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This past summer, a group of Grade 8 students arrived at Queen’s to take part in a one-week camp.

They engineered structures to withstand force. They coded and built robots using LEGO. At the university’s clinical simulation lab, they tried their hands at laparoscopic surgeries and intubations. On a field trip to nearby Elbow Lake, they took water samples and examined micro-organisms under a microscope.

But this was no ordinary summer camp. It marked the launch of the , an ambitious long-term initiative by Smith Engineering – with corporate and Queen’s alumni support – aimed at encouraging more Indigenous youth to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math.

The Grade 8 students were from the Six Nations reserve in southwestern Ontario. Another Grade 8 group from Akwesasne in eastern Ontario also spent a week at Queen’s. Overall, 30 Indigenous students took part.

During the one-week camp, students took part in STEM activities such as robotics, engineering challenges, and clinical simulations. (Photo: Smith Engineering)

The academy was created in response to a pressing need. While Indigenous people represent five per cent of Canada’s population, only one per cent of STEM workers are Indigenous compared to 19 per cent for the overall population, .

The foundation for the academy was laid in 2017, when a STEM outreach program led by Melanie Howard, Artsci’95, Ed’98, director of Indigenous Futures in Engineering at Smith Engineering, launched. The initiative sent instructors into elementary schools in First Nations across Ontario to deliver STEM enrichment lessons targeted at Grade 5 to 8 students, working closely with teachers and community leaders.

The program was a success, but a gap quickly emerged. After they finished Grade 8, students went to high school off the reserve. “We were getting kids excited about STEM in elementary school,” Howard says. “But once they left for high school, we lost touch. We didn’t know if they continued to pursue those interests.”

That realization inspired the First Nations STEM Futures Academy. The program is designed not only to spark interest but also to support students through high school and into post-secondary education.

“If a student is showing promise in STEM and is interested in a career, we want to be able to help them get to where they want to go,” says Howard, a member of the Kanehsatake Mohawk Territory.

The program aims to increase the number of Indigenous professionals in science, technology, engineering, and math. (Photo: Smith Engineering)

The program begins with the immersive summer camp, giving students hands-on exposure to STEM fields while introducing them to campus life – including working on activities with Indigenous Queen’s students who this year volunteered to help at the camps. “From our work with Indigenous STEM students at Queen’s, we know the value of networking like-minded youth with a peer group interested in the same academic paths,” Howard explains.

But the impact doesn’t end there. Of the 30 students who attended this summer, 16 will continue with the academy as they enter Grade 9. Over the next four years of high school, they’ll receive academic guidance, tutoring support, career exploration opportunities, and monthly workshops – delivered both online and in person. Sessions will feature guest speakers, including Indigenous professionals working in science, technology, engineering, and math.

Program lead Kayla Ford, a member of the Kenhteke/Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory, will play a central role in supporting the students and building relationships with their families and communities as they progress through high school.

“It’s hard for Indigenous students to strive toward university and a career in STEM when they don’t see themselves or others like them in those spaces,” Ford says. “So we’re creating pathways for these students, and they’ll become the future role models and leaders.”

Sixteen students from the summer camp will continue with the program as they enter Grade 9 this fall. (Photo: Smith Engineering)

Each year, the program will grow as a new group of Grade 8 students joins the academy and begins their high school journey with Queen’s support.

Kevin Deluzio, dean of Smith Engineering, is hopeful the academy will increase the number of Indigenous engineers in Canada.

“At our core as engineers we solve problems for people. And if the pool of engineers is more diverse, we will come up with better solutions,” he says.

Of course, a program of this scale requires financial backing, and two major donors have stepped forward: Sprott Inc., the academy’s founding partner; and Suncor Energy Foundation.

Sprott’s support came through the efforts of several Queen’s alumni. They include Andrew Stronach, Sc’98, MASc’00, Sprott’s managing partner of corporate development and corporate sustainability; and Sarah-Jane Martin, Artsci’02, Law’06, the firm’s managing partner, chief talent officer, and associate general counsel.

The two met with Howard during the academy’s early planning stages and were quickly impressed by what she had already built.

“We saw her passion right away,” Martin says. “It was an easy project to get behind.”

Stronach adds that the academy’s long-term vision was a key selling point. “We liked that it bridges the critical gap between middle school and high school,” he says. “We hope our support can be a catalyst to ensure this program succeeds.”

With its first class heading to high school this fall, the First Nations STEM Futures Academy is setting out to fulfill its promise of building a future where more Indigenous youth become scientists, engineers, health care, and computer professionals.

And it all started with a week at Queen’s.

For more information about First Nations STEM Futures Academy and how you can support it, .