By: LAUREN THOMSON, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Medicine Hat News
Starting today, all kids in Grade 4 through 12 in Southeastern Alberta are welcome to submit their scientific musings for the entire month of February, with a different theme to focus on for each week of the month.
The Kiwanis Southeast Alberta Science Challenge is a four-week event hosted by Praxis which allows students to showcase their love of science and, if they wish, further develop those ideas into a project for the upcoming Regional Science Fair in March.
Patty Rooks, senior scientific consultant at Praxis Science Outreach Community, spoke to the News about the month of February and the Science Challenge. She noted Praxis is entering its 30th year in Southeastern Alberta, so the public should stay tuned for some upcoming celebrations later in the spring.
“We have a variety of things we do to support students and families in our community when it comes to STEM which is Science, Technology, Engineering and Math,” explained Rooks. “One of our larger programs is the science fair and that’s where this Science Challenge kind of spins off, to get kids thinking about science, and getting those creative juices flowing and really picking something that interests them.”
Rooks says she hopes the Science Challenge will be engaged both by kids at home with their parents or siblings and students in schools with their teachers. The Science Challenge will help kids learn the scientific process through four different activities, one each week. Week 1 is focused on creativity within science and Week 2 includes taking a picture of something local that is scientific. In Week 3, students will research and write about one famous Canadian scientist and the month wraps up with a short video of the student showing their favourite science experiment.
Rooks said she hopes the weekly experiments inspire students, especially the week focusing on famous Canadian scientists.
“It’s amazing how many scientists we have that come from Canada, we think of scientists from around the world, but right here in Medicine Hat we have a Nobel Prize winner,” said Rooks. “Some kids think, ‘Oh I could never be a Nobel Prize winner’ and my question is ‘Why not?’ You never know where your curiosity will take you.”
Open to all students from Grade 4 to 12 in Southeastern Alberta, there are cash prizes available for the Science Challenge.
“There will be a winner chosen every week and they will receive a $100 cash prize,” said Rooks. “And just to show our appreciation to teachers, (they can) put their name in the draw for a $250 cash prize for their science classroom. We know they give so much to their classes.”
Rooks added everyone who enters submissions during the Science Challenge will get a “cool little STEM-related prize mailed out to them.”
“I’m just really excited to see all the projects and the ideas kids come up with because I just really love that and it sparks my interest and my enthusiasm and things that I may not have thought about, so definitely looking forward to seeing what all of the students have out there to share with us.”
More information about the February Science Challenge, specifics about each weekly challenge and when and how to submit, can be found online at http://www.praxismedhat.com, as well as on Praxis’ social media accounts.
The deadline for Regional Science Fair submissions for Grades 7 through 12 is March 22, and April 8 for students in Grades 4 through 6.
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