Scientists of the Future

 

Recruiting the Next Generation of Public Service Scientists 

The combination of federal downsizing and the upcoming retirement of baby boomers who have dominated the labour market for a number of years, there is a need for rejuvenatation of the public service. As an organizational resource, today's youth offer a high level of education, technological experience, and potentially innovative and competitive advantages to the government sector. Understanding the attitudes, concerns, and expectations of this generation is essential to building a recruitment strategy and a workplace that will be challenging, rewarding, and attractive.

The overall objectives of this study are:

1. To hold four (4) separate e-Dialogues with students from across North America and stakeholders to assess the recruitment needs (scientific discipline, skill set and professional profile of Health Canada and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the next generation of public service research scientists

2. To make recommendations on recruitment strategies for the identified sub-group within the public service science cohort

3. To develop a research methodology that can be used to develop recruitment strategies for other subgroups within the public service science cohort.
 

BackgroundPublic Policy Forum Report
The quality of individuals being attracted to the Public Service is of fundamental importance to any countries competitiveness. After years of downsizing, restricted recruitment, frozen salaries, and increasing competition from other sectors in society, the federal Public Service needs to develop new ways to attract employees to its workforce. It is recognized that the government faces a number of recruitment challenges which are unique to its sector. In recent years, there has been a growing concern that the Public Service is not attracting individuals with the skills required to address future challenges. Traditional public stereotypes continue to erode the professional pride of public servants, and the media continually highlight negative stories about public servants rather than their many positive contributions. These factors do little to attract new recruits to the Public Service.
ModeratorsPublic Policy Forum Report
Ann
Ann Dale, Professor, Science, Technology & Environment Division, Royal Roads University.
Nancy
Nancy Averill, Director, Research & Methodology, Public Policy Forum
Graduate Participants

Laura Ambrose, MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Biology, Luther College, University of Regina

Apurv Bhargava, MSc.,Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Victoria

Kristen Brennand, BSc. (Hons.), A.M., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Harvard University

David Conrad, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Dalhousie University

Jamie Doyle, MSc., PBiol, PMP, Senior Project Manager, Jacques Whitford Environment Limited

Negar Elmieh, MS., MPH., Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia

Hubert Fortier, MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Chemistry Dalhousie University

Heather Hannah, D.V.M., MSc., Environmental Epidemiology, Colorado State University

Scott Harding, MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, School of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, McGill University

Huda Henry-Riyad, MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Chemistry, University of Toronto

Alain Joseph, MSc.,Ph.D. Candidate (interdisciplinary), School of Resource Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University

Rob Joseph, BSc., Ph.D. Candidate , Department of Microbiology & Immunology , Dalhousie University

Genevieve Labbe, BSc., MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo

Adam La Rusic, P.Eng, Special Projects Engineer, Environmental Protection Branch, Environment Canada

Jiun-Ni Lui, BSc., MSc, Ph.D. Candidate, Nutritional Toxicology, McGill University

Adam Mott, BSc. (Hons.), Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard University

Jeff Powell, Ph.D. Candidate, Fungal and Soil Ecology Lab, Department of Botany, University of Guelph

Kirthi Robert, BSc., MASc., Ph.D. Candidate, Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability, University of British Columbia

Krystal Rypien, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University

Corwin Sullivan, BSc. (Hons.), MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard

Neil Surry, MSc., Senior Environmental Mediator, DRSystems Inc

Mireille Vega, Ph.D Candidate, Department of Food Science and Agricultural chemistry, McGill University

Sonia Wesche, MSc., Ph.D. Candidate, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, Wilfrid Laurier University

 

ReadingsPublic Policy Forum Report
On-Line Readings

Note: EBSCOhost (http://www.epnet.com/ ) offers fulltext and bibliographic databases online. EBSCOhost requires a subscription, and is subscribed to by many libraries. If you are a Royal Roads University learner or staff, you can access EBSCOhost at: http://library.royalroads.ca/ - Search for Articles link.

