Education Program Team at the Canadian Light Source Works to Bridge Science Research and Science Education

The Canadian Light Source (CLS) is Canada’s national synchrotron light source facility, located at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, SK. CLS Education Programs provide professional development for high school and post-secondary teachers, instructors, and education leaders, along with opportunities for educators to put those developing skills into practice with their students. In this interview, CLS Education Programs lead Tracy Walker talks about what her team does and why.

What is the Canadian Light Source (CLS)?

The CLS is a national research facility that produces light that is millions of times brighter than the sun. It is one of the largest science projects in Canada’s history.

More than 1,000 academic, government, and industry scientists from around the world use the CLS every year to conduct innovative health, agriculture, environmental, and advanced materials research. Since the start of user operations in 2005, the CLS has enabled over 4,000 scientists from 171 Canadian academic institutions, as well as 41 other countries to publish over 6,000 scientific papers. Their work has highlighted discoveries in a wide variety of fields and over 874 international scientific collaborations.

Tell us about the Education Programs team

We have a team of three:

• I am the Education Programs lead. I have a master of education degree in curriculum studies with a focus on transformative learning through science research for both educators and students.
• Anna-Maria Boechler is our education specialist. She has a bachelor of education degree and two science degrees, as well as 10 years of experience designing programs at CLS.
• Dallas Pelly is our education specialist—Indigenous relations. He has a bachelor of education degree from the University of Saskatchewan’s Indian Teacher Education Program and experience in supporting learning in Indigenous communities throughout Canada.

Each of these team members contributes complementary expertise to support professional development opportunities for science educators and their students. Together, we work to weave mainstream science approaches with Indigenous perspectives and Ways of Knowing.

Describe how the Education Programs team influences programming at CLS

The CLS Education Programs team works to influence how science is taught at the high school and post-secondary levels in the following ways:

• Bridging science research and science education by including current research stories into the curriculum.
• Providing experiential learning opportunities that focus on science processes rather than the products of science.
• Creating space for Indigenous perspectives and Ways of Knowing, and weaving those together with mainstream science into all programming.
• Expanding who is seen in science and who sees themselves in science by ensuring all programming demonstrates principles of equity, diversity, and inclusivity.

We do all of this by providing professional development for educators (teachers, instructors, education leaders, etc.) at the high school and post-secondary levels. We also provide opportunities for educators to put their skills into practice. An example of this is our award-winning Students on the Beamlines program.

All of our programming ensures Indigenous perspectives and Ways of Knowing are central for Indigenous participants and thoughtfully integrated for non-Indigenous participants. For example, our educator workshop titled, “Navigating the Waters: Weaving Indigenous Knowledge and Cutting-Edge Aquatic Research in Science Education,” featured an experiment demonstration by Nakota Elder and Traditional Knowledge Keeper Tim Eashappie Sr. from Carry the Kettle First Nation. Participants simultaneously learned about fish chemistry/biology and synchrotron techniques within the context of a project designed with Indigenous understandings in mind.

How are safety and radiation protection concepts developed and incorporated into your program?

Safety is the number one consideration when making decisions at CLS, especially if children are involved.

Since our inception, the Education Programs team has always asked, “how can we create a learning opportunity in a safe environment?” This approach has evolved over the years. For example, the first high school student research groups required one-to-one supervision; now there is a policy that enables Indigenous Elders to accompany and advise a student group safely within laboratory spaces and beamline hutches.

Adults (teachers, educators, and undergraduate students) are required to complete the same safety training as general users, while high school students complete a revised version that introduces safety concepts without placing responsibility for their safety on them. Throughout these experiences, all Education Program participants are introduced to various safety and ethical considerations, including radiation physics general theory and CLS radiation protection training.

Why are these safety concepts important to you?

One of our goals is to introduce science research into everyday learning. Safety is, and should be, a primary consideration in all aspects of science research.

We also aim to incorporate other “big picture” concepts such as equity, diversity, and inclusion by asking learners to question who is making decisions regarding funding and infrastructure, who is sitting at those tables, and who isn’t.

What challenges do you face with diverse groups of students or educators? How do you overcome these challenges?

The biggest challenge that we face is a sense of “not belonging” that underrepresented groups experience when they engage with science. As part of our efforts to expand who sees themselves in science, and who is seen in science, we put extra time and effort into supporting learners who encounter barriers and ensuring they are able to fully contribute to and participate in the research and learning opportunities we offer.

We work with Indigenous communities who have been excluded from mainstream science because of colonialism. We have also had opportunities to work with people who are neurodiverse, who use wheelchairs, and are deaf. We are hopeful that influencing how science is taught will result in more diverse people getting involved in all aspects of science, because diverse perspectives and approaches are necessary to solve the world’s complex problems.

Can you share some success stories or experiences that highlight the value of providing the Education Programs?

We recently asked 450 of our former participants from our Students on the Beamlines high school research program to let us know where they are now (the survey had an 18% return rate). Here are some highlights:

• 46% of respondents said that participating in Students on the Beamlines had a positive effect on their education and career choices and 35% indicated that participation had a very positive effect. None indicated participation had a negative effect.
• 24% are currently enrolled in a post-secondary program; 65% have completed a post-secondary program
• 6% are currently enrolled in a master’s program; 20% have obtained a master’s degree; 35% indicate they are considering graduate studies
• 2% are currently undertaking a PhD; 7% have obtained a PhD; 16% are considering a PhD
• 60 students (74%) went into some form of science:
  • 31% health sciences
  • 26% engineering (including some computer science engineering)
  • 23% computer sciences
  • 10% physics related (including health physics)
  • 3% chemistry
  • 5% microbiology
  • 5% geology and soil sciences

• 10% went into economics, finance, or business careers
• 10% went into arts, education, or law

Notably, a former student who is currently a public safety advisor for the Government of Canada made the following comment:

This [Students on the Beamlines] project taught me more about the scientific method (which was very useful throughout my studies and followed me right through to my master’s degree), gave me confidence in my abilities, and, above all, made me realize that I shouldn’t hesitate to take on projects I don’t know much about, because they’re always great learning opportunities and a great way to grow. It’s thanks to this self-confidence that I’ve multiplied my community, associative, and political involvement, which has enabled me to have the career I have today.