Date: Monday, May 5, 2025
Time: 12 noon–4 p.m.
Location: York University, Markham campus (1 University Boulevard, Markham), Room 4040
Florence Nightingale Day 2025 at York University is coming up! This one-day event is part of an international celebration that gives high school students, especially those from traditionally under-represented groups, a chance to explore educational and career opportunities in statistical sciences. It is named after Florence Nightingale, the widely known founder of modern nursing who was also a ground-breaking statistician credited with inventing the pie chart.
At York, Florence Nightingale Day 2025 will be co-hosted on Monday, May 5 (a professional activity day in York Region high schools), by the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI) and York University’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics. The event will take place at York’s Markham campus and will include fun hands-on activities, a panel discussion featuring statistics professionals, and opportunities for participants to ask questions about studying and working in statistics.
If you are a high school student with an interest in math and numbers, here’s what you will gain by attending:
The day is part of a movement to promote diversity in statistics and data science by encouraging and inspiring high school students from all communities to explore statistics. We hope you’ll be able to attend.
Lunch is free for all participating students!
If you are a high school student and you would like to participate in this event, please fill out this form and we will contact you:
If you have questions about registration or anything else, please contact us at fnday@yorku.ca.
If you rely on public transportation, you can take the Go train to Unionville Station next to York’s Markham campus.
Check out the map (select “Markham Campus” from the “Campus Locations” dropdown menu).
| Time | Activity |
| 11:30 a.m.–12:00 noon | Arrival and Check-in |
| 12:00 noon–1:00 p.m. | Lunch, Introductions and Statistics Trivia |
| 1:00–2:15 p.m. | Career Panel |
| 2:15–3:45 p.m. | Interactive Statistics Activities |
| 3:45–4:00 p.m. | Q&A and Closing Remarks |
Florence Nightingale Day was launched in the U.S. in 2018. Since then, it has become an international one-day initiative with in-person activities for local high school students organized at colleges and universities and virtual activities for students from all over the world. In the U.S., it has been celebrated at a number of institutions, including Ohio State University, Harvard University, and the University of Texas at Dallas. In Canada it has been celebrated at Simon Fraser University, the University of Toronto (co-sponsored by CANSSI Ontario), the Université de Montréal, and the University of New Brunswick. CANSSI is a major co-sponsor and co-organizer of Florence Nightingale Day together with the Caucus for Women in Statistics and the American Statistical Association. It’s part of our developing effort to attract under-represented and disadvantaged high school students to study statistical sciences. Our vision is to expand Florence Nightingale Day to become a national event involving high school students across Canada.
In 2025, CANSSI will support events at multiple locations, including Simon Fraser University, the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto, York University, and the Université de Montréal. Our goal is to expand the number of sites each year. Check out these photos from the Florence Nightingale Day 2024 celebrations organized by CANSSI and the hosting universities.
For an international list of upcoming Florence Nightingale Day celebrations, visit this page.