Science, Technology, and Society Internship

The International Network for Governmental Science Advice (INGSA) is a non-governmental organization established in 2014 to create a unique network of practitioners and researchers who are interested in helping to structure and strengthen science-policy interfaces and processes in multiple contexts, from everyday policy-making to dealing with public emergencies, to strengthening diplomatic relationships. With three regional chapters in the Global South and collaborators across Europe and North America, INGSA develops resources and opportunities for training and exchange on the skills and structures at the science-policy interface. In collaboration with the International Science Council (ISC), we are developing a program of work for joint to develop a new suite of in-person and online training modules, aimed at the ISC membership globally.

The Task

Previously we’ve had an intern mapping actors and stakeholders in science policy interfaces across North America, which has helped us build the case for INGSA’s work there. We would like to build off that work to now develop a desk-study to map municipal-level science-policy interfaces (i.e. institutionalized mechanisms and practices of science advice to decision makers) in North America. The main output of the project would be a database of mechanisms/roles for each identified location (likely metropoles and medium-sized cities) and a short report outlining the common themes across these (e.g. the policy problems they tend to address, their institutional and other challenges/enablers etc).

The Position(s)

The intern will work with INGSA to develop an environmental scanning framework and search strategy to identify and log mechanisms, key roles, aims, sectors, etc. In addition to generating a contact list, this work will help characterize the current state of municipal-level science advice in North America, such as:

• The size of settlement and sectors in which it is most prevalent.
• The most common targets of science advice at this level.
• Gaps in scope or capabilities.
• Other elements to be discussed with the candidate.

Conditions

This is a remote position where the student is expected to work largely independently with regular (biweekly) mentoring meetings with INGSA secretariat. The data collection will be largely through online searches, but exploratory (i.e. non-research) interviews with municipal staff may be possible if the students is comfortable doing so and wishes to gain some experience preparing and undertaking interviews and processing interview data.

Preferred Competencies

• Fluency in English reading and writing, ability to efficiently summarize large amounts of written information.
• Experience conducting systematic online searches.
• Some knowledge of the theory and practice of science advice/science-policy interfaces.
• Experience in compiling and analyzing data.
• Ability to prepare, interpret and present material, including presentations, reports and research summaries.
• Ability to work and communicate with internal and external stakeholders.

Plant-Based Canada (PBC) is a registered non-profit organization, since 2019, dedicated to the well-being of humans, the environment and all its life forms. The need to transition globally to whole food plant-based living for individual and planetary health is urgent. There are a number of barriers to this occurring, on an individual and societal level, including a lack of knowledge on these issues. PBC wishes to fill this knowledge gap by providing trustworthy evidence-based education to health professionals, the public, students and policymakers. Our team is made up of 6 professionals including health-care professionals and nutrition experts, all founding team members since 2019, who have dedicated their time and expertise on a voluntary basis.

PBC educational activities to promote plant-based nutrition include social media outreach, hosting and participation in webinars and in-person conferences, engagement with policymakers, mentoring of students and healthcare professionals, contributing to the literature and collaboration with other organizations with the same goals. Our two main activities are the yearly Canadian Plant-Based Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine conference for health professionals and the public, which facilitates networking and collaboration as well as our PBC podcast which has over 75 published episodes to date and is listened to in 65 countries.  Through our activities, we wish to promote and provide a platform for Canadians advocating for plant-based nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine.

The Task

The goal of this internship is to provide the intern with an opportunity to learn the day-to-day working and processes of a small non-profit advocacy organization run by volunteers with big goals. The intern will get involved in the discussions, research and implementation of growth opportunities for the organization outlined below. We will work specifically on a new project for educational materials relating to the environmental impact of our food system on the environment.

The Position(s)

PBC is seeking an intern to (can be modified based on students interests):

• Review and update of existing official documentation and creation of standard operation procedures for new areas of growth.
• Research and implementation on opportunities for promotion and growth for PBC social media outreach. and the PBC podcast. A written report of this research and implementation to be provided by the intern.
• Social media posting on the latest nutrition-related research for health and the environment on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
• Creation of graphics and fact sheets for education of school and university students and the public on the environmental impact of the food system, including equity and justice issues.
• Review and update of PBC website with created resources.
• Creation of an end-of-year report on PBC activities on Canva.

Conditions

Meetings with the Director and/or PBC team will occur virtually weekly at a mutually agreed upon at a set time. In addition, interns can attend our team and coalition meetings. They must be able to work independently, under the guidance of the team. All meetings are virtual. We have no physical office.

Preferred Competencies

•  Strong writing skills with attention to detail.
• Excellent professional communication abilities.
• Familiarity (as a consumer) with science journalism.
• Interest in communicating science to the general audience.
• Experience in independent research and analysis.
• Strong work ethic and ability to follow through without constant supervision.
• Knowledge of Google Suite (email, docs, sheets, slides etc.).
• Experience using Canva.
• Experience in digital content creation (e.g. for social media or blogs) is an asset.
• Experience of social media is an asset.

