SCIENCE OLYMPICS
PIPE DREAMS A young participant at the Edmonton Science Olympics gets creative with pipe cleaners. Division 1 students (Grades 1-3) built aqueducts to transport water and designed boats to float — with a payload of coins.
Science Olympics challenges are designed so teams that work together to solve problems — and those that come up with the most original and innovative ideas — receive extra points from the judges. “Our goal is to show students that science and engineering have applications in everyday life, and that careers in science and engineering involve collaboration and team work,” explains Anna Salim, P.Eng., a volunteer with APEGA’s Vermilion River Branch, which organized the Lloydminster event. Nearly all the students noted on feedback forms that they enjoyed working in teams. "It was satisfying to see that we drove that point home,” says Ms. Salim. GOING FOR GOLD Last year, APEGA introduced a new judging system that rewards students for ingenuity and teamwork. Instead of competing against other teams, students now strive to reach different achievement levels. This means multiple teams may receive gold, silver, or bronze recognition for the same challenge.
VOLUNTEER SHOUT OUT The success of the APEGA Science Olympics depends on the generous support of hundreds of volunteers: Professional Engineers, Professional Geoscientists, Engineers-in- Training, Geoscientists-in-Training, university students, teachers, and parents. Working with APEGA staff, they develop and test the challenges, judge them on event day, and act as role models for students. More than 280 Science Olympics volunteers logged more than 2,700 hours of volunteer time planning and executing this year’s events. Thank you, volunteers, for your commitment to inspiring the next generation of engineering and geoscience professionals.
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58 | PEG SUMMER 2017
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