9th Family Math and Science Day took place on Saturday, October 19th, 2019 at the UBC Faculty of Education (Scarfe Building) 10:00 am – 12:30 pm.

We are proudly supported by the UBC Faculty of Education, UBC Teacher Education Office, UBC Department of Curriculum and Pedagogy, UBC Teaching and Learning Enhancement Fund, and Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (PIMS)!

 For more information and to register click here.

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Why STEM Outreach Matters!

In 2017, my friend and colleague Dr. Sarah Johnson (a physics instructor at Simon Fraser University) and I have edited a special issue dedicated to science outreach in Canada in the Physics in Canada Journal. It is the journal of the Canadian Association of Physicists.

We had co-authored a foreword to this special issue to explain why we believe science outreach is so important and why we have to share ideas about successful science outreach activities. It will appear in Physics in Canada in November 2017. In the same issue will be published a paper on the Family Math and Science Day. This paper we have written together with Valery Milner (my husband and collaborator in my science outreach endeavors). We hope that 14 papers on science outreach from all across Canada that will appear in our issue will inspire many educators to organize similar or even better events at their institutions and organizations:

http://blogs.ubc.ca/mmilner/files/2017/08/PicForeworrdSciOutreach2017.pdf

I have been actively involved in science outreach as long as I remember it. Below are the science outreach activities I have been engaged since coming to UBC in 2004:

1) In 2012 I initiated the Math and Science Teaching and Learning through Technology Resources for science and mathematics teachers… This is a wide outreach effort to reach teachers and students of math and science all across BC: http://scienceres-edcp-educ.sites.olt.ubc.ca/

2) Since 2004,  have been taking part in BC Scientists in the School organization. Through it I visited dozens of schools in BC and met with thousands of students. I also help scientists who want to get involved in science outreach to get started.

3) In 2010 I founded a Faculty of Education Family Science Day. The latest (fifth) event took place in 2015. It was a part of the UBC Celebrate Learning Week.

4) Since 2004, I have been a Science Fair judge and mentor at local, regional, provincial, and national Science Fair events.

5) In 2004, I initiated the Faraday Science Show at the Department of Physics and Astronomy. The event is still going on today and it attracts hundreds of guests to come to UBC and enjoy science.