COVID-19 stands for Corona Virus Disease 2019. So, COVID-19 is the disease itself, and the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is the virus that causes the disease. There are several different coronaviruses, some causing mild conditions such as the common cold, to some causing more serious diseases such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Viruses, including coronavirus, are not the same as bacteria. Bacteria are tiny living organisms. They can be found in many environments, such as soils, oceans, inside animals, and food products. Bacteria can eat (in a very broad sense) and reproduce. Some bacteria can be bad for us, causing food poisoning and Lyme disease. Other bacteria can be good for us, making things like yogurt and cheese, and even helping our digestion by living in our guts. In fact, we are covered with bacteria – some people think we have about the same number of bacteria (39 trillion) inside of us and on our skin as there are human cells in our body! Viruses are also tiny, but they are NOT living organisms. Unlike bacteria, viruses cannot survive without a living host, and they can only reproduce themselves by hacking their host’s cells. Because of this, many viruses reproduce in animals, and then “jump” to humans by chance. When this process causes disease, these diseases are called “zoonoses”. This is why you sometimes hear that the potential source of this new coronavirus is bats, a common animal for the spread of zoonoses because of their special immune system. Most of the time, viruses are not our friends, causing diseases in humans, such as rabies, influenza, or COVID-19.

Is COVID-19 really all that special? Like many viral diseases, COVID-19 spreads between humans through direct and indirect contact. Direct contact happens when you are close to an infected person, allowing the virus to get into your body. This can happen by kissing an infected person, hugging them, shaking their hand, or breathing in droplets the person sneezed/coughed/spat while talking. This is why people wear masks – to prevent them from spreading droplets in the air around them. These events let the virus to come into your body through your eyes, nose and mouth. This is why we are socially distancing. By not gathering with other people and avoiding crowding, we can reduce the risk of spreading the disease through direct contact. Indirect contact happens when you touch contaminated surfaces, and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Indirect contact does not require the physical presence of an infected person. This is why it is important to wash our hands with soap (or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer if none is available), avoid touching our faces, and disinfect surfaces. By using soap, viruses get washed off from our hands, hopefully before we bring them to our eyes, nose or mouth where they can enter the body. By disinfecting surfaces, we can reduce the risk of spreading the disease through indirect contact. In many ways, COVID-19 is like other viruses, which means infection can be prevented if we carefully follow safety measures.
If COVID-19 spreads just like other droplet-spread diseases, why are we experiencing a pandemic? At the moment, the answer is we do not know. Scientists are looking into what makes SARS-CoV-2 so infectious, with some finding that it is not actually that different from SARS-CoV-1, the virus behind the 2003 SARS epidemic, when it comes to the factors related to indirect contact. In other words, it does not appear that COVID-19 has become a pandemic because it can survive on surfaces longer than other coronaviruses. Similarly, it does not form aerosols, tiny droplets that can be carried by air currents, except under specific circumstances, like when putting a patient infected with COVID-19 on a ventilator, a machine that pushes air into their lungs to help them breathe. This means that maybe COVID-19 becoming a pandemic has more to do with direct contact. From the very beginning of the outbreak, it has been clear that people can have COVID-19 without any symptoms, and still spread the virus to others. There are many reasons why some people may not show symptoms of an infectious disease like COVID-19, but a common one is when a disease has an incubation period. The incubation period is the time between catching the disease and showing symptoms. For example, seasonal influenza (the flu) has an average incubation period of 2 days. So, after 2 days of being infected by the influenza virus, most people would start developing a fever and headaches, making aware that they may be sick and should not attend gatherings. The incubation period of COVID-19 is 5 to 6 days on average, but it can also be anywhere from 1 to 14 days. This means that you could be spreading the disease without knowing it for two whole weeks! Often, and especially with a deadly disease like COVID-19, doctors and public health officials do what’s known as “contact tracing” to figure out who may have been exposed to a sick person. Because COVID-19 can take several days to show symptoms while still being contagious, contact tracing can be very difficult – a lot can happen in two weeks. This is why social distancing, staying at home as much as possible, and wearing a face mask to protect others is important. By the way, the symptomatic duration of COVID-19 is also longer (6 to 9 days) than influenza (typically 3 days), adding more days to the duration you can be contagious.

