Dear Thought Leader, 

1. Celebrating 30 Years of Let’s Talk Science: President and Founder, Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, on Humble Origins and Hopeful Tomorrows.
2. A Majority of New Teachers Aren’t Prepared to Teach With Technology. What’s the Fix?
3. Global University Systems Canada Hosts Symposium at UN Headquarters: Bridging the Education Gap for Sustainable Development Goals Advancement.
4. Sky’s the limit: A McMaster Engineering student’s ascent to a career in aerospace.
5. We are honoured to partner with the following upcoming events featured in this report: Serious Play Conference (Toronto), EdTech Week NYC and the ICDE World Conference (Costa Rica). We welcome and greatly value strategic partnerships that support learning & innovation.   

In late breaking news from our valued partner TakingItGlobal! A TDSB student, Nodin Outten-Joseph, was selected as one of the two National winners of the Your Voice is Power coding and music program we run with Amazon Future Engineer. Nodin is a recent graduate of Wandering Spirit School. Nodin was recognized this week in the House of Commons by his MP Julie Dabrusin, and in the Senate by Senator Marilou McPhedran. You can see a video of Nodin's MP speaking in the House about him here: https://vimeo.com/866153984

Special thanks to our team, student interns and advisory board members for their incredible commitment and support in getting off to a great start for back to school 2023.  

In closing, we are always looking for MindShareTV newsworthy stories to share around learning & innovation across Canada and beyond. And, do let us know how we can help you with your digital transformation as we specialize in connecting the dots between education and the EdTech sector to help all students thrive!  

I hope you can join us at our upcoming Canadian EdTech Summit! Do reach out to me if you have any further questions, or wish to participate as an EdTech partner sponsor. 

Until next time, stay healthy, stay safe, and keep the digital learning curve steep! 

The economic recession of the early 1990s hit scientific research hard—there were cuts to funding, grants disappeared, and, because there is very little public outreach, the negative impacts were not recognized by the public. It was a time of uncertainty, and in the science community, the recession forced some hard questions about whether the public valued scientific research. While this was happening, in 1991, Bonnie Schmidt was working towards her PhD in Physiology at Western University in London, Ontario. Having changed paths after failing the manual carving test on the Dental Aptitude Test—twice—Schmidt was still figuring out exactly where she wanted her life to go when she began noticing the division between the metaphorical town and gown. She started bridging that divide by mobilizing university students to bring science into classrooms across their community. With just a handful of graduate students and support from some key mentors, Schmidt began to lay the foundation for what would become the national, award-winning, charitable organization Let’s Talk Science.

The Development Learning Center of Warren’s esports arena has been designed for students with autism and autistic-like behavior  

Offering a wide variety of experiences and enrichment activities in and out of the classroom for students of all abilities is key to leveling the playing field. Esports, in particular, can provide engaging opportunities to help all students build skills such as collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving. 

Insurance platform Nowly and Teachers Life Insurance have named the nine grant recipients of the Press Start CoLab Program.

With $50,000 in seed funding from Nowly and Teachers Life, alongside an additional $11,000 from OTIP, these recipients can continue developing original programs that address mental health issues impacting communities across Canada.

Students from the Ottawa Catholic School Board recently took part in the “Your Voice is Power” Hackathons, where they developed coding and music skills while learning about Indigenous histories. The program teaches them about the history of Hip-Hop, introduces them to Indigenous role models, and encourages them to reflect on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

The education charity TakingITGlobal delivers the program with support from Amazon Future Engineer and the CanCode program. The program was designed by Indigenous educators in collaboration with the University of British Columbia’s Cloud Innovation Centre.

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NEW YORK, Sept. 20, 2023 /CNW/ - Today, Global University Systems Canada (GUS Canada) is hosting a momentous event titled "Bridging the Educational Divide" right at the heart of the United Nations General Assembly headquarters in New York. As a leading network of independent higher education institutions, GUS Canada is committed to delivering quality independent education and driving economic impact in Canada while also dedicating efforts to play a global role in advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This significant gathering will address the educational and digital disparities prevalent in Ibero-America. As part of this symposium, GUS Canada proudly announces a groundbreaking collaboration with the International Youth Organization for Ibero-America (OIJ).

New CrimsonZip website aims to get Harvard community off couch by helping people find others looking for a workout — or just a walk

Exercise’s health benefits are clear — it lowers the risk of everything from cardiovascular disease to cancer, obesity to depression. But even for those aware of all this, getting off the couch and out the door can be a challenge.

Enter CrimsonZip, a new effort debuting this fall to get Harvard moving with the help of a mobile phone app and a new website. It is designed especially for the University community and encourages all kinds of physical activity, from rigorous endeavors like running, swimming, lifting, and exercise classes to just going for a walk or a leisurely bike ride.

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) today announced a milestone of $33 million in funding towards a new state-of-the-art Trades and Technology Complex. The Trades and Technology Complex will increase access for students pursuing a trades and technology education and career, which will help the Province of BC meet the demand for an estimated 85,000 new trades jobs expected over the next 10 years. Contributions from over 45 organizations and individuals towards the construction of the Trades and Technology Complex demonstrates the incredible connectivity and collaboration between BCIT and industry.

anisha Mattapalli moved from India to Canada without knowing a word of English. Entering kindergarten in Calgary, she found that she didn’t have a voice. Throughout her school years, she worked hard to overcome the language barriers, immersing herself in her studies and dreaming of one day connecting the worlds of computer science and business.

After immigrating from South Africa at the age of 11, Samuel Ergando had to deal with massive cultural differences between Canada and his home country — everything from living non-communally to different expectations from school. With dreams of joining the world of finance when he grew up, he focused on academics to make it through his hardest years transitioning to a new country and way of life.