Celebrating its 175^th anniversary in 2024, the Royal Canadian Institute of Science (RCIScience) is Canada’s oldest scientific organization. A registered charity, RCIScience’s award-winning programming builds science culture in Canada, providing a platform for public engagement with science and scientists to foster critical thinking, expand science dialogue and promote informed decision-making. RCIScience also provides scientists with hands-on training and opportunities to hone their communication skills on a real platform, with a real audience, so they can share their cutting-edge research with the public in creative, inspiring and thought-provoking ways.

The Task

As RCIScience prepares to launch its 175^th-anniversary celebrations in the fall, we have an exciting opportunity for an interested student(s) to delve into the scientific history of Toronto and Canada and share these compelling tales with the adult public. The Institute owns an extensive journal archive, hosted digitally on Canadiana and physically at the Fisher Rare Book Library, from which we hope to extract stories that explore the history of science in Canada and RCIScience’s role in shaping the research landscape. We are also developing a relationship with the Canadian Science and Technology Historical Association (CSTHA) for partnered public programming.

With guidance from our team, you will help identify stories of interest to our various audiences (adult public, scientists, funders, etc.), and we’ll work together to determine the best medium and platform to communicate these stories. Outputs may include social media content, videos, blog posts, magazine articles, an event or something else entirely. This research project will be shaped by your creativity and provides an opportunity to network and develop your communication strengths. Share your love of the history of science and grow a portfolio of science communication content on a real platform, with a real audience.

The Position(s)

RCIScience is seeking an intern to:

• Identify stories about the history of science in Toronto.
• Mine RCIScience’s archives for interesting and celebratory stories that showcase RCIScience’s role in shaping the history of science in Canada, highlight scientific discovery in Canada or show how research in the country has changed over time. We’ll work together to explore avenues of interest.
• Develop their science communication skills to share these stories with a variety of audiences (adult public, scientists, funders, etc.) through a range of media (including social media, video, in-person events, blog or magazine articles, a timeline, infographic or something else entirely).
• Topics could include the history and science of coffee, cocktails, and alcohol, a “haunted” science history walk around Toronto, science-art, spotlight on unsung historical scientific figures etc.

Conditions

Remote working, with opportunities to join in-person events and meetings in the GTA.

Together, we’ll develop a workplan and identify key deliverables. The intern(s) must be available for weekly virtual progress meetings with the Programs Manager, to be determined at a mutually agreed time. They’ll also have the opportunity to attend bi-weekly team meetings, as appropriate. Must be able to work independently, under the guidance of the team.

Preferred Competencies

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, particularly for non-expert audiences.
• A passion for history of science.
• A passion for science communication and learning best practices in the field.
• Familiar with Google suite. Professional email communication.
• Expertise with Canva.
• Experience in digital content creation, e.g. for social media or blogs, is an asset.
• Video editing skills an asset.

Located at the University of Toronto, the Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society (SRI) is an interdisciplinary research and policy institute whose mission is to deepen our knowledge of technologies, societies, and what it means to be human by integrating research across traditional boundaries and building human-centred solutions that really make a difference. The integrative research we conduct rethinks technology’s role in society, the contemporary needs of human communities, and the systems that govern them. We’re investigating how best to align technology with human values and deploy it accordingly. The human-centred solutions we build are actionable and practical, highlighting the potential of emerging technologies to serve the public good while protecting citizens and societies from their misuse. We want to make sure powerful technologies truly make the world a better place—for everyone.

The Task

The SRI has exciting opportunity for an interested student to delve into the history of a notable technology and how it reshaped social structures like governance, economic participation or methods of communication. We’ll work together to select a technology and select the best methods for collecting, analysing and disseminating findings. Outputs may include blog posts, or support towards a larger policy project that helps to shape the trajectory of AI governance and regulation.

The Position(s)

SRI is seeking an intern to:

• Work along the SRI policy to identify and showcase how a notable technology reshaped social structures like governance, economic participation or methods of communication;
• Develop their science communication skills and knowledge of AI governance and regulatory policy through immersion with SRI staff, participation in programming, in-person events, research and writing including, blog posts.

Conditions

Together, we’ll develop a work plan and identify key deliverables. The intern must be available for weekly progress meetings with the Executive Director to be determined at a mutually agreed time. They must also be able to work independently, under the guidance of the Policy team. The intern will work in a hybrid environment, with opportunities to work remotely and join in-person events and meetings in the GTA.

Preferred Competencies

• Excellent written and oral communication skills, particularly for non-expert audiences.
• A passion for history of science.
• Expertise in and passion for research and writing.
• Enthusiasm for artificial intelligence and topics related to its governance and regulation.
• A passion for science communication and learning best practices in the field.
• Professional email communication.
• Familiarity with Microsoft and communication tools like Slack.

Scarborough Centre for Healthy Communities (SCHC) is dedicated to meeting the diverse, holistic health needs of the communities of Scarborough by addressing the physical, mental, social, financial and environmental aspects of their health. Through the promotion of healthy lifestyles and the delivery of a comprehensive range of culturally competent health and social services, we cultivate vital and connected communities.