 

Nyquist, J. 2002. The Phd: a tapestry of change for the 21st century. Change.

http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1254/6_34/94129279/p1/article.jhtml

Books & Articles 

Ben-David, Joseph. 1971. The scientist’s role in society. Englewood Cliffs.

 

Boix Mansilla, V., Gardner, H., Miller, W. 1999. On disciplinary lenses and interdisciplinary work. In: P. Grossman & S. Wineburg (Eds.). Disciplinary Encounters. New York: Teachers College Press.

 

Dickens, P. 2003. Changing our environment, changing ourselves: critical realism and transdisciplinary research. Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, Vol. 28, No. 2. p 105 (pdf).

 

Elsof, L. 2003. Technological Education, Interdisciplinarity, and the Journey Toward Sustainable Development: Nurturing New Communities of Practice. Brock University 21 pp (pdf).

 

Epton, S. R., Payne,R.L., Pearson, A.W.(eds) 1983. Managing interdisciplinary research. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

 

Funtowicz, S.O., Ravetz, J.R. 1994. Uncertainty, Complexity and Post-Normal Science. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Vol 13, No. 12, pp. 001-005.
(pdf).

 

Funtowicz, S., Ravetz, J.R. 1993. Science for the Post-Normal Age. Futures, Vol 25, p 735-755.

 

Galison, P., Stump, D. J. 1996. The Disunity of Science. Boundaries, Contexts, and Power. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

 

Gardner, H. 1999. The Disciplined Mind: What All Students Should Understand. New York: Simon & Schuster.

 

Klein, Julie Thompson. 1996. Crossing Boundaries: Knowledge, Disciplinarities, and Interdisci-plinarities. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.

 

Laudel, G. 2001. Collaboration, creativity and rewards: why and how scientists collaborate. International Journal of Technology Management. Vol 22, pp762-781.

Nowotny, H., Scott, P., Gibbons M. (2001). Re-Thinking Science. Knowledge and the Public in an Age of Uncertainty. Cambridge: Polity Press.

 

Polikarov, A. 1995. Concerning the Integration of Sciences: Kinds and Stages’. Journal of General Philosophy of Science, V26, pp 297-312.

 

Moran, J. 2002. Interdisciplinarity. London: Routledge.

 

Ravetz, J. 1999. What is Post-Normal Science? Futures. Vol 31, p 647-654.

Smith, J., Snidery, S., 1998. Facing the Challenge. Recruiting the Next Generation of University Graduates to the Public Service. The Public Policy Forum. The Public Service Commission of Canada. Ont. 97 pp.

 

Stehr, N., Weingart, P. 2000. Practising interdisciplinarity. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.

 

Wynne, B. 1996. Misunderstood misunderstandings: social identities and public uptake of science. In Irwin,. A., Wynne B., (eds) Misunderstanding science? Cambridge UP. p 19-46.

Websites 

 

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.http://www.agr.gc.ca/

Earth Sciences Sector. Geomatics for Sustainable Development of Natural Resources. Natural Resources Canada http://gsdnr.nrcan.gc.ca/home_e.cfm

Health Canada. http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/english/

Interdisciplines. Rethinking Interdisciplinarity. http://www.interdisciplines.org/interdisciplinarity/papers/6/2

Kay, J. 1998. Ecosystems, Science and Sustainability. University of Waterloo.

http://www.ecologistics.com/nesh/scisust.html

 

Rothstein, E. 2001. Coming to Blows Over How Valid Science Really Is. New York Times http://homepages.ed.ac.uk/ajbird/research/reviews/NYTimes_review.html

The Public Policy Forum. 2003. Deliberative Polling in Canada Workshop.
http://www.ppforum.ca/ow/deliberative_polling_canada.pdf

Toward a Post-Normal Science: New Approaches to Research. Faculty of Environmental Studies,University of Waterloo. http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/u/mbldemps/meth/pnsresearch/

 
Royal Roads University
Science, Technology & Environment Division
edialogues@royalroads.ca