Five-year Ethan Cheng and his nine-year old brother Lucas look at microorganisms under a high power microscope with Dr. Peter Wallis of Hyperion Research at Medicine Hat College Saturday during the 32 Annual Family Science Olympics held by the Praxis Outreach Society.--NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLER
bmiller@medicinehatnews.com
A free day-long science engagement event held at Medicine Hat College on Saturday aimed to foster a passion for science and discovery with hands-on experience that included magnets to meteors to microbiology under microscopes.
The 32nd annual Science Olympics is a collaborative event held by the Praxis Science Outreach Society, and partners with third-year college students studying toward their Bachelor of Education.
The third-year students designed fun hands-on educational science experiments appropriate for all ages, highlighting scientific concepts such as how magnets repeal and attract, and challenged participants to complete an ‘event passport’ by visiting 10 different booths.
Unlike a traditional science fair, the Olympics are designed to showcase a snippet of several scientific concepts and spark a curiosity for discovery.
“Science is fun and engaging, and in order to be functionally literate scientific citizens in our world, we need that basic understanding,” explained Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant with PRAXIS and regular columnist to the News. “Here we are working through the different projects and the science concepts.”
Concepts like the three states of matter, or how light travels, were presented to kids in light hearted experiences that included bubbles and laser pointers in mirrors.
“We’ve had kids engaged,” smiles Rooks. “I see them laying on the carpet with their dinosaurs and digging bones or looking at the stars here on the amazing pictures from Seven Skies Astronomy.
“Here we are looking under the microscope from Hyperion Research or building their plants from the Centre of Innovation here at the college. It just melts my heart to see that learning with the families and the passion being shared among them,” adds Rooks.
The free science fair was held in the college main foyer between 10 a.m to 3 p.m Saturday and involved more than 30 students and volunteers with the society. Rooks says the partnership with college students allows the event to be cost free for the community.
“It’s amazing because they take that burden off us to fund the resources to build the experiments and the tables and have that manpower,” said Rooks.
The collaborative event provides a real-life opportunity for the aspiring teachers as well, as they are tasked to design a science experience and teach those concepts to families in attendance.
“Now they’ve had the experience of teaching a concept to a two-year-old, to a 90-year-old, and learning to adapt in a moment’s notice, because you never know what you might experience in the classroom,” said Rooks.
The event also featured scientific prize packages for participants who completed their event passport.
[…] Fifth-grader Ethan Chen and his 9-year-old brother Lucas pose under high magnification with Dr. Peter Wallis of Hyperion Research at Medicine Hat University on Saturday during Praxis Outreach Association’s 32nd Annual Family Science Olympiad. Observing microorganisms with a microscope. NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLERbmiller@medicinehatnews.com Free, day-long science exchange event held Saturday at Medicine Hat University explores science and discovery through hands-on experiences ranging from magnets to meteors to microbiology under a microscope. The aim was to foster a passion for The 32nd Science Olympiad is a collaborative event organized by the Praxis Science Outreach Society in partnership with third-year university students studying for a Bachelor of Education degree. Third graders visited 10 different booths and designed fun, hands-on, educational science experiments suitable for all ages, highlighting scientific concepts such as how magnets repel and attract. Participants were challenged to complete an “event passport.” Unlike traditional science fairs, the Olympics are designed to introduce snippets of scientific concepts and stimulate curiosity for discovery. “Science is fun and fascinating, and you need a basic understanding of it to be a functional, literate, scientific citizen in our world,” says PRAXIS senior science consultant and regular columnist for this paper. explained Patty Rooks. “Here we work on different projects and science concepts.” Concepts such as the three states of matter and how light travels are introduced through fun experiences, including bubbles in a mirror and a laser pointer. were presented to us. “Even the kids got involved,” Rooks says with a smile. “You’ll see them lying on the carpet with the dinosaurs, digging for bones, or gazing at the stars in Seven Skies Astronomy’s stunning photos. “Here, we’ll see them lying on the carpet with the dinosaurs, or gazing at the stars in Seven Skies Astronomy’s stunning photos. Whether it’s observing them or building their factories at the university’s innovation center, it’s heart-warming to learn with families and see the passion shared among families,” Rooks added. . The free science fair was held in the university’s main lobby from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and was attended by more than 30 students and community volunteers. Rooks said the partnership with university students allows the event to be free to the community. “It’s great that they’re taking some of the burden off of us to ensure we have the funding and human resources to build experiments and benches,” Lukes said. This collaborative event also offers real-world opportunities for aspiring teachers, as they are tasked with designing science experiences and teaching the concepts to participating families. “Now they have the experience of teaching concepts to 2-year-olds and 90-year-olds and learning how to adapt on the fly, because you never know what’s going to happen in the classroom,” Rooks said. The event also featured science award packages for participants who created an event passport. 15 -14 Source link […]
[…] Fifth-grader Ethan Chen and his 9-year-old brother Lucas pose under high magnification with Dr. Peter Wallis of Hyperion Research at Medicine Hat University on Saturday during Praxis Outreach Association’s 32nd Annual Family Science Olympiad. Observing microorganisms with a microscope. NEWS PHOTO BRENDAN MILLERbmiller@medicinehatnews.com Free, day-long science exchange event held Saturday at Medicine Hat University explores science and discovery through hands-on experiences ranging from magnets to meteors to microbiology under a microscope. The aim was to foster a passion for The 32nd Science Olympiad is a collaborative event organized by the Praxis Science Outreach Society in partnership with third-year university students studying for a Bachelor of Education degree. Third graders visited 10 different booths and designed fun, hands-on, educational science experiments suitable for all ages, highlighting scientific concepts such as how magnets repel and attract. Participants were challenged to complete an “event passport.” Unlike traditional science fairs, the Olympics are designed to introduce snippets of scientific concepts and stimulate curiosity for discovery. “Science is fun and fascinating, and you need a basic understanding of it to be a functional, literate, scientific citizen in our world,” says PRAXIS senior science consultant and regular columnist for this paper. explained Patty Rooks. “Here we work on different projects and science concepts.” Concepts such as the three states of matter and how light travels are introduced through fun experiences, including bubbles in a mirror and a laser pointer. were presented to us. “Even the kids got involved,” Rooks says with a smile. “You’ll see them lying on the carpet with the dinosaurs, digging for bones, or gazing at the stars in Seven Skies Astronomy’s stunning photos. “Here, we’ll see them lying on the carpet with the dinosaurs, or gazing at the stars in Seven Skies Astronomy’s stunning photos. Whether it’s observing them or building their factories at the university’s innovation center, it’s heart-warming to learn with families and see the passion shared among families,” Rooks added. . The free science fair was held in the university’s main lobby from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and was attended by more than 30 students and community volunteers. Rooks said the partnership with university students allows the event to be free to the community. “It’s great that they’re taking some of the burden off of us to ensure we have the funding and human resources to build experiments and benches,” Lukes said. This collaborative event also offers real-world opportunities for aspiring teachers, as they are tasked with designing science experiences and teaching the concepts to participating families. “Now they have the experience of teaching concepts to 2-year-olds and 90-year-olds and learning how to adapt on the fly, because you never know what’s going to happen in the classroom,” Rooks said. The event also featured science award packages for participants who created an event passport. 15 -14 Source link […]