So, is COVID-19 special? The answer is yes, because it has had such an impact on our way of living, beyond just knowing how to wash our hands properly! Through this lockdown, we are faced with our need for social interaction as a species. And, as abstract as it may have sounded before, we now understand the meaning of “flattening the curve”. We do not have a cure nor a vaccine against COVID-19 yet. But, while scientists around the world are working around the clock, we are supporting them and healthcare workers by slowing down the spread of the virus through measures like social distancing. There have been countless diseases in human history. Many of them were once believed to be an insurmountable challenges, but many of them are now curable or can be vaccinated against. Let’s hope that COVID-19 will join these solved diseases.

​For instance, the sympathetic nervous system increases your heart rate and makes your blood vessels – the muscular tubes that transport blood through your body - expand or ‘dilate’. This increases the supply of blood and therefore oxygen and nutrients to your muscles. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system decreases your heart rate and shrinks, or ‘constricts’ your blood vessels.
The sympathetic nervous system also allows your lungs to take up more air, so that you are ready to fight or run away. It also stimulates your sweat glands, so that you can start sweating to cool down your body from the heat generated by your muscles. In contrast, the parasympathetic nervous system reduces air volume that can be taken up by your lungs by constricting the lungs and stimulates your digestive system.

So what has this all got to do with your fingertips shrivelling up when you spend some time in water?
It turns out that when your skin gets in touch with water, the outer skin layer, also called the ‘epidermis’ soaks up the water through sweat glands. This takes some time, as your sweat glands contain an oily substance called sebum that blocks water. Once the sebum is washed away, water can enter. This is why your hands and feet don’t shrivel up immediately after getting in contact with water.
Water contains a different concentration of electrically charged particles, or ‘ions’ than your skin. Neuronal activity depends on the concentration of ions surrounding the excitable nerve cells, or ‘neurons’. When the concentration of ions in your inner skin layer, or ‘dermis’, changes it activates neurons that are part of the sympathetic nervous system. Activation of the sympathetic nervous system signals blood vessels to shrink, or constrict. In particular, a special type of blood vessels called ‘glomus bodies’ are attached to the outer layer of your skin. When these glomus bodies constrict, they pull parts of the skin with them, making your skin look all wrinkly.
In fact, people with nerve damage in their sympathetic nervous system don’t show wrinkling of their hands and feet after spending some time in water.

But is there any advantage for your hands and feet to shrivel up?
While this issue is still debated, some scientists suggest that wrinkly skin gives you a better grip when in a wet environment, which may have benefited our ancestors in their search for food or escaping predators.

Left: Normal skin with an outer layer, the epidermis and an inner layer, the dermis, which has a sweat gland and a glomus body that is attached to the epidermis. Middle: When your skin gets in touch with water, the sebum is washed away and water can enter through sweat glands, which changes the concentration of ions in the dermis. This activates the sympathetic nervous system (in green). Right: Sympathetic nerve activity makes glomus bodies constrict, i.e. get smaller, which pulls your skin inwards, making the skin look wrinkly (modified from Wilder-Smith, 2004)

Sources:
Wilder-Smith, E., 2015. Stimulated skin wrinkling as an indicator of limb sympathetic function. Clinical Neurophysiology, 126(1), pp.10-16. (review)
​
Changizi, M., Weber, R., Kotecha, R. and Palazzo, J., 2011. Are Wet-Induced Wrinkled Fingers Primate Rain Treads?. Brain, Behavior and Evolution, 77(4), pp.286-290.

​Senator Lillian Eva Dyck is a Member of the Gordon First Nation and a first-generation Chinese Canadian. She grew up in the Prairies of Saskatchewan and attended high school in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but moved around frequently between Saskatchewan and Alberta since her family operated a series of restaurants.
 
Senator Dyck recounts that her early scientific inquiries formed around the same time as the Space Age. Her Chemistry teacher, Mr. John Dyer, was the first to encourage her and her brother to further their educations in science. When asked who taught her the most when growing up, she replied, “We were very fortunate to have such good teachers in pretty much every subject. My Biology and Chemistry teachers were the teachers that were the most influential to me.” She stated, “I really liked the Biology labs and doing the lab work.”

