“EDUCATION MUST NOT SIMPLY TEACH WORK – IT MUST TEACH LIFE.” – W. E. B. DU BOIS In this issue of IMMpress Magazine, we discuss the impetus for education and outreach in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). As we head towards a new decade in the information age, we are more than ever faced with misinformation, fake news, and increasing group polarization via social media. Extremist political views fuel public distrust…

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  Dr. Juan Carlos Zúñiga-Pflücker, Chair, Department of Immunology, University of Toronto Just in time for some holiday reading, this latest issue of IMMpress Magazine is packed with several timely and important articles that address current concerns regarding the future of science education and outreach. The IMMpress editorial team have brought us featured articles on the demographic of STEM education and science outreach programs for KG-Gr12, including a comparison for different PhD programs, and a…

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Dr. Jen Gommerman received her PhD from the University of Toronto’s Department of Immunology under the supervision of Dr. Stuart Berger. Today, she is both a principal investigator,with her lab championing research in the field of multiple sclerosis and autoimmune disease, and the current associate chair of graduate studies for the Department of Immunology. We sat down with Dr. Gommerman to discuss her experiences and opinions of science communication. Few introductions in the Department of…

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What is a scientist? The term “scientist” receives the same treatment as many other career paths such as a lawyer or a doctor where the title is often associated with an omnipotent knowledge of the field itself. The word, science, manages to encapsulate an immense quantity of information over wide topics that exist today, while its Latin root, Scientia was given the simple meaning of knowledge.  In a majority of cases, peoples’ experiences with the sciences often take place in the introductory high school or university course. The general public does not need to understand what a scientist does, and therefore uses what information they have available to form a simple…

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The doctor of philosophy degree (PhD) was first introduced at Humboldt University in Berlin in 1810. Soon after, the degree spread to the USA in 1862 and to Canada in 1900. PhD’s were originally brought to fruition in order to strengthen research programs. Wilhelm von Humboldt, the pioneer of the PhD, reasoned that giving students formal supervision would ensure they become experts in their field. Since then, PhD’s have become commonplace worldwide.   However, the PhD experience can be vastly different for some doctoral candidates in North America compared to their international equivalents. As each…

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In 2015, responding to students’ interest in a graduate program that focuses on skill sets relevant for non-academic careers, Dr. Jennifer Gommerman, the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies for the Department of Immunology, launched a new program now known as the M.Sc. in Applied Immunology. Unlike many traditional graduate programs, the M.Sc. in Applied Immunology program focuses on developing skills in research without a thesis requirement. The program is designed to provide flexibility in elective course selection, allowing students to explore topics…

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Social media is a powerful tool that allows people to communicate across the globe and to keep up with trending news. In recent years, more scientists have jumped on the bandwagon, using social media to disseminate their research to both experts and the public and to acquire instant feedback on their work. Although the use of social media within the scientific world can be exciting, it can sometimes become overwhelming and throw one’s work-life balance into disarray. As such, it is important to know how to maximize the utility…

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Graduate-level courses and programs are growing in diversity, comprised of both domestic and international students from numerous countries around the world. As such, classrooms and laboratories are becoming increasingly heterogenous in student learning preferences. Traditional lecture-based courses emphasize a ‘top-down’ teaching pedagogy, whereby an instructor teaches a lesson to a group of students, with minimal student-student interactions. More recently, supplemental instruction (SI) has arisen as a more innovative and inclusive teaching endeavor. First implemented at the University of Missouri Kansas City (UMKC) in 1973, SI is a peer-to-peer based model where students…

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Climate change is an issue of ever-growing urgency and global impact. Despite the critical status of climate change, there are many barriers that cultivate a systemic lack of public scientific literacy and translate into insufficient environmental policy at the highest level. This article provides a brief overview along with more in-depth examination of some of the factors that shape the public attitude towards climate change and scientific issues in general. In spite of the significant…

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