Strange to say Francis Jeffers's love affair with science started with a flame as low as a simmering Bunsen burner. Yet today Jeffers is one of Canada's most passionate advocates of science and technology. Francis Jeffers is known in the STEM community for founding the two-day science and technology symposium titled 'Visions of Science', which is a much beloved and anticipated annual event. Since 1991, Jeffers has dedicated his time to convincing young African-Canadians that black people can and will be successful scientists and engineers.
Jeffers understands the importance of instilling confidence in young people. As a child growing up on the island of Dominica in the late 1950's, he was raised in a loving home. His parents told him he could achieve anything he put his mind to, "My father was successful on several fronts being an entrepreneur, a politician and an educator all at the same time," says Francis Jeffers. "He expected that I would perform academically and so I did. I didn't know there were supposed to be obstacles to my success because I was a person of African descent. For me, the sky was the limit."
Although Jeffers' early plans were to study political science and West Indian History, it was when Jeffers migrated to Canada that he decided to pursue what would later become a life long passion. "I had not been an exceptional student in science, but since there were opportunities in that field at that time, I thought I'd try it." Jeffers says.
Jeffers got a degree in Bio-Chemistry from the University of Toronto, and then worked in the University's Immunology Department as a technician. Subsequently, he was hired by Connaught Laboratories, a vaccine manufacturer and the largest biotech company in Canada. As a professional who believes in excellence, Jeffers got noticed and grew within the company, which is now named Sanofi Pasteur.
Although he was successful, Jeffers realized that he was always one of a few Black scientists in the company, and in City of Toronto. "There weren't a lot of Black university science students either. I participated in a program called The Black Education Project where I met young people who had low expectations and didn't think they could accomplish certain things. I realized that there was obviously a systemic aspect to this situation. Too many Black people have internalized the negativity they see and hear." he says.
After his three children were born, Jeffers became even more concerned about some of the negative programming black students were receiving. In 1991, during black history month the Ontario Science Centre sponsored a show as a Black history month activity. While they thought they were being entertaining, Francis noted that it had nothing to do with science. To change that, The Black Heritage Program where Jeffers was a member, approached the Centre with an offer to collaborate and provide relevant science programming that could appeal to the Black community.
"At our initial science conference, we surveyed kids aged 9 to 15 years old, to find out why they were not going into science. Fifty per cent of them responded that science was not promoted to Black kids in school or in the Black community. Parents blame schools, but they were not taking their kids to the Science Centre or working to expose their kids to science." Jeffers adds that even today provincial venues like the Ontario Science Centre and the Royal Ontario Museum have a hard time attracting the Black public.
So Jeffers worked to change that and Visions of Science was born. For three years he and his colleagues at the Black Heritage Program by hosting a series of one-day symposiums at the Ontario Science Centre, showcasing presentations by international black scientists. In 1995, they relocated the symposium to the Medical Sciences building of the University of Toronto campus, where it has been staged for the last 10 years. Jeffers credits a fellow scientist for the title of the symposium. "Visions of Science was coined by IBM computer scientist Dr. Sheila Husbands. She and I, with Dr. Leighton James helped have worked to evolve the event to what it is today." he said.
Overall Jeffers is pleased with the interest the two-day symposium attracts annually, "It has been successful, we're the only ones doing this kind of work and we get a great turnout. On Fridays we have up to 800 students coming to see the displays and speakers. Saturdays, which are for the whole family, the numbers are up as well. But there is room to see this event grow to higher heights." he explained.
The Visions of Science symposium consists of presentations and lectures from international Black scientists who are innovators in their field. The lectures are supplemented by display booths from corporations in the science and technology fields as well as the International African Inventors Museum (www.iaimuseum.org).
After 20 years dedicated to promoting the value of science to young people, Visions of Science Network for Learning has continued to gain recognition as demonstrated through the partnerships with corporations and institutions such as Sanofi Pasteur, AstraZeneca, Scotiabank, Ryerson University, University of Toronto and the Ontario Science Centre. Jeffers has big plans for the future of the organization. In 2004, Visions of Science was incorporated and changed its name to Visions of Science Network for Learning (VoSNL) to better reflect its mandate. There are plans to build a network of 20 community science clubs in partnership with community groups across the Toronto area. The aim of those clubs is to provide science programs that will inspire children from low-income communities. After a successful career at Sanofi Pasteur spanning over 32 years, Francis Jeffers retired as a Purchasing Manager and now is working to 'go Global' with the organization. He is working with partners in Johannesburg, South Africa to expand the organization through the continent.
While VoSNL has been Jeffers' professional baby, he is very proud of his other children. Chike, his son, is an Associate Professor at Halifax's Dalhousie University in the department of Philosophy; his second son Adom is a graduate from Brock University's Department of Education, and his daughter Asha is a PhD candidate at York University in the English Department.
