The University of Calgary’s Faculty of Education has received $2.5 million in funding from Imperial Oil to enhance science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) based learning in early school years, according to a Nov. 6 joint announcement.
The Imperial Oil Foundation will contribute the money over the next five years.
UCalgary has hired a research chair in science education, according to Sharon Friesen, vice dean and associate dean of graduate programs in the university’s Faculty of Education.
The school plans to develop innovative research STEM projects and programming for K-12 schools that require strong interdisciplinary backgrounds in science, math, and technology.
An annual week-long summer camp is also set to begin in July 2013, which will focus on STEM learning through hands-on techniques.
The partnership was brought on by the need to put a “different emphasis” on STEM education, according to Friesen.
“We have a problem in Canada with the number of people who want to continue in those areas once they leave high school,” she said.
“Young people who are in the K to 12 system typically . . . believe that mathematics and science are either boring or too hard,” she said.
“While they may continue to do well in school, they will choose to ignore a profession or further studies within those areas due to their experience.”
Jen Moravec, a third-year mechanical engineering student at UCalgary, said this is an accurate perception of her program, noting that engineering seems like a “scary word” to many people while female students in particular tend to view the program as a “boys’ club.”
“Most students don’t really understand what an engineer is or does,” Moravec said via email.
“Most of the ‘smart’ kids in high school think about being a doctor or a lawyer because they want to help people . . . [but] we build bridges, roads, buildings, extract natural resources from the ground and I think students forget that society needs educated people to do these things,” she said.
The summer camp program particularly resonated with Moravec, who said that a similar initiative in high school inspired her to study engineering in university.
“I think just educating students to know what someone can do with a math degree or know what engineering careers are out there is helpful.”
While it is now up to UCalgary to follow the plans outlined by the accepted proposal submitted to Imperial Oil, Friesen said the university’s progress will not be monitored by the organization following its donation.
But like Imperial Oil’s other multi-year partnerships, it will be meeting regularly with UCalgary to ensure the university is sticking to agreed-upon targets and that the initiative is achieving expectations, according to Imperial Oil external relations associate Christine Graves.
“We worked really closely with UCalgary from the beginning to help develop this program and we’ll work with them along the way and find out how these programs are progressing and how they’re using the money,” Graves said.
Oil companies often make donations in attempt to create a “halo effect,” according to Liza Tucker, an advocate for the U.S.-based Consumer Watchdog organization.
“If they’re giving money to the university with no strings attached, meaning that it’s used for general purposes [such as] to educate in math or sciences or engineering and it’s not tied to the petroleum industry per se, I would say that’s a laudable thing,” Tucker said.
“But you also can’t deny the fact that companies will do this sort of thing as a way of creating public good will,” she said.
“It emphasizes their charitable act but it doesn’t address some of the bare-knuckled business tactics that they’re using to increase profits at the expense of consumers.”
The nature of the partnership is slightly “concerning” to Jonathan Halasz, a fourth-year political science student at Carleton and a member of the Green Party youth wing, who said he was a little worried about the pattern of universities seeking funding from private entities.
“The devil is usually in the details of this kind of deal,” Halasz said via email.
“Being an investment from an oil firm it is a bit concerning for environmental interests as to the kinds of ‘science’ being taught in these STEM programs,” he said. “But I would hope for, and expect, a culture of academic integrity at uCalgary that would offset any undue influence in the educational services delivered through these programs.”
