UCalgary and De Beers Group host STEM camp for Indigenous girls

Calgary, AB – The University of Calgary and De Beers group are proud to announce they will host a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Camp for Indigenous girls from the Northwest Territories between July 24-28, 2023.

Nine girls between the ages of 11 and 15 and a caregiver accompanying each participant from five Indigenous groups will take part. The participants live in Yellowknife, Hay River, Behchoko and Deline, NWT. While at the camp, the participants will take part in a range of activities over three-and-a-half days, including an IndigeSTEAM Robot PowWow, a tour of the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory, a class about the mathematics behind origami, and a gemmology crash course.

The University of Calgary is thrilled to welcome the nine girls from the Northwest Territories to the university campus.  With cutting edge research and innovation right at their fingertips, the girls will spend the week soaking in all the university has to offer, with a focus on the Faculty of Science and the Schulich School of Engineering. The university believes sparking a curiosity and love for science at a young age builds the foundation for a healthier tomorrow.

This program is part of De Beers’ Building Forever initiative, which includes 12 ambitious goals to achieve by 2030 in four key pillar areas where the organization believes they can make a meaningful impact – leading ethical practices, partnering for thriving communities, protecting the natural world and accelerating equal opportunity. These are vitally important not only to the business, but also to De Beers’ employees, partners and communities across all facets of the operations.

The camp will be the fourth held by De Beers since 2018 and the first in partnership with UCalgary. All costs associated with participating in the camp are being covered by De Beers and the university, including transportation, accommodation, meals and activities.

The STEM camps, along with scholarships for Canadian women enrolled in STEM university programs, are designed to foster interest in STEM careers among women, an area traditionally dominated by men.

Media Availability: Please see the schedule for events that can be attended by media below. Please contact the Faculty of Science communications to schedule interviews.

Media inquiries

Nadine Sander-Green
Senior External Communications
Faculty of Science
867-335-9758
nadine.sandergreen@ucalgary.ca

About the University of Calgary
UCalgary is Canada’s entrepreneurial university, located in Canada’s most enterprising city. It is a top research university and one of the highest-ranked universities of its age. Founded in 1966, its 35,000 students experience an innovative learning environment, made rich by research, hands-on experiences and entrepreneurial thinking. It is Canada’s leader in the creation of start-ups. Start something today at the University of Calgary.

For more information, visit ucalgary.ca. Stay up to date with UCalgary news headlines on Twitter @UCalgary. For access to UCalgary news releases, images and b-roll, and details on faculties and how to reach experts, check out our newsroom at ucalgary.ca/newsroom.

About De Beers Group
De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, and marketing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia, and South Africa. As part of the company’s operating philosophy, the people of De Beers Group are committed to ‘Building Forever’ by making a lasting contribution to the communities in which they live and work, and transforming natural resources into shared national wealth. For further information about De Beers Group, visit www.debeersgroup.com. 

STEM camp schedule for media

Tuesday, July 24

IndigeSTEAM Robot Pow-Wow

9 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 4 pm

Location: Information and Communications Technology, room 215

Wednesday, July 25

Creative circuits workshop

9 am to 10:30 pm

Location: Information and Communications Technology, room 215

Soldering workshop

10:30 am to 12 pm

Location: Information and Communications Technology, room 215

Thursday, July 26

The Mathematics Behind Origami

10:30 am to 12 pm

 Location: Mathematical Sciences 325