Aug. 2, 2023
Group of Indigenous girls from the Northwest Territories soak in science at STEM camp
A group of Indigenous youth from the Northwest Territories recently took part in the 2023 STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Camp at the 荔枝视频. Over four days, the eight girls, ranging in age from 11 to 15, built robots, learned about stars at the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory and mastered the mathematics behind origami.
The camp 鈥 hosted in partnership with the 鈥 was designed to foster interest in STEM education and careers among women, an area traditionally dominated by men. With cutting-edge research and innovation right at their fingertips, the girls spent the week soaking in all the university has to offer, with a focus on the and the . The camp ran from July 24 to 28 and attracted participants from several communities across the N.W.T.
Faculty of Science Dean, Kristin Baetz, chats with the campers during the Creative Circuits workshop.
De Beers Group
"Attending the STEM Camp has been so much fun. I learned lots about robotics, and actually getting to build a robot was a highlight. Plus, the visit to the observatory was really cool; I got to learn about space,鈥 said camper Payton Larocque-Lafferty.
Payton鈥檚 mother, Patricia Lafferty, who also participated in the camp as a caregiver, said it was 鈥渢ruly exciting to watch my daughter engage at the STEM summer camp. I loved seeing her learn, explore and uncover new possibilities.鈥
Launa Paul checks out a gem under a microscope in GemCheck: A Gemmology Crash Course.
De Beers Group
"The world needs science skills to tackle the biggest challenges of our time. That means we need to make high-quality science education accessible to everyone," says Faculty of Science Dean Kristin Baetz. "What鈥檚 great about this camp and partnership is that we鈥檙e creating more pathways for girls and Indigenous groups into science fields. From outer space to robotics, they got a glimpse of the many options open to them."
The De Beers Group鈥檚 is located 280 km northeast of Yellowknife and the STEM Camp at U荔枝视频 is part of its . All costs associated with participating in the camp were covered by De Beers and the university, including transportation, accommodation, meals and activities.
鈥淒e Beers鈥 goal is to expose 10,000 girls and women to STEM by 2030, and this is just one of the ways we鈥檙e working to achieve that goal,鈥 says Pamela Ellemers, principal mineral resource manager for De Beers Canada. 鈥淚t was truly inspiring to see each of the girls light up as they took part in the workshops.鈥
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