With an initial interest in Chemistry, she decided to first explore Biochemistry as both an undergraduate and master’s student. When she recounts her time as an undergraduate student, working in horticultural and biochemistry labs during the summer, Senator Dyck says, “I really liked participating in experiments and seeing the results and trying to figure out what it meant.” After working a series of summer jobs and exploring different questions in numerous labs, she decided to pursue graduate studies in Biological Psychiatry and obtained her PhD from the University of Saskatchewan in 1981.
 
After spending many years working as a Full Professor at the University of Saskatchewan, Senator Dyck has been recognized with several prestigious titles and awards. These include the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Science & Technology in (1999) and the YWCA Woman of Distinction Award for Science, Technology & the Environment (2003). Upon winning the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Science & Technology, Senator Dyck recalled, “That was a thrill! That was the first time that I met another Canadian indigenous scientist, Dr. Malcom King.” She remembers what it felt like to meet another Canadian scientist with a PhD saying, “Back then, he was the only other one whom I had met. You always feel like you are the only one because you pretty much are.”
 
Senator Dyck transitioned her current role in the Senate as the first Indigenous female senator and first Canadian-born Chinese senator in 2005. She says that her identity and experience has influenced her work in politics as she advocates for Indigenous women and better education for Indigenous youth. Senator Dyck was a key figure in making changes to laws such as Bill S-3* to advocate for the equal rights of Indigenous women.
 
When asked what advice she would give to students to succeed in a STEM career, she said, “We may not always have a role model or a mentor, but I think support is key. For young students, I would think of someone in their own family, maybe who they admire, or ask their family or friends for support. It is finding those friends and family who tell you that you can make it!”
 
We thank Senator Lillian Eva Dyck for taking the time to share her unique insights and for being a role model to us all.
 
*Bill S-3: as of August 15, 2019, all descendants born prior to April 17, 1985 to women who lost status or were removed from band lists because of their marriage to a non-Indian man dating back to 1869, will be entitled to registration, bringing them in line with the descendants of men who never lost status.
​

Adrian Riives interview transcript – “Indigenous people are the first scientists in their own right”

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and where you’re from?

My name is Adrian Riives, I’m from Edmonton AB, Can. I grew up there but now I’m living in the US doing my Ph.D. in chemistry. My dad is half Ojibwe and my mom is mostly German, I’m kind of mixed myself.
I’m from Edmonton, AB, but I moved to Seattle when I was 4, moved to California when I was 14, lived in Philadelphia for a bit, and now I live in Albany, NY. My dad is from White River, ON, my mom is from Saskatoon, SK.
 
What are some things that you pursue outside of science?

I think it’s important to have a lot of different interests. For example, I live in the beautiful northeast, and in the summertime it’s green and very outdoorsy. Since I live upstate, there are a lot of things to do. I’m really into anything outdoorsy, I love trying new things. I love travelling, I love food a lot, so I love trying new food. I guess anything that is a new and authentic experience where you get to meet new people, if I’m being honest.
 
Were you always interested in science? What made you choose chemistry?

It’s funny, when I was younger, I never thought I’d be doing science or anything like that. I never thought I was smart enough because there’s always been this kind of stereotypical, older, male in a lab coat that we think of as science. I don’t think science today is at all like that. But I’ve always loved nature. In high school, I did chemistry, biology, physics, the traditional courses you take in high school, and I had a real knack for chemistry. I liked chemistry.
 
How has your cultural identity impacted your career path?

I think that your roots are always there even when you are kind of unaware that they’re there. What I like to think about now, whenever I’m at a science conference, especially when I’m at an AISES* conference, they always talk about how Indigenous people were the first scientists in their own right. Because we’ve been around here for tens of thousands of years, during the land bridge, right? And we had farming, we had cultivation, agriculture. We took care of the land. What I’m doing now actually is really interesting, it’s inorganic photochemistry, so it’s basically trying to make dye-sensitized solar cells. It’s all green chemistry, it’s like trying to take the background I have in that and trying to help the environment. I really care about the environment and Mother Nature. Therefore, the research has to be about the things you care about. It’s kind of interesting to have this background in my brain about who I am and who my family is and things I’ve learned. If you talk to any aboriginal person, they will always say their number one concern is the environment, and that factors into everyday life. It’s very subtle but it’s always there. I think cultural identity is always there, whether or not you’re aware of it, I think it really does shape us. It’s a long answer, but I’m still honestly answering it myself. You know, as you get older and you start understanding things about yourself more, your life, who you are. Honestly, I’m still figuring it out myself.
 
