NSERC Awards $3.8 Million to Promote Science and Engineering Among Young Canadians

First grants awarded from the PromoScience program

(St. John's, Newfoundland) The Honourable Brian Tobin, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), announced grants totalling $3.8 million to 66 Canadian organizations that contribute to training the next generation of scientists and engineers.

"Youth are an inexhaustible source of creativity. By stimulating their interest in the sciences, organizations like the Newfoundland Science Centre contribute to Canada's leading innovation position. Indeed, the 66 organizations awarded grants today provide young Canadians a scientific culture to enrich their personal development," said Minister Tobin.

"This is the PromoScience program's first competition for grants," said Dr. Tom Brzustowski, president of NSERC. "We have been impressed by the number of submissions presented by non-profit organizations who are committed to instilling in youth a passion for the sciences and acting as mentors so the next generation is better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow."

Here are examples of organizations receiving grants. These organizations have put in place practical, interactive training programs for youth that open the door to opportunities in the sciences and engineering.

• The Newfoundland Science Centre is receiving $136,200 to hire a coordinator and expand its innovative outreach activities throughout the province. Women in Science and Engineering Newfoundland and Labrador will receive $43,200 to give young female high school students high quality exposure to science and technology through paid summer jobs.
  
  
• Motivate Canada, a national organization based in Whitby, Ontario, nurtures the interest of youths through diverse learning experiences. Among their educational programs is one where young people make a robot from electromechanical parts, an activity that allows participants to acquire practical skills in mathematics, engineering and physics. Motivate Canada will receive $53,100 from NSERC over the next three years.
  
  
• The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, is a rich educational resource for both schools and the public at large. The organization provides children and adolescents with an innovative program of expositions and presentations. The Space Centre's goal is to develop young people's skills while feeding their curiosity. On the program: discovering the marvels of space, earth sciences and astronomy. The H.R. MacMillan Space Centre will receive $31,300 from NSERC over the next three years.
  
  
• Atlantic Provinces Council on the Sciences (APICS) is currently based in Halifax and composed of research scientists working in universities and various organizations. APICS has played an important role in public schools and universities for 40 years, organizing youth-oriented scientific activities, mainly conferences and award ceremonies, with the goal of raising youth awareness of scientific research. APICS will receive $53,700 from NSERC over the next three years.
  
  
• Conseil de développement du loisir scientifique (CDLS) is an educational organization located in Montreal whose focus is to stimulate an interest in science and technology among young Quebecers and to encourage them to choose a career in these fields. In partnership with the nine regional councils of leisure sciences, the CDLS has put in place training and mentorship programs, organized conferences and co-ordinated activities such as science fairs, science clubs, the Club des Débrouillards and its magazine, as well as the Inventive Engineering Challenge and Biotech Challenge contests. The CDLS will receive $219,900 from NSERC over the next three years.
  
  
• The Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature, located in Winnipeg, Manitoba, is the largest science and heritage centre in the province. The planetarium and science centre are particularly popular with the public. The museum also offers school programs to raise awareness of the sciences among youth. These programs include the Innovators in the Schools and Mobile Planetarium projects, which highlight natural sciences and engineering. The Manitoba Museum of Man and Nature will receive $67,500 from NSERC over the next three years in support of its activities aimed at schools.

The regional breakdown of the 66 organizations that have received grants is shown in the appendix.

For more information on the other organizations that have received grants, visit the PromoScience Web site at www.nserc.ca/promoscience.

The PromoScience program was conceived as a way to help organizations that give young Canadians opportunities to increase their knowledge of science and engineering. These organizations stimulate an interest in science and engineering and encourage youth to study or consider a career in these disciplines.

NSERC is the primary federal agency investing in people, discovery and innovation. The Council supports both basic university research through research grants, and project research through partnerships among universities, governments and the private sector, as well as the advanced training of highly qualified people.

For more information, please contact:

Yasmine El Jamaï, Public Affairs Officer, Communications, NSERC. Phone: (613) 947-5273
E-mail: yasmine.eljamai@nserc.ca

PromoScience Grant Recipients