3M Canada works to diversify access to STEM education, including Indigenous and LGBTQ2+ communities

3M Canada, headquartered in London, Ont., is on a mission to help diversify science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education and opportunities for minority groups.

The effort follows research carried out by the company on a global level and then honed in to reflect the perception of STEM by Canadians. The study, done every year, is called the State of Science Index.

"We've been talking to the public, talking to people in countries to understand what people's opinions are and what people are thinking about when it comes to science," said 3M President Penny Wise. "Right now, 93 per cent of Canadians recognize that science is being critical to our future well-being."

But, the research also found that almost 70 per cent believe minority groups are underrepresented when it comes to access to STEM education and careers.

That was a red flag for Wise. 

 "When our workplaces reflect our society, that is, of course, when we do our best work. So we need to have a more diverse view in the STEM world in order to help Canada be competitive and increase our global collaboration to help address some of the world's biggest problems," she said.

That research prompted 3M Canada to hold a panel discussion to hear from minority groups about how to remove barriers to education and careers in STEM disciplines.

'Indigenous people have always known about STEM'

"Indigenous people have always had a clear understanding of the sciences, of technologies, of engineering and even mathematics but it hasn't been recognized alongside Western perspectives on STEM," said Doug Dokis, Director of the National Indigenous Youth in STEM program for Actua, a charitable organization that works to introduce young people to STEM disciplines.

"Indigenous people have expressed sciences through story but had an innate, clear understanding of things like quantum physics," he said. 

But, the emphasis on academics and Western approaches to STEM have been barriers to Indigenous youth exploring STEM disciplines.

Feeling lonely in your field

Another contributor to the discussion was Vanessa Raponi. The product development engineer is also a person of colour and a member of the LGBTQ+ community. 

Raponi said there were no engineers in her family and it was only a chance conversation when she was 17 that prompted her to study engineering. She admits that pursuit was lonely at times.

"You're constantly one of the few women in the room, one of the few people of colour in the room, one of the few queer people in the room. And you're definitely one of the only queer women of colour in the room. So for sure, it can be very lonely," she said.

At times Raponi said she didn't feel like she belonged and combated feeling helpless or hopeless.

"You don't feel like you deserve or have earned where you are, despite all the facts proving otherwise, that you have your degree, you're getting good grades, you're performing well at your job, but you still just feel like something's off."

Raponi has since founded EngiQueers to provide a safe space for other engineers like her.

The cost of doing nothing

Raponi and Dokis are applauding 3M Canada's efforts to address the lack of diversity in the STEM sectors. They also say doing nothing would be a mistake.

"We're losing innovation. We're losing ideas. We're losing workforce. We're losing careers. We're losing economically. You know, we're losing in every aspect of society," said Dokis. 

"You see medicine that all the studies behind it and all the surveys and the research are male centred and then women get left behind. You see face recognition technology that didn't account for darker skin and now black folks are not being recognized in facial recognition. There are all sorts of tangible examples of when people are forgotten," said Raponi.

Next steps

"I was incredibly humbled to hear from the experts and their candid feedback for us," said Wise.

She said three things stand out for her moving forward:

1. Diversify educational materials. "We have a very, say, European view to science, all the science textbooks. And so it's really important that we bring in other diverse points of view around science. I think indigenous is a great example of their connection to the land, to the earth, to plants, to science, to healing that it really is about changing the way STEM is taught."
2. Move from role models to 'champions'. "A champion is somebody who gives you an opportunity when others might not have given you an opportunity or puts you on a slate for a promotion or gives you access to funding that you might not have had before. It's not just passively showing you."
3. Turn words into actions. "We have a shared responsibility to act."

3M Canada plans to create an advocacy fund to support organizations that are working to remove barriers for minority groups and carry out more research to determine exactly who is being left behind. 

"For 3M, it's very critical for us, and similarly for our society and our economy, that in order to solve some of our biggest challenges in the Canadian economy and Canadian growth and Canadian inventiveness, we need to broaden who we bring into the story and make sure we have those diverse points of view as part of it."