News & Events

Ryerson faculty have a chance to influence the next generation of university students.

The university is a partner in the Virtual Researcher On Call (VROC) program, an initiative that allows elementary and high school students to interact directly with university professors, scientists and researchers. The program is managed by Partners in Research (PIR), a national organization dedicated to educating young people about all aspects of health research, and is funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

VROC uses technology to interest young people in a career in science. Videoconferencing, podcasts and online forums give youth access to leading experts in health and natural sciences, technology, engineering and mathematics. On any given day, students from Grades 5 to 12 could interact with a researcher, an astronaut or computer programmer for example.

Currently 19 institutions are participating in the program, including Queen’s University, McMaster University, University of Ottawa, University of Calgary and the University of Western Ontario.

“This is a terrific opportunity for faculty to inspire and engage young people who might be considering a career in the sciences. VROC expands access to the university for the broader community in a unique and interesting way. It’s an exciting program,” said Wendy Cukier, vice-president, research and innovation.

The Ryerson VROC initiative is looking to engage its first faculty participants. Here are the VROC programs:

-          Reaching Every Student – video conferencing links the lab or professor’s office to elementary or high school classrooms so students can ask faculty about a topic of the day.

-          Podcasts – faculty record podcasts that are made available to students through the schools or iTunes.

-          Mentor Me – gives students online access to a researcher for a defined period of time.

-          Ask the Expert – an online forum designed as a virtual meeting place for students and teachers to ask questions of experts and chat with other forum members.

Faculty can choose to participate based on how much commitment and time they can invest. Benefits are endless: it’s an opportunity to expose the depth and breadth of research at Ryerson, encourage young minds to become future scientists and attract undergraduate students.

At the moment the program is open only to faculty in engineering, architecture and science but a new program will launch in fall 2011 for all faculties, expanding the range of career choices for young people.

Interested Ryerson faculty can contact Amy Baier, the university VROC liaison in the Office of the Vice President, Research and Innovation, at amy.baier@ryerson.ca.