The Root & STEM Podcast

In this episode of Root & STEM, Beth, a classroom teacher from Cambridge Bay, NU, Beth Sampson shares her journey from Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, to becoming a senior high math and science specialist in a remote Nunavut community. Beth discusses her academic background, the challenges and opportunities of digital citizenship, and her pursuit of a master's degree in Creativity, Sustainability, and Innovation through Cape Breton U...

Vivian Lee, Director of Education and Strategy for the Open Digital Literacy and Access Network (ODLAN), discusses the organization's mission to support underserved LGBTQIA+ communities with digital literacy and safety. Vivian shares insights on what digital literacy entails, its critical components, and why it matters. She elaborates on digital citizenship and its broader implications, including online safety, parental guidance, a...

In this episode, Jon Corbett, an assistant professor at Simon Fraser University, discusses the importance of integrating Indigenous languages and cultural symbols into computing technologies. He highlights his work in developing a computer science curriculum that incorporates an Indigenous viewpoint and the challenges of alienation faced by Indigenous communities in Westernized technology environments. Jon also shares examples of c...

In this episode, Christine M'Lot, a seasoned teacher, curriculum developer, and newly appointed associate publisher of Portage and Main Press, shares her innovative approach to teaching through hip-hop. Christine delves into her personal connection to hip-hop music and how it has influenced her teaching philosophy. She discusses her unique use of hip-hop and rap lyrics as a tool for teaching poetry and describes the challenges and ...

In this episode, Courtney Cameron, East Region Coordinator for Makers Making Change, discusses her role and the organization's mission to provide low-cost, open-source assistive technology. Makers Making Change operates under the Neil Squire Society, which focuses on designing and producing affordable assistive technology for people with disabilities. Courtney explains the program's origins, including the inspiring story of Neil Sq...

In this episode of the Root & STEM Podcast, host Salma is joined by Maura Grossman, a research professor at the University of Waterloo and an expert in responsible artificial intelligence. They dive into the topic of deepfakes, discussing their differences from other manipulated media, their impact on political processes, and the concept of the liar's dividend. Grossman also explores advancements in detection technologies, regu...

 On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, artist, educator and environmentalist, Betty Carpick, speaks about her unique interest and skill in creating art with natural supplies. She begins by explaining how her interest in art first developed (01:15). Betty tells us how she identifies and harvests plants to create her natural inks (08:08) and describes the process of turning the plants into inks ready to be used (10:18)...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, muralist Jess Spagnolo, brings us along her journey as an artist. She begins by sharing her behind the scenes thoughts during the illustration of the Root & STEM magazine’s issue 9 cover (01:02). Jess details her university experience and subsequent shift towards muralism after a disenchantment with conventional art schooling (02:23). She describes her approach to a blank wall (06...

On this episode of The Root & STEM Podcast, we hear from Indigenous climate researcher, Janna Wale, a policy advisor at Canada Climate Institute. Janna begins by reminiscing on her interest in schooling as a youth (00:50). She then describes her role and some of her current responsibilities at the Canada Climate Institute (02:01). Janna tells us about her inspiration behind dedicating her career to climate research (05:38), bef...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, Director Of Heritage for the Government of Nunavut, Caroline Whittle, shares her insight on the state of language preservation among the Inuit community in Nunavut. She begins by explaining her position with the Government of Nunavut and sharing some of her day to day responsibilities. (01:10). Next, Caroline describes the reason English has become the predominant language in the Nort...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, Sofia Osborne speaks with Tania Willard, an Indigenous artist/curator and assistant professor at the University of British Columbia about her journey as an artist and connecting with and expressing her culture. Tania begins by sharing how her passion for art began and takes us through the stages of her career (01:08). Next, she offers some advice to art educators working in rural and ...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, Sheena Bolton and Timothy King of the Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) explain CyberTitan, a cybersecurity competition for middle and high schoolers organized by the ICTC.

Tim breaks down what goes on during a CyberTitan competition and the benefits a competitor might take away from the experience (05:02). Next, Tim reveals who prepares the objectives for Cyber...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, former Pinnguaq co-op student, Julia Young, shares her unique journey as a highschool student and the helpful tips and tools she learned along the way. She begins by explaining The Science Behind podcast series she created with no prior media production or teaching experience. (03:21). Next, Julia describes Harnessing The Benefits: The Digital World, the second podcast she created for...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, Christine Menard of Get Cyber Safe shares loads of tips and advice regarding cybersecurity. She begins with an explanation of what Get Cyber Safe is (01:20), and continues by revealing which demographics are the highest risk for cyber attacks (03:08). Christine lays out an immediate action plan for the scenario of facing a ransomware attack (10:33) and shares her thoughts on why passw...

Winners of the 2023 Kawartha Lakes Hackathon, Callum Penney and Aiden Mackey, recap their experience participating in the event. They are joined by Tanner Big Canoe, a Junior Software Developer at Pinnguaq and co-organizer of the hackathon, Tanner Big Canoe who provides some context on hackathons and how they can be beneficial to competitors.

To learn more, check out the latest issue of the Root & STEM magazine, AI Amplified: St...

Lawyer and UOIT Business Law Professor, Dr. Rajen Akalu offers insights on the privacy concerns of artificial intelligence and data collection. He shares examples of misuse of personal user data (12:03) and describes the current legislation aimed at protecting the privacy of Canadians (23:13). Dr. Akalu also identifies a middle ground between business and ethics when it comes to privacy and explains how to use AI safely and effecti...

On this episode of The Root & STEM Podcast, host and journalist Sofia Osborne speaks with Aidan Pine, a researcher working on the Indigenous Language Technology project at the Canadian National Research Council. Pine shares what got him interested in language revitalization (00:56). He then explains how his endangered language dictionary app Mother Tongues was founded (03:35). Aidan explains the ReadAlong Studio, a part of the ...

On this episode of the Root & STEM podcast, Richard Van Camp, shares all about his ongoing graphic novel series The Spirit of Denendeh. He begins by crediting those who contributed to the creation of the books (00:45). Richard reviews A Blanket of Butterflies, the first volume of The Spirit of Denendeh (03:20), before teasing the newly released second volume, As I Unfold You in Petals (09:59). Richard touches on including cultu...