Dr. Hiromi Matsui

Biography:
Hiromi Matsui was born in a BC internment camp organized by the Canadian government to remove Canadians of Japanese ancestry away from the coast during World War II. The experience of being part of a community that was uprooted led to her interest in power structures in large organizations and to the contribution that women make to the economy.

She studied at the University of Waterloo and the London School of Economics where she focused on the contribution that working women make to the economy. She is the former Director, Diversity and Recruitment in the Faculty of Applied Sciences at Simon Fraser University and is Co-Chair of the Women in SETT project of CCWESTT. She is an advocate for the retention and promotion of women in science and technology and is currently based in the IRMACS Centre, an interdisciplinary research centre at Simon Fraser University.

Abstract:
Her talk will review a range of interpretations of what the democratization of science means to different communities and how this relates to science policy. She will discuss the roles of academic researchers, government bureaucrats and science policy specialists, noting the fundamental value differences in these systems and the challenges arising from structural barriers to communication.

How does the democratization of Science lead to good science policy? Canada takes pride in its democratic governance but falls well behind many countries in terms of innovation and productivity measures. The Canadian labour market has a high proportion of educated, skilled workers, who could contribute to the growth of the Canadian economy, but what are the key factors inhibiting the full use of Canada's human resource potential? The democratization of science can place Canada in a more competitive place in the global economy but national leadership is needed to effect this change.