Northwestern Ontario students aim to impress judges at regional science fair
The 61st annual Northwestern Ontario Regional Science Fair (NWORSF) has kicked off at Confederation College in Thunder Bay.
Over 100 students between Grades 4 and 12 are participating in the fair.
The McIntyre Building Tech Hub was packed with people attending the NWORSF open house on Wednesday morning where the students' experiments and inventions were displayed.
Participants included students from across the region, including Fort Frances, Rainy River, Kenora, Sioux Lookout, and Sandy Lake, said Rebecca Cross, a NWORSF co-chair.
"We like to tell the students that today is the day they get to be the teacher. So they love that whole idea," she said.
The top six students from the Grade 7 to 12 category win an all-expenses paid trip to compete at the national science fair in Fredericton in June, said Cross.
"Our students here are competing for all kinds of projects and recognition, which is really cool, as well as scholarships, so they're pretty pumped," she said.
Contestant Julia Salem, 10, said she was inspired to compete after her older sister make it to the national competition. Salem's invention is a motorized snow removal system that would allow people to clear their driveways without shoveling.
"It's similar to a treadmill. That's why it's called the snowmill," Salem said. "It doesn't require any physical work, just the pressing of a button."
She has created a small display model of her invention with a 12V electric motor that can plug into an outlet.
"Snow shovelling can be very dangerous. It can cause heart attacks, muscle strains, strokes, and possibly death," said Salem.
Cameron Price, a Grade 9 student at Westgate from Rocky Bay, said his experiment tested the effectives of four traditional Indigenous medicines compared to modern medicines.
"I hope to accomplish more representation for Indigenous science. I also wish to accomplish more understanding of Indigenous medicine," he said.
Price said while he doesn't plan on becoming a professional scientist, he enjoys participating in events like the science fair.
"I always get to know more people. I also get know more about myself."
Microplastics hot study topic for students
St. Ignatius High School students Madelynn Moore and Gabriela Blandón Atia both did experiments about microplastic pollution.
Moore said she chose to study the microfibres clothing sheds while it is washed.
"A lot of them actually end up going into Lake Superior," she said. "Little organisms in the water actually end up ingesting them and fish will eat them," said Moore.
Atia's project set out to determine whether microplastics present in the soil could have any effect on plant growth and development. She said the arugula she grew in the microplastic-contamined soil didn't grow as high as the control group.
"Arugula is something we eat, so it was concerning to see that microplastics did have an effect on them."
Atia said participating in the fair was fun, even if the results of her experiment were concerning.
"It was pretty important to me to realize how issues globally affect you personally."