STEM Thought Leadership

What do you think about…?

Sharing our knowledge

knowl·edge

ˈnäləj/
“Facts, information, and skills acquired through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.” English Oxford Living Dictionaries

Thank you for visiting our knowledge base. We are constantly studying STEM education topics that affect students, teachers and society. Our thirst for knowledge will never be quenched.

This is a collection of our research, white papers, essays and opinions.

Research in the field

In a world of rapid change, MindFuel conducts ongoing research to identify critical needs and gaps in youth innovation pathways, talent development, and system supports. These insights directly inform both levels of impact:

Tech Futures Challenge (TFC) at the program level, where evidence guides design challenge themes, skill-building frameworks, and mentorship models; and

Connect2Innovate (C2I) at the systems level, where findings shape ecosystem partnerships, infrastructure, and pathways that enable scalable innovation. As a result, MindFuel ensures participants build relevant skills while contributing to broader structural change in the innovation landscape.

Research based findings:

Building Pathways into STEM Innovation Futures for Indigenous Youth
MindFuel and Future Skills Centre Indigenous Pathways to STEM Innovation Overview and Impact Summary – Sept 2023
Increasing Indigenous student engagement through inclusive and student-centred online learning
Increasing Indigenous student engagement through online learning Apr 2020
Examining the use of a Personalized Learning Management System (PLMS) to increase student engagement in K-12 physics
Canadian Engineering Education Association (CEEA-ACEG18) Conference – June 2018
Raging Skies: Development of a digital game-based science assessment using evidence-centered game design
Alberta Science Education Journal – April 2018
Using a digital learning management system in pre-engineering classrooms
CDIO conference paper – May 2017
An evaluation of a digital learning management system in high school physics classrooms
ASEE paper – June 2016

Thought leadership

What do you think about… (insert topic here)?

At MindFuel, we share our knowledge, and that of partnering subject matter experts (SMEs), about topics that provoke thought, spur inspiration and cause action.

Please review these summaries of our 2023 study of 10-years of MindFuel driven, STEM youth innovation programs and our participants engagement and impact by iGEM.

10-year study of Alberta youth involvement in MindFuel and iGEM programs – Whitepaper

Youth Innovation Capacity Research Series

Part I

Baseline Demographic Profile of Canadian Youth Participating in Structured Innovation Programs
Participant-Level Longitudinal Dataset Analysis – Please email to request this document directly!

Part II – Outcomes Study

Economic Outcomes Associated with Youth Innovation Participation: Longitudinal Evidence from Canadian Cohorts – Please email to request this document directly!

Special Edition Impact Publications

Learning Together – With & For Indigenous youth in STEM and Innovation
Learning Together – 25 years of collaboration June 2025
TFC 2025 Impact Report & MindFuel 35th Anniversary Celebration
TFC 2025 Impact Report & MindFuel 35th Anniversary PDF

Here are some past thoughts on a wide range of education topics.