The Gairdner Foundation’s second annual Science Literacy Workshop is back on September 21! In partnership with ScienceUpFirst and RCIScience and sponsored by the Government of Canada and CIHR, this free, in-person workshop will explore what science literacy is and its role in building science culture. Join us during Science Literacy Week as we seek to uncover the power of community and how researchers and science communicators can work with and within communities to foster science culture from the ground up. This interactive workshop is a unique opportunity to network and collaborate.
Livestream
About the Speakers
Moderator: Dr. Moiya McTier is an astrophysicist, folklorist, and science communicator based in New York City, but her origins are a bit more modest... and surprising.
Moiya grew up in a log cabin in rural Pennsylvania without running water or TV, which meant she had plenty of time to focus on her studies. Hard work and a lot of luck took Moiya to Harvard, where she was the first person in the school's long history to double major in both astrophysics and folklore. After graduating, Moiya moved to New York to earn her PhD in astrophysics at Columbia University. There, she was named a National Science Foundation Research Fellow for her work studying planets outside of our solar system and the motion of stars around the galaxy. Moiya officially became a doctor of the universe in 2021 as the first Black woman to graduate from Columbia's astronomy PhD program and started pursuing science communication full-time.
In her career, Moiya has already given hundreds of talks about science around the world, helped design exhibits for the New York Hall of Science, and consulted with companies like Disney and PBS on scientific themes in their projects. She has reached thousands through her interviews on hit podcasts (Star Talk, Science Vs., and NPR's Science Friday) and media channels (PBS, MSNBC, NY1). Moiya can also be found co-hosting Fate & Fabled, a mythology show for PBS Digital studios, as well as hosting her own podcasts Exolore (about fictional worldbuilding through a science lens) and Pale Blue Pod (about astronomy for people who are afraid of the cosmos).
Moiya's debut book THE MILKY WAY: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy was released in 2022 to critical acclaim and was named one of Publishers Weekly's best books of 2022. Moiya's mission is to help people understand the world around us better through science and is eager to do that across as many platforms as possible.
Carrie Boyce is the Executive Director of the Royal Canadian Institute for Science (RCIScience), Canada’s oldest scientific society that’s been connecting people in Canada with science since 1849. With over a decade’s experience working in the field of science communication and public engagement, it’s fair to say Carrie’s become a Jack of all trades, master of some… Originally from Northern Ireland, she moved to Cambridge, England to pursue a degree in Natural Sciences, before working for organisations like the University of Cambridge, the Royal Society of Chemistry and Cancer Research UK. Eager for life’s next adventure, she moved to Canada in 2017 and has been happily working with RCIScience (and drinking maple syrup) ever since. Carrie is also a co-founder and Executive Producer of Science is a Drag, an award-winning, science-themed drag show by and for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and co-steward of the SciCommTO network.
Dr. Krishana Sankar is an award winning researcher, trained scientist and a sought after speaker. She completed her PhD at the University of Toronto in the Faculty of Medicine. Dr. Sankar is currently the Science Advisor and Community Partnerships Lead for ScienceUpFirst, an initiative of the Canadian Association of Science Centers. Through her work with the organization, she has engaged and collaborated with several community partners that serve those in equity-deserving and marginalized populations. A major aim of her work is to remove barriers to access of accurate and relevant information and to tackle misinformation in these groups.
As a passionate science communicator, Dr. Sankar has been dispelling health and science misconceptions for several years, both in person and on social media. Since March 2020, she has been sharing accurate scientific information about COVID-19 and the vaccines with different communities in Canada, The United States, Australia and Guyana. She has also worked with the Public Health Agency of Canada and shared her insights on COVID-19 misinformation and online science communication with the CDC and NIH, United Nations and the Government of Guyana. Her work and expertise have also been shared on international outlets including Reuters, the Huffington Post & Global Citizen.
Math’ieya Alatini’s name is synonymous with energy, action and integrity. She’s a capable and experienced leader, known for trailblazing and her no-nonsense approach to getting results. On the heels of two very productive terms serving as Chief of Kluane First Nation, Math’ieya did a quick pit stop working with the Yukon Government Cabinet office and is now bringing her experience and energy to her work for Canada’s Indigenous Governments and Northern communities with GSD Strategies. As the Chief Strategist for GSD Strategies, she has been moving complex, multi-partnered initiatives through very challenging times.
Math’ieya holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Victoria and has experience in many sectors and in different capacities from Tourism, Mining, Finance to a Non-Profit Volunteer organizations that specialized in First Nation capacity building. With the Federal Department of Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) in British Columbia she worked with up to 43 different First Nation communities in capital infrastructure, green energy projects, Treaty Relations and funding services.
Mathieya is a member of Kluane First Nation and has had the fortune of experiencing both a traditional Indigenous lifestyle and a modern way of living which has given strong foundations to all her endeavours.
Under Math’ieya’s leadership as Kluane First Nation Chief, she guided the Nation towards energy self-sufficiency and economic resilience in the small community of Burwash Landing. This was done through the ability to forge partnerships with industry, other Yukon First Nations, Yukon Government and several Federal Departments. Her demonstrated ability to leverage opportunities, facilitate collaborative partnerships to create economic, social and environmental benefits position her as an established leader and game-changer with the credibility of a proven track record.
Building relationships, sharing knowledge and creating understanding is a strong motivator for her. Through her company GSD Strategies, Math’ieya brings her ability to skillfully guide partnerships, create collaborative successes in order to launch big picture initiatives and deliver tangible results for her clients. Her work ethic and vision has earned her a reputation as a leader who can get things done in a good way.
Ainsley Latour (she/her) MSc, MLT is a loving challenger of unconscious bias and a passionate builder of inclusive science learning spaces. As the co-founder of IDEA-STEM, she has collaborated with a variety of science focused organizations to create opportunities to strengthen the connection between people with disabilities and science. In addition to her work as an entrepreneur, she is a published author, an accessibility researcher, and registered medical laboratory professional with a practice in genetic diagnostics. She also has held positions as a K-12 teacher of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and as a graduate student in ecological genetics.