This text is part of the special section 100 years of Acfas

From the 1960s technological developments and tsocial transformations stimulate interest in science in Quebec. The science journalism movement, led by Fernand Seguin, stems from a desire to take a more critical look at science, but also to make it more accessible.

The history of science communication is closely linked to that of Fernand Seguin, a biochemist who gave his name to numerous schools, institutions and other science journalism competitions. In the 1950s he directed a series of television programs dedicated to popularizing science. “From the 1960s, Seguin began to look at science more critically,” points out Yanick Villedieu, presenter of the show. The Light Years from Radio Canada for 35 years.

This way of understanding the scientific world seeps into that of the media. “We then treat science like any other human activity, by explaining it, by showing its extraordinary sides, but also by observing it from a certain distance,” continues Mr. Villedieu. It’s a bit like the moment we switch from communications to science journalism. »

Emerging in this effervescence is one of the leading players in the scientific information landscape, the magazine Quebec Science. Before becoming the publication we know today, it initially existed under the name The naturalist Viator, then The young naturalistproduced back in the 1950s by the Clercs de Saint-Viateur of the Séminaire de Joliette.

At the beginning of the following decade, in 1962, the French Canadian Association for the Advancement of Science (Acfas) became the owner of the journal, which it renamed The young scientist, always aimed at a young audience. It was not until 1969 that the printing works of the very young University of Quebec took over the magazine. now baptized quebec science, It is aimed at a broader readership.

Yanick Villedieu has been collaborating with the famous magazine since the early years of its existence. Alcoholism and sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS were among his first subjects. “I was quickly fascinated by the scientific dimension – like the effect of the alcohol molecule on the liver – combined with the social and cultural aspect of these issues,” he says.

60 years of stories

When Quebec Science Turning sixty in 2022, editor-in-chief Mélissa Guillemette and her team dug into the archives. Some stand out, like this 1963 article by Roger Ghys, a researcher in the Department of Biochemistry at Laval University, on the dangers of nicotine use. “Back then, everyone was smoking and we were just starting to talk about the negative effects,” says Mélissa Guillemette. That shows how Quebec Science could provide answers before it became mainstream. »

M^me Guillemette also notes the recurrence of files related to women over the centuries, as well as the evolution of the treatment of these subjects. For example, an article from the 1960s states that women answer no to this question: do they really go to university to find a husband? An interest more present than ever, because since 2019 Quebec Science and Acfas co-produce the podcast 20%, a series of interviews with women working in science. This percentage represents the number of women employed in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Canada.

From a very early stage, the topic of the environment was also part of the discussions in the editorial office and in the magazine. “We have always spoken very critically about the water and air quality,” emphasizes Mélissa Guillemette.

For the Editor-in-Chief, the magazine still has the same mission of informing and sparking interest in science, but it’s constantly evolving. “We try to get in touch with the readership as closely as possible,” she continues. Quebec Science must always be innovative and keep up with the times. »

birth of a generation

In the same wave of scientific curiosity, the Association of Scientific Communicators of Quebec was born in 1977. It was the birth of a generation of science journalists who quickly founded the Service d’information Hebdo-Science, the ancestor of the Agence Science-Press.

Its first director, Félix Maltais, wrote a column for young people, which was so successful that the project became an international movement under the name of Les Petits Debrouillards, always the very popular magazine The resourceful one 1992

For Yanick Villedieu, who was part of this shock, science is now permeated everywhere, even in daily newspapers, especially with climate and health issues. “Science journalism is also human and generalistic,” he concludes. That’s what makes it fascinating. »

Indeed, his initial interest in AIDS turned into a genuine human and professional quest, culminating in the publication of the book sadness and light. An AIDS storyin 2021.

To see in the video