*AISES= American Indian Science and Engineering Society
 
What is the most fun thing about working or studying in science?

The really nice thing, as one of my friends put so well, academia is this last beautiful bit of time you have to really focus on a problem and understand it, make it your own. The weirdest thing, I think personally, is, when I was younger, I thought I was going to come in and change the world and make a huge impact. But honestly, in 5 years’ time, given the amount of training it’s going to take for you to even get up to snuff, you’re probably not going to change the world. I mean, it’s just the nature of things. But what you can do is, you can take this very small piece of knowledge and you can contribute to a much larger body. It’s a very humbling experience. People who don’t know me very well think, for example, that I feel smart. But the truth is, you never feel smart. You’re still learning and trying to understand the system you’re describing yourself.
 
What is the hardest thing about studying or working in science?

What you’re doing when you’re doing your research, you guys are the forefront of understanding things. That’s the nature of what research is, and that’s very difficult. The Impostor Syndrome, that’s another huge thing. Basically, everyone everywhere suffers Impostor Syndrome, it’s something I learned, not just students, but honestly professors too. Everyone always feels like they’re not smart enough, they’ve tricked people to get in where they need to go. The whole idea of “fake it till you make it” is a real thing, and I think everyone feels that way.
 
How have you dealt with or overcome the hardships that you mentioned?

It’s kind of life’s journey and how you get where you get, right? I’m a big believer in positivity. There’s been times in my life where I have not been so positive, and I can tell you that positivity and self-love and giving yourself credit where credit is due. Like if you finish an exam and did well on it, or you finished finals, taking a break and telling yourself you did a good job. I’m also a big believer in exercise. I think exercise really helps. It’s not my emphasis or my forte, but I’m pretty certain there’s a lot of science to back up that exercise really takes care of depression, mental health. Having a big support system, or network of friends and family, who believe in you when you don’t believe in yourself is a huge positive. And if you don’t have friends and family, faculty members. When I was in undergrad, I was part of this program called Rise as well as LSAMP (Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation), Rise is a similar program. Because I’m a minority student, I was part of this much larger program. It’s weird, because before I joined this society, I used to be more of a B/C student, and honestly with this much larger organization behind me and people, I became a straight-A student. It’s kind of crazy how much your belief in yourself and having that self-confidence really changes things, and not just grades.

When people are young, they take things really seriously. They think that every small failure is going to be the end of them. I don’t think failure is necessarily failure, it’s just a scar, or a bruise, it’s not the end of the world. I think success is taking failure and turning it into something positive. For example, if you fail on an exam, you just study harder. Next time you do better, or you get more help, or you say maybe I have a problem here that I’m not addressing, that I actually need to address to do better in the future.
 
What advice would you give your teenage self to help you succeed in your career in STEM?

It’s gonna be okay. That’s my advice. It’s going to be okay, be more gentle on yourself, you’ll be fine. I know people who have kids early on, from 18, I know people who go into the army, I know people who go to school in their 40s, or it can be my mom, who went to law school in her 40s, where she was 20 years older than everyone in her class. I think as I’ve gotten older, I’m kind of like, who am I living my life for? And if it’s not for yourself, then who ARE you living it for? Of course, everyone’s parents expect certain things from them, but at the end of the day, it’s your life. And I think you kind of find what you want to do over time. You don’t have to have all the answers right now. I definitely think when I was younger, I thought I had to have all the answers all the time. It was very draining, you know? It was very impossible to do that. Take every opportunity. I think the most important thing – this sounds so cheesy – but it’s honestly, believe in yourself. When I was younger, I remember immediately being like, I can’t apply there, I’m not smart enough, I don’t have the grades for that, or I’m not capable of that, that’s for smart people. No. What does Wayne Gretzky say? He said you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. Every internship, every job offer your friend gets, or someone you know gets, isn’t because they’re much more qualified than you, it’s just because they happened to try out for it. Of course, work hard too, but I think a lot of young people are under a lot of stress today, especially, and that whole believing that you’re not smart enough or you don’t belong here, that’s just very commonplace. Especially with globalization and higher competition with jobs, I just say go for it. Believe in yourself and try new things, life is finite, go for it!

