Florence Nightingale Day 2026 at Simon Fraser University
On May 1, CANSSI and the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science will celebrate Florence Nightingale Day 2026 at Simon Fraser University!
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.
SFU’s Florence Nightingale Day 2026 will take place at the university’s Burnaby campus and will include fun hands-on activities, panel discussions featuring university students and professionals, and opportunities for participants to ask questions about studying and working in statistics. The day has three goals:
- To give participants an understanding of the strong benefits of studying statistics for their future career paths
- To give participants a glimpse of what studying statistics in university is like
- To promote diversity in statistics and data science by encouraging and inspiring high school students from all communities to explore statistics
Lunch is free for all participating students and teachers.
What Happens at Florence Nightingale Day
What does the day look like? Check out these stories and photos from past events:
How to Participate
Space is limited, and we can’t guarantee that everyone who signs up will be able to participate. Please use the links below to express your interest, and we will follow up to confirm your participation.
High School Teachers
If you would like to bring your class or a group of students to Florence Nightingale Day 2026, we can make it easy by providing transportation and a free lunch for you and your students.
To express your interest, please fill out this form (coming soon) and we’ll contact you.
Students
If you would like to attend on your own, please sign up here (coming soon) and we’ll contact you.
Volunteers
We are looking for individuals to help us plan and organize the activities for this event.
If you are interested in helping out either before the event or on the day, please sign up here (coming soon) to get more information.
Schedule of Activities
(Tentative schedule; all times are Pacific Time)
| Time | Activity |
| 9.30–9:45 | Registration |
| 9:45–10:15 | Welcome and Icebreaker Game |
| 10:15–11:00 | Undergraduate and Graduate Student Panel |
| 11:00–11:15 | Break |
| 11:15–12:30 | Interactive Activities |
| 12:30–1:15 | Lunch |
| 1:15–2:00 | Career Panel |
| 2:00–2:15 | Wrap-up |
| 2:15–3.45 | SFU Campus Tour |
About Florence Nightingale Day
Florence Nightingale Day was launched in the U.S. in 2018. Since then, it has become an international 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 many post-secondary institutions, including Simon Fraser University, the University of Alberta, the University of Toronto (co-sponsored by CANSSI Ontario), York University, 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 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 2026, CANSSI will support events at multiple locations. 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.