The Task

Community-based research is a research approach that follows three principles: community-focused, participatory and action-oriented. The essential notion of this approach is that it is the community or population of focus members that collaboratively design the research and decide the outcomes. They collaborate on how to measure success, how to analyze the selected data and how to interpret the results and how to build action plans that will result in meaningful improvements in their lives. SCHC has CBR research priorities and an approach to determining key projects to conduct that will propel us into the role as a leader in our community on CBR.

The objective of this internship is to engage in CBR-specific research questions, utilizing the CBR framework to conduct and evaluate it as a project, potentially select policy changes and net new policy developments required over time to get us to an action-oriented outcome with the community of focus it is intending to positively impact. The student will be expected to engage community members and utilize qualitative content analysis and literature review to co-create an action plan that demonstrates key opportunities to challenge the identified pain point.  In turn, the project will seek to provide recommendations to help the organization’s leaders push for reflective evaluation that is rooted in co-design and equity of opportunities to better health outcomes.

The Position(s)

SCHC is seeking an intern to conduct active community engagement, literature review and provide an action plan that will identify, a set of key actionable items for funders and community members to help challenge the identified pain point. This should result in at least one of the following:

Healthier People:

• Reduced barriers (i.e. stigma) to accessing care faced by SCHC priority populations.
• Improved integration between SCHC programs and external programs.

Healthier Communities:

• Formulated and improved SCHC evidence collection for decision-making and funding.
• A shift towards upstream interventions targeting social determinants of health to better meet communities where they’re at.

Conditions

The internship will be mostly remote, with possible need to come on-site occasionally. The intern will meet with their supervisor bi-weekly, or more often, if necessary.

Preferred Competencies 

• Ability to reflect and consider the impact of population health outcomes on a variety of life situations that might not be readily captured in conventional census data.  
• Ability to utilize qualitative data to verify findings and support challenges to shift thinking in current methodology.
• Good communication skills in presentation and report writing.

Co-educational, bilingual and internationally minded since 1962, Toronto French School (TFS), Canada’s International School teaches the curricula of France and Ontario through the framework established by the IB programs, leading to the French National Brevet diploma, the Ontario Secondary School Diploma and the Advanced Bilingual IB Diploma. As such, it offers an experience that is rich in challenge, diversity, and opportunity to students whose families come from 40+ different countries.

The Task

At TFS, students undertake the IB Diploma program during their last two years of high school. The unique and highly regarded Theory of Knowledge (TOK) course provides an opportunity for students to reflect on the nature of knowledge and on how we know what we claim to know. The TOK course is mandatory for all students and is central to the educational philosophy of the Diploma program. Through discussions of these and other questions, students gain greater awareness of their personal and ideological assumptions, as well as developing an appreciation of the diversity and richness of cultural perspectives. In completing this course, students also earn the Ontario HZT4U credit, Philosophy: Questions & Theories. Further information about the TOK course is linked here.

As part of the mandate to integrate TOK across all subject areas, STS/HPS Internship / Specialist positions are being opened for September 2022. The primary purpose is to facilitate the integration of the aims and objectives of the TOK program into TFS teaching and learning experiences. The Intern(s) / Specialist(s) will work collaboratively with TOK teachers and subject teachers to further develop TOK integration at TFS, beginning in the Diploma years (grades 11 & 12) and subsequently expanding to include younger age groups. The Intern(s) / Specialist(s) will report to the IB Diploma Coordinator / Director of Teaching & Learning and will work collaboratively with the branch. They will be responsible for interacting with students while developing and facilitating enriching academic programming.

The Position(s)

Responsibilities will include:

• Participation and co-facilitation of seminar discussions relating to the TOK curriculum.
• Interaction with students to foster curiosity and critical thinking in oral and written communication;
• Development of TOK-related teaching and learning activities in various Diploma subject areas (math, human sciences, natural sciences, history, arts) in consultation with teachers;
• Support for subject teachers when integrating TOK activities;
• Development of TOK-related teaching and learning activities for use in pre-Diploma grades.

Conditions

Work hours can be determined jointly with the school. The goal will be to have the Intern(s) / Specialist(s) working with a variety of TOK classes during in-person learning over our 10-day cycle. Development of teaching and learning activities and meetings with teachers can happen at various times that are mutually convenient.

TFS has adopted a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy requiring vaccination for all eligible members of the community. New interns will be required to provide their proof of vaccination to the HR department on their first day on site.

Preferred Competencies

We welcome candidates who embrace our TFS values of integrity, discernment, respect, and engagement. We are looking for engaging interns/specialists who can provide authentic learning opportunities to students. The following competencies are desirable:

•  Experience with seminar-style instruction and the ability to support discussion-based creative and critical thinking is key in this role.
• Experience with seminar-style instruction and the ability to support discussion-based creative and critical thinking is key in this role.
• A passion for working with youth, experience facilitating programs with class size groups, as well as experience developing educational programs and/or activities.
• Knowledge of/background in philosophy and one or more of the following TOK Areas of Knowledge: history, the human sciences, the natural sciences, the arts and mathematics.