Thunder Bay Introduces Science Olympics to Community

Youth Science Ontario was on hand in Northern Ontario last month to observe and support Thunder Bay’s 1^st ever Science Olympics. Congratulations to the organizing committee of Dr. Andrew Dean, Dr. John O’Meara, Dr. Anthony Bartley, Kristina Pullki and Dr. Patricia Gillies, a Youth Science Ontario Board of Directors member, for bringing this fast-paced, engaging and high energy science outreach event to their community.

Eleven teams of Grade 9 and 10 students from 4 of the 6 local high schools in the Thunder Bay area (Churchill, St. Ignatius, Superior C.V.I. and Hammarskjold) participated. In total, 44 students competed in a variety of activities which tested their knowledge of science, engineering and math. In addition, participants also honed their collaboration, problem solving, creative and critical thinking skills as they worked together to outdo one another’s teams in 4 challenging activities. The activities to conquer included:

Tower of Power – students became engineers to design and build the tallest and strongest tower that can withstand high winds and support the weight of an egg

Medical Mystery – students used their problem solving and critical thinking skills to find solutions to various medical scenarios introducing topics of anatomy, physiology, clinical diagnosis and treatment of disease.

Molecule Building – teams are given a look at a picture of a molecular structure and are asked to build it from memory using supplied molecule pieces

On behalf of the students who attended the event, thank you to the Faculty of Science and Environmental Studies and the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University for bringing Science Olympics to Thunder Bay. We hope the community will build on this success and offer the program on a regular basis to encourage more youth to explore and engage in the many areas of science.

The Science Olympics initiative is generously sponsored by Hydro One Networks Inc and the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Youth Science Ontario and the Thunder Bay organizing committee were pleased to have Kelly Charbonneau, Customer and Business Services Manager at Hydro One as an honoured guest at the event. Ms. Charbonneau was able to witness first-hand the value and impact Science Olympics has on youth who may otherwise not have had the opportunity to engage in extracurricular science activities.

Youth Science Ontario will work with any individuals or groups interested in starting a Science Olympics in their communities. Please contact our Program Coordinator, Carolyn Loos at cloos@youthscienceontario.ca or (416) 598-8827, ext 103 for more details.