Young people are hilarious, they think every small failure is going to be the end of them. I know because I’ve been that person, that’s why I can laugh at it, because I’ve literally been that person. You just think success is one success after another, and it’s not the way things work. There’s a lot of failure, and then you just put your successes on LinkedIn. No one needs to know! No one has to know, right? You’ve got 50 rejections, you’ve got 1 job offer, hey, they only have to know about that one job offer. That’s the way people work in society, right?

I don’t have a lot of answers, but I do think a lot of them are based on going through something difficult – everyone has difficulties in their life – and moving past and being like, you know what? I can tackle that, I probably can do something else too. That’s my belief at least.

Thank you, Adrian, for participating in our “Indigenous Peoples in STEM” interview series and sharing your experiences with us. We have learned a lot from you today and we hope your story will be an inspiration to others. 

Interview by Christina 

Tell us a bit about yourself. Where are you from? What are you studying? What are your hobbies, interests? 

I'm from Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory in Ontario - Mohawks of the Bay of Quinte Iroquoian tribe and I am turtle clan. Both my parents are Mohawk. I am currently doing my undergraduate degree studying Biomedical Science at Ryerson University, and I am going into my 4th year in September 2019. I have also completed a minor in Psychology and a Certificate Diploma in Mental Health & Addictions. My hope is to go into graduate studies in Neuroscience with a focus on cognition/behaviour/thinking/mental illness/psychology/psychiatry etc. I haven't decided specifically which area I'll go into, or if I will end up applying to medical school or not, but I hope to do something in those types of areas of research and Neuroscience studies.
 
I am crafty, I enjoy knitting and fibre arts like cross-stitch, sewing, and beading. I have my own business called "Yarnhardts" where I sell my knitting creations and employ others and sell their products too. I participate in mostly craft shows in my hometown. And in that area, most of my crafts have a Native influence. You can see them on any social media platform if you search "Yarnhardts." 
 
I am interested in outreach and promoting science education and knowledge translation to anyone interested in science, but now I have focused more on Indigenous people. I worked as a technical consultant for Scientific Research and Experimental Development (SRED) for almost 7+ years where I worked with engineers, scientists, and doctors to optimize their projects for funding and investment purposes. I worked on writing reports and applications on behalf of my clients for various types of funding to support their projects and this involved a substantial amount of knowledge translation for purposes of funding. Now I enjoy general knowledge translation and teaching/explaining science concepts/myths/new ideas to people who are interested. 
 
I love animals! I have an orange cat named Beans, and a Basset Hound named Billie. They keep me on my toes!   
 
How would you describe yourself in 3 words or less?

Intelligent. Proud.
 
What does science mean to you? 

I started out in my life as a model and I started my first undergraduate degree in Fashion. When I realized that path was not for me, I felt like I wasted a huge part of my life, ruined my academic career, and was too old to start over. I had a connection that gave me a unique opportunity to write for and support technical consultants/professionals (engineers, doctors, scientists, etc.). In the beginning I was essentially just being dictated material to write up how my bosses wanted and to edit their complicated reports. But as I started reading what the reports were about, I became very interested in science in general. As I worked my way up and eventually became a professional technical consultant myself, I gained lots of invaluable experience in many different areas of research, which allowed me to narrow down my interests. These came down to: Astrophysics or Neuroscience. In my late 20s I made the extremely difficult decision to go back to university, and take a shot at my dreams in science but it meant I had to start from the bottom and do a brand new undergraduate degree (which I am doing now). That was Fall of 2017 and I am on track to finish my 4-year BSci Undergraduate Degree in only 3 years.
 
So what I'm saying is, science, to me, means a second chance. It gave me an opportunity to explore what I love, do something interesting with my future, and give my career real meaning. Science has allowed me to learn more about who I am as an Indigenous person by being more involved with my community, doing outreach, doing knowledge translation, and teaching what I know to people who never had that opportunity as I was once in their shoes. Growing up I never saw any part of STEM being a possible career option for me and to give other people that opportunity means everything.   
 
How did you get interested in science? What motivates you to continue pursuing it?

