Launch of the Falling Walls Engage Hub Canada (2020)

With the launch of our 4th Falling Walls Engage Hub in November 2020, we put the spotlight on groundbreaking initiatives in Science Engagement in Canada and the United States.

For this occasion, 15 international Science Engagers and 15 Science Engagers from across North America were invited to virtually meet during a community workshop co-hosted by two Falling Walls Engage Engage Finalists (2019), Rackeb Tesfaye and Dr Kiki Jenkins.

Rackeb Tesfaye is a science communicator using radio and podcasting to create diverse and inclusive science spaces through intersectional approaches. Kiki Jenkins is an advisor and advocate for organizations focused on diversity in science engagement and training, especially in conservation and ocean studies, and an associate professor at Arizona State University.

Diversity and Inclusion in Science Engagement

The workshop explored the topic of diversity and inclusion in Science Engagement in Canada, the United States and across borders. We invited four guest experts to share insights and best practices on how to center inclusive community engagement in formal and informal science spaces, in order to move beyond traditional audiences and include marginalized groups.

The programme included the following points:

  • “Empowering the next generation of Indigenous communities in genomics” with Dr. Jessica Kolopenuk, Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Native Studies at the University of Alberta and co-founder of the Summer internship for INdigenous peoples in Genomics Canada SING Canada.

  • “Communicating Science in Culturally and linguistically Diverse Communities – Lessons from Anglo and Franco Communities in Quebec”with Julie Dirwimmer, Senior Advisor Science & Society Relations Office of the Chief Scientist of Quebec.

  • “Multicultural Inclusion in Science Engagement” with Dr. Sunshine Menezes, Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental Communication and Executive Director of the Metcalf Institute for Marine & Environmental Reporting. Dr. Menezes presented “The State of Inclusive Science Communication” report published in 2020 by the Metcalf Institute.

  • “Tailoring your Methods to Make Science Engagement Accessible to Audiences” with Dr. Samantha Yammine, Neuroscientist and Science Communicator also known as Science Sam.

Exploring Science Engagement with the Royal Society of Canada

Falling Walls Engage was also honoured to be invited by the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) to take part in their annual conference entitled Celebration of Excellence in Engagement – COEE2020 (23-29 Nov 2020). Former Executive Director of the Falling Walls Foundation, Felix Rundel, represented Falling Walls Engage during the panel ‘Science Engagement around the World’ hosted by the RSC on Tuesday 24 November 2020, and moderated by Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, founder of Let’s Talk Science in Canada.