The organization is called , but there was a lot more than talking going on at this year鈥檚 Halifax All-Science Challenge, hosted last week at the Student Union Building. There was yelling, screaming, dancing and celebrating of all stripes, not to mention wacky costumes and cool experiments 鈥� everything from building a functioning Canadarm to making use of an 鈥淎ngry Birds鈥� catapult.
Let鈥檚 Talk Science is a national organization that aims to get youth excited and engaged in science, technology, engineering and math. Its work depends on volunteers across the country, including at universities such as Dal.
Katie Kowarski, a marine biology student who will graduate with her bachelor of science degree later this month, is a . She supports a team of departmental reps who organize outreach activities here in Halifax. In total, nearly 25 student volunteers helped make the All-Science Challenge possible.
鈥淚t鈥檚 really great to be able to bring the [middle school] students here to Dal,鈥� said Kowarski. 鈥淓verything they study is extracurricular, above and beyond what they learn in the core classroom. It really gets them excited about the idea that science is a great thing to learn, and the teams are really high energy.鈥�
Quizzical minds
The students who took part in the All-Science Challenge (sponsored by 3M) came from middle schools across HRM. Many of them made their own costumes and had creative names like the 鈥淕eek Squad,鈥� the 鈥淪marticle Particles鈥� and the 鈥淒enominators.鈥�
There were points awarded for spirit, but the core of the competition was in how well the students know their science. Questions during the quiz round were based on study materials the students were provided with ahead of time, covering a wide range of subjects: engineering, the environment, physics, earth, chemistry, math and space. (Many of the 鈥渟pace鈥� questions were presented with video clips from astronaut Chris Hadfield.)
Some sample questions: What鈥檚 the term for unintentional capture of fish? (Bycatch) What鈥檚 an element鈥檚 atomic number equal to? (The number of protons) What word describes the combined mass of water found on, under and over the surface of a planet? (Hydrosphere)
鈥淲e started training at the end of March,鈥� said Joseph Gilles student Zachary Allen, part of the 鈥淛et Stream鈥� team. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really fun.鈥�
Sporting lab coats, white fedoras and red shutter shades, the 鈥淛et Stream鈥� team ended up winning the spirit award for the day鈥檚 activities.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a lot of fun, meeting new friends, making our shirts,鈥� said Morgain Oldfield of Five Bridges Junior High.
After the quiz show portion of the competition was complete, the teams moved onto the construction task, building a working Canadarm replica out of popsicle sticks. There were also activity rooms available throughout the day, including a 鈥渃ool chemistry鈥� room and a conservation room.
The day鈥檚 winners? The B.F.H.M. Team from Five Bridges Junior High. The Jet Stream Team was awarded the spirit award, with an honourable mention for the Hawthorne Elementary Atomic Enzymes for their enthusiasm throughout the day.