Canada's brightest young minds gather in N.B. to showcase solutions to global challenges
Work on display at Fredericton science fair a long way from 'Styrofoam-ball solar systems,' says organizer
Some of the brightest young scientific minds in Canada are in Fredericton this week, presenting their research into how to solve many of the world's problems, including in the fields of climate change, public health, food security and sustainable energy.
"We're a long way from the old days of the baking-soda volcanoes and Styrofoam-ball solar systems," said Reni Barlow, executive director of Youth Science Canada
The 63rd annual Canada-Wide Science Fair began Monday, featuring about 340 projects, the best from 100 regional fairs across the country. It's open to the public for a final day on Friday, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Fifteen of the competitors are from New Brunswick.
"These are real-world scientific investigations or engineering innovations, and they really are quite astounding," Barlow said.
Project categories include aerospace, agriculture, fisheries and food, digital technology, disease and illness, energy, environment and climate change, natural resources and plain old scientific curiosity.
"It really spans quite the gamut," he said.
The student scientists are in grades 7 through 12 and some are from the CEGEP level in Quebec.
Grade 7 student Arnav Samanth of Saint John's Millidgeville North School did a project to help improve radiotherapy cancer treatment for patients who have a tumour in the thoracic region.
His dad works in cancer treatment.
"When the patient breathes, the cancer tumour can move and radiation can go to the wrong areas," Arnav said. "So this is dangerous for the patient."
He built a model of a device to coach patients on their breathing during this treatment that is more user friendly and portable than what's currently available.
First-year CEGEP student Mateo Jarquin of Sherbrooke, Que., built a robotic hand that can use a camera from anywhere in the world to detect and copy finger movements in real time.
"It was a real Tony Stark moment," when he first got it to work, he said.
Then, he tested out the remote capability with the help of his cousin in Ontario.
"He was able to control the robotic hand as if it was his actual hand," said Mateo. "He didn't have to wear any gloves or physical attachments … that kind of restrict your movements."
He said it could have all kinds of applications, like disarming bombs, space exploration or remote surgery.
Mateo posts videos on YouTube under the name Mateotechlab. He said he hopes it inspires others to try hands-on learning.
"I didn't know how to do any of this before I got started … 3D printing, coding. ... In my opinion, there's no better way to get good at something than to simply start doing it."
Grade 10 student Sara Waqas goes to STEM Innovation Academy in Calgary. She likes to read journal articles and watch science videos online and thinks about what she might do to fill the gaps in scientific knowledge.
For her project, Sara designed a molecule that she hopes could help the 33 per cent of patients who are resistant to current antipsychotic drugs for schizophrenia.
She said it's more effective at targeting dysfunction in the brain, and she hopes it will help improve quality of life and function for people with schizophrenia. She won "Best Project" in the discovery category at the awards ceremony Thursday night.
Grade 8 student Callie Dennis of Highview Public School in Pembroke, Ont., developed a way to compost plastic using mushrooms.
"I see blue oyster mushrooms growing all over in the back behind my cottage, and I saw an article that said maybe mushrooms might have the potential to degrade plastic. So I decided I'm curious about this. I'd like to see for myself."
She used mycelium spores on barley to grow mushrooms on plastic bottles. The mushrooms degraded 24 per cent of the plastic.
She sees a day when instead of putting plastic bottles in a recycling bin, they can be composted in the backyard.
"Our Earth is just infested by this gross plastic stuff. I feel like we should take better care of the place that helps us stay alive."
From science fair to real-life applications
Almost all of the projects at the science fair are based on a personal interest or hobby, Barlow said.
"It's an opportunity to explore what science, technology, engineering and math are about by immersing yourself in a real problem or a real research situation and taking it as far as you can go," he said.
"Many of them tell us afterwards that it was a life-changing experience."
Some go on to publish or commercialize their projects or start companies.
For example, Adam Noble of Peterborough, Ont., won best project in 2013 and went on to found Noblegen, which produces food materials from algae, Barlow said.
About 5,000 students from the area are also visiting the fair and a trade show related to science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, which is happening at the same time.
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With files from Shane Fowler