Brock University’s Divya Matta considers the back-to-school season a prime opportunity for parents, educators and society-at-large to work on an important goal: bringing more women into the sciences.

The Assistant Professor of Chemistry is passionate about women’s representation in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Matta, who herself has had to break many gender and cultural barriers to become a scientist, provides mentorship and networking opportunities for young women entering STEM careers.

Parents are pivotal in this process, she says, by fostering their daughters’ curiosity, problem-solving skills and interests they have in STEM-related subjects.

“Most importantly, parents should instill the belief that their daughters belong in STEM just as much as anyone else,” says Matta, who recently received a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to study how cyanobacteria aids photosynthesis under low light conditions.

“Exposure to female role models in STEM, such as bringing your children to university open houses or talks by women scientists, can have a profound impact on their aspirations,” she says, adding that girls’ scientific interests can be further nurtured in science fairs and STEM clubs.

At the classroom level, when presenting topics in fields such as science, it’s often not enough to teach the subject in a vacuum, says Professor of Educational Studies Susan Drake.

Drake, who is an expert in curriculum design and assessment, has developed groundbreaking work in new ‘integrated curriculum’ theories in which a topic is taught from the perspective of many disciplines.

For example, when teaching children about climate change, knowledge and information would come not only from scientists but also experts in health, economics and historians, among others.

“One way to approach this type of curriculum is to begin with a ‘big question’ rather than a subject area, where students research from a chosen lens and collaboratively come to a solution or partial solution,” says Drake.

“Some big questions might be: What are the rights and responsibilities of individuals, society, government and international groups in response to our environment? How does drinking from plastic water bottles affect the environment and world around us? How do forest fires affect our planet and our health and how do we prevent them?” she says.

Drake says this approach fosters critical thinking and problem-solving, creativity, communication, collaboration and digital literacy — skills foundational for a career in science.

“STEM is an interdisciplinary endeavour where science, math, engineering and technology are interwoven,” she says. “STEM approaches are not locked into gender stereotypes and that can make the subjects more inviting for young women.”

Beyond the classroom, systemic change needs to happen at the societal level to challenge biases and stereotypes keeping girls and women away from the sciences, says Professor of Biological Sciences Liette Vasseur.

Vasseur, who’s had a long history of advocating for women in the sciences, notes women comprise only 23 per cent of Canadians working in science and technology, yet 34 per cent of Canadians with a STEM degree are women.

“The leaky pipeline continues to exist in the sciences, especially for higher and top positions in academia or in industry,” she says. “Much more remains to be done to improve the current status quo.”

Vasseur, who is UNESCO Chair in Community Sustainability: from Local to Global, has just been appointed as a member of the newly formed UNESCO International Consultative Group of Experts for Closing the Gender Gap in Science.

UNESCO is also currently distributing a survey to explore the experiences of STEM students and working professionals related to areas such as harassment, leadership barriers and salary discrepancies.

The survey results will inform a report that is expected to be presented to the G20 summit this November.

Through the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, Vasseur and colleagues have also published a series of publications to reflect on solutions for women in STEM, especially in academia.