I think I kind of touched on these questions in my previous answer but it's all part of my story. I fell into science unknowingly at a point in my life where I felt useless and alone and that fostered my interest.
My motivation to continue to be involved in science and make science part of my life is the need for knowledge translation. There is so much misinformation in a world where information is so easily accessible that there has been a huge demand for people who can take all of this amazing research that’s happening and translate it to something meaningful for everyone else. We live in a digital age where information can get twisted, and meanings can be lost with propaganda and agendas that do not favour the science community. The need for knowledge translation is higher than before. Indigenous people have been particularly susceptible to this.   
 
Who is your inspiration? Why?

I have many inspirations that I don't know if I could choose a single one. In my personal life my greatest inspiration is my mother and all of my aunts who taught me how to be a strong and capable woman. They have always supported everything I do and they have shown me themselves that they can do anything. As Indigenous women growing up in the time that they have, they overcame a lot, and I will always be inspired by the Indigenous women who have faced adversity and came out stronger than ever.    
 
How has your cultural identity impacted your career (or education) path?

My aboriginal identity impacted my career by further encouraging my passion for outreach and knowledge translation. As well as the need for improved and sophisticated mental health services for Indigenous people in Canada. Right now there is a scarcity of professionals that know how to treat Indigenous mental health issues, especially with extensive knowledge of the brain. There's so much potential for discovery of a community that needs the help more than ever. 
 
What are some of the challenges you have faced in pursuing science? How have you dealt with and/or overcome them?

Being an older, Indigenous, female in STEM comes with a fair share of challenges. I became very aware of this when the consulting firm I worked at had no women in the technical professional roles and the only woman in an office of approximately 30-50 people were in HR, finance, and administrative roles. I had never become that 'aware' that I was a female until I was placed in a technical role surrounded by males. It was challenging in that no one took me seriously, my work was often double and triple checked even when nobody else's was, I received smaller projects and smaller value clients, I was paid significantly less than my male counterparts, and I was ridiculed for not understanding things that were out of scope for my education level at the time (few years of university in Fashion and a few years in Business, so complex engineering concepts were not familiar to me, but expected). I found a lot of solace in my clients. The office was often a toxic environment but getting out into the real world with my huge selection of clients was a breath of fresh air. I was always welcomed by everyone, I always had positive feedback (from my bosses about my work - everyone loved me), and my clients were always doing very interesting work that they were eager to talk about. This also encouraged me to pursue science and do this work on my own, as I always had good ideas to discuss with them with good feedback that was exciting to me. So this helped me deal with my office environment not being a great place to be. Slowly, the female representation did increase in more technical roles in that office and now I think they have a few females who are working in my old position. 
 
When I came to Ryerson in 2017 things were very much more diverse, we are seeing a lot more females in science, and there's a lot more female role models as well. However, Indigenous representation in STEM is still very very limited and the search for role models is definitely challenging. I'm trying my best to improve that situation and be out as a role model for anybody (youth or adult) who's interested in STEM. The problem with the Indigenous community in general is that they have issues trusting outside concepts and 'colonial' ideas are almost always a threat to them. So knowledge translation within and to the community can be challenging for someone who is not sensitive to that or is a part of the community themselves. Even within the individual Indigenous communities there's a lot of resistance if you are not 'one of them' which is something that needs to change. Luckily the youth are very receptive to this and more and more communities are working together to build each other up and help each other out. The Indigenous people of Canada have gone through a horrific history that has consequences that trickle down and reach everyone within that community (myself not excluded), therefore I am constantly trying to set an example and be a role model for anyone in my community or anyone who has faced similar issues within these communities. 
 
What advice, if any, would you give to your younger self in terms of pursuing science?

Don't be so hard on yourself. The path I originally chose wasn't the right one for several reasons, but I wouldn't have any regrets about doing it and I would do it all again.  
 
Thank you, Jenna, for sharing your experiences with us. We can say with confidence that you are a role model not only to individuals within your community, but to all individuals wondering if science is for them. We wish you the best of luck as you continue on your journey into STEM.

Interview by Roni

Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, and where you’re from?

My name is Madeline Yaaka. I have just completed my first year at Queen’s University in Kingston. I am working towards my Bachelor of Science in biology. My goal is to eventually apply to medical school. I am an 18-year-old inuk from Kangiqsujuaq, Nunavik.

