.
The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, who was Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry at the time of the announcement, shared the results as part of the Government of Canada’s investment of more than $308 million to advance research and innovation projects.