For years, biology professor Emily Standen has watched Francophone students navigate a scientific world dominated by English. Many have never had the chance to present their work in the language most closely tied to who they are.
This issue is deeply personal for Professor Standen. Both her partner and daughter are Franco-Ontarian and fluently bilingual. As a minority, they are often forced to switch to English to suit the majority. These experiences have made her acutely aware of how closely language and identity are intertwined.
Professor Standen is also bilingual, but her first language is English. The opportunity to teach biology in French at uOttawa has been especially eye-opening for her.
“I recognize when I teach in French that I’m not able to express myself as I truly am. And so, I think about that for our students who are in science and who are Francophone. They know their science, but it can be so hard to express it the way they want in a second language.”
This empathy inspired her to take meaningful action.
Bringing the symposium to life
Professor Standen’s idea to initiate a French-language symposium first took shape in 2024 during a workshop on equity, diversity and inclusion within the Canadian Society for Zoology (CSZ). The meeting took place in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada’s only bilingual province, where many Francophone members were present and eager to share their perspectives.
After months of planning, and with phenomenal support from the local organizing committee and Francophone community, the first French-language symposium was held in Ottawa in May 2026 at Carleton University during the 65th Annual Meeting of the CSZ. The organizers chose to open the symposium to all areas of zoological biology rather than focus on a specific niche, making the event as inclusive as possible.
Professor Standen credits much of the organizing to Carleton biology PhD student Émile Vadboncoeur, whom she describes as instrumental in getting the initiative off the ground.
“The thing that I took home from it was seeing the pure joy of the students to be able to express themselves in their native language.”
Emiliy Standen
— Associate Professor and Vice-Dean, Faculty Affairs and Inclusive Excellence
A resounding success
“We had overwhelming interest from both Francophones and bilingual Anglophones,” says Professor Standen. To accommodate as many presenters as possible, participants were given concise, five-minute presentation slots.
“The thing that I took home from it was seeing the pure joy of the students to be able to express themselves in their native language. Almost every one of them got up there and said this is the first time they’ve had the opportunity to give a formal talk in their language.”
Many Anglophones also attended the symposium. Although they could not follow every presentation, they could still feel the infectious excitement and enthusiasm radiating throughout the room.
Thanks to generous support from the uOConnect grant program, uOttawa’s Faculty of Science, and the Department of Biology, the symposium also included a coffee session and prizes for top student presentations.
Professor Standen is committed to making the CSZ French-language symposium an annual event to ensure that scientists continue to have a dedicated space to present their research in French.
Inclusive excellence at uOttawa
In May 2026, Professor Standen was appointed vice-dean of faculty affairs and inclusive excellence. She hopes that, in the future, a similar annual French-language symposium can be hosted specifically for uOttawa students across the Faculty of Science.
“I think this would be so positively received in our community. I encourage anyone with similar interests or existing initiatives to please reach out. It would be a really fruitful thing to do for the Faculty of Science.”
Such an event would be especially fitting at uOttawa, the world’s largest bilingual (English-French) university.
As Professor Standen steps into her new role, her overarching vision is to foster a tightly knit community for all science students at uOttawa.
“I want to create more opportunities for students to feel like they’re truly part of a dynamic community on campus. Whether they live on campus, a 10-minute walk away, or a 30-minute drive away, every student should feel at home here.”
By turning empathy into action, Professor Standen is helping to build a scientific community where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered to share their ideas.