What does science mean to you?

Science means being curious about day to day life as well as trying to understand how the world around us works. There are both micro and macro questions to explore, from how flies impact their environment, to explaining how life on earth came to be. For me, science means being open to new ideas and sharing knowledge with others.

You are pursuing a degree in Biology. Were you always interested in biology? What made you choose this particular area of science?

Well, from a young age, my family and I would go camping and hunting, so I had many opportunities to learn about plants and animals. After a successful hunt, I would help my father butcher our catch for later consumption. I was always curious about the function of different organs and would examine them carefully, asking a lot of questions. I think that is why I am choosing to major in biology because I enjoy the opportunity to have a deeper understanding of the relationships between different species and their environments.

Do you have any inspirations from the STEM world?

There is no one specific person who inspires me in the STEM world. However, seeing indigenous students making progress through research and experimentation while incorporating traditional knowledge really inspires me to keep pursuing my education in the sciences.

Did you have anyone from outside the world of STEM who you were motivated by, in your childhood?

Yes, my parents were my most influential teachers growing up.

Can you share with us, some experiences you had, while growing up with your parents and what they taught you?

My late father was raised with a traditional Inuit lifestyle, so he was able to share his knowledge about hunting, camping and the importance of respecting the environment with me. My non-Inuk mother encouraged me to continue my education after high school. I was able to upgrade in Ontario by staying with members of her family. My time spent in Ontario helped me acquire the credits I needed to apply to post-secondary studies.

What are some other ways in which your cultural identity has impacted your career path?

The Inuit culture has a deep-rooted relationship with science. The knowledge that is still shared today has been passed down from generation to generation. The Inuit people successfully survived in one of the harshest environments on the planet, making them experts on their own land. Through adaptation and ingenuity, they improved methods of hunting and transportation over time. Stories I grew up hearing from elders about climate change are in fact, supported by western science. I find it quite fascinating which is why I enjoy studying science, since it makes the most sense to me.

What do you think is one of the hardest things about studying in STEM areas?

The hardest thing I’ve come across about studying science till now, has been keeping up with school-work. There are many assignments on top of readings to keep track of that can be hard to manage sometimes.

How do you keep track of all the schoolwork?

Having a calendar in my dorm room helps me keep up with upcoming due dates and tests throughout the year. Using these, I learned to best organize my time and my schedule and my time.

What is one of the most fun things about studying science?

I think one of the most fun things about studying science is being able to understand how things are constantly affecting each other. My favourite course last semester was Introduction to Organisms, which focussed on how parasites interact with their hosts. I learned to rethink how species in the Arctic environment are constantly impacting each others’ lifecycles, including our own.

Have you faced any challenges while being a STEM student?

I struggled with being home sick for the first few months while living away from my community. I missed traditional food and speaking my first language, Inuktitut.

How do you deal with the homesickness?

What really helped me was reaching out and attending programs which were aimed at connecting Indigenous students. I was able to attend conferences where I met people with similar experiences. Knowing that I was not alone as an indigenous student pursuing a post secondary education was quite comforting. Also, my mom sent me a supply of arctic char and caribou which was nice to have once in a while. When I miss speaking Inuktitut, I tend to listen to music or I call up a friend from home and talk for a bit.

What advice would you give your teenage self to help you overcome other
challenges and succeed in your STEM career?

I would tell myself to make more time for friends and stress-relieving activities. Finding a balance between academics and self care is very important. I spent a lot of time worrying about assignments and exams due to a lack of confidence in my own abilities.  I felt that I was at a disadvantage coming from a small, isolated community where education levels and standards are lower compared to the south. However, through hard work and determination, I was able to overcome these challenges and succeed.

Are there any stress-busting activities you like to pursue in your free time?

​I enjoy playing many sports such as hockey, volleyball and rock climbing. When I have some free time, I also like to sew traditional clothing such as parkas, sealskin boots and mittens. I try to take at least a two-hour break every day to do one of these activities in the evening.
 
Thank you, Madeline, for participating in our “Indigenous Peoples in STEM” interview series and sharing your experiences with us. We have learned a lot from you today and we hope your story will be an inspiration to other youth. 

Interview by Dhruv

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