Impact Statement:

Since 1991, Cindy Adams has led Scientists in School, a Pickering, Ontario based social enterprise charity that delivers high-quality, hands-on STEM enrichment workshops to children aged 3–14 across Canada. Under her leadership, the organization has grown from a regional outreach program into a national leader in science education, reaching nearly 12 million young scientists. Equity and diversity have always been a focus, with a commitment to increasing engagement amongst girls, as well as youth in underserved communities. Cindy oversees a $4 million budget, a staff team of 50, and a network of 200 trained workshop presenters.

Scientists in School brings richly investigative workshops to classrooms and community settings. Led by topic-expert presenters using dynamic teaching approaches, scientific equipment and materials, children are encouraged to experiment, question, and discover while connecting science and engineering to the world around them.

In its early years, as participation grew rapidly across Southern Ontario, Cindy made the bold decision to adopt a social enterprise model, charging a modest fee paid by schools, school boards, or parent council fundraising. This innovative approach allowed Scientists in School to professionalize its operations, pay a modest presenter stipend, invest in program development, and expand across Ontario and into Alberta, while remaining focused on strong youth and teacher outcomes. 

Understanding that cost was a barrier to participation, Cindy simultaneously cultivated philanthropic partnerships that allowed the organization to provide free workshops to children across under-served communities. This dual funding model became a defining feature of the organization and remains the foundation of its sustainability. It also ensures that access to high-quality STEM enrichment is determined by need and opportunity rather than ability to pay.

By January 2020, under Cindy’s leadership, Scientists in School had engaged 10 million children and was delivering approximately 25,000 English and French workshops reaching 700,000 children annually across Ontario and Alberta. Nearly 30% of those workshops served low-income populations.

By March 2020, the pandemic had closed schools and community programs and presented an unprecedented challenge. Rather than viewing the pandemic as a threat to the organization’s future, Cindy recognized an opportunity to reimagine how STEM enrichment could be delivered across a country as geographically vast as Canada. Cindy quickly led the organization through a strategic pivot to online delivery that retained the critical hands-on and investigative components at the heart of the Scientists in School experience. Within months, Kindergarten to Grade 8 topics were redesigned. Materials for every child were shipped directly to classrooms and community organizations, while scientist presenters led the live interactive workshops online.

As society recovered from the pandemic, Cindy led a second impactful pivot by reintroducing on-site programming where presenter teams were in place pre-pandemic, while stewarding growth of the national online model. Today, Scientists in School offers on-site workshops in southern Ontario and Alberta with online programming available anywhere in Canada. Last year alone, the organization engaged more than 320,000 children in over 600 communities spanning from Vancouver Island to Iqaluit to Labrador City to Halifax. Approximately 62% of workshops took place in schools serving low-income populations, and 18% in rural and remote communities, reflecting Cindy’s longstanding commitment to equity in STEM education.

These transformations demonstrate Cindy’s creativity, resilience, and ability to adapt to rapidly changing circumstances while remaining firmly committed to deepening outcomes for the organization’s youth STEM mission. Through changing delivery models, funding mechanisms, and business approaches, she has successfully guided staff, presenters, and the Board of Directors while maintaining a focus on continuous improvement, strong governance, inclusivity, and equitable access.

The significance of this work extends well beyond participation numbers. In partnership with Western University, Scientists in School supported a longitudinal study that examined the long-term impact of multiple years of participation across students’ middle school years. The study found that students who participated in multiple workshops across during grades 6 to 8 demonstrated increased confidence and interest, with particularly strong gains among girls. It also showed lasting interest into high school. These findings validate what countless students, teachers, and parents have shared through their own stories: meaningful hands-on experiences with science enrichment can have a lasting influence on how young people view science and their place within it.

Through more than three decades of visionary leadership, Cindy has transformed a grassroots outreach program into one of Canada’s largest and most impactful STEM enrichment charities. By implementing a sustainable social enterprise model, prioritizing high calibre programs, expanding access for underserved communities, and leading a national expansion, she has connected science and society for nearly 12 million young scientists across Canada. As a scientist, community-focused leader, and founding Executive Director, she has also served as a role model for countless girls and young women. Her work has helped build a more scientifically literate, confident, and STEM-engaged society while inspiring future generations of scientists, innovators, and critically-thinking citizens.

Bio:

Cindy Adams is an applied ecologist with a decade long research career. She is also the founding Executive Director of Scientists in School, a youth-STEM enrichment charity that since its 1989 inception has sparked the joy of scientific discovery in nearly 12 million Kindergarten to Grade 8 ‘scientists’. 

Scientists in School grew from a vision: bringing richly investigative, curriculum-aligned STEM workshops led by visiting role models to Ajax-Pickering classrooms. The programs sparked a ripple effect. Today participating schools span every province and territory, and half of Canada’s school boards – growth rooted in equitable access, fun hands-on, well-honed materials-rich workshops, inspiring the next generation of innovators, and empowering confidence in elementary teachers.