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Hover Crafts and fuel cells bring excitement to the Skills Canada National Competition

June 11, 2013

This past weekend, Let's Talk Science partnered with the Skills Canada National Competition at BC Place in Vancouver! On June 6 and 7th, Let's Talk Science Outreach volunteers from the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University were busy looking at science, technology, engineering, and mathematics of the skilled trades.

The Skills Canada National Competition ran from June 5-8th. Every year this event brings together hundreds of youth from across the country to compete in an Olympic-style, multi-trade and technology competition. Along with the nearly 500 competitors, the competition also brings in numerous school groups to take part in the excitement.

Collaboration between Let's Talk Science Outreach at UBC and SFU brought out 11 volunteers over two days. The volunteers included four of the outreach site coordinators from the sites; Jennifer Choo, Nicole Bance, Natasha Holmes and Martin Lee.

"One thing that was special about this event was the experience that it provided to the Let's Talk Science volunteers," said Holmes after the event. "It was very eye opening to see the young students competing in some very challenging and skillful events. We were all very impressed by the incredibly diverse applications of the science that we were going to be talking about."

Let's Talk Science Outreach volunteers ran a booth for students in Grades 7-11. Activities centred on motors, gears and fuel cells. The youth loved making their own motors and were eager to take home a pamphlet with instructions to make one at home, explained Lee, Let's Talk Science Outreach site coordinator from SFU.

"There were a couple times I could see little lights switch on as they figured things out," says Holmes of the students visiting the booth to explore motors of varying complexities. 

The fuel cell car activity was also a hit, related Bance. Students were making connections with real-world applications to motor choices in transportation. Relating the activity to the applications of car choices led to interesting discussions between youth and the volunteers.

"It... really made me realise yet again how important hands on activities are for youth," explains Bance of her experience at the booth. "One youth also said 'It is so cool to actually see how science works, it's much more fun than listening to it at school'."

Along with the activities booth, Let's Talk Science Outreach volunteers also ran a stage show looking at physics. Using demonstration materials donated by the UBC Department of Physics and Astronomy, students eagerly watched and took part in demonstrations including a giant dominoes challenge, gyroscopic motion, a Van de Graaf generator, and even a hover craft!

It was a busy weekend for the volunteers and for the students taking part in the competition. For information on the winners of the Skills Canada National Competition, visit their website: www.skillscanada.com

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Let's Talk Science Outreach hosts its annual national conference

May 31, 2013

Each year Let's Talk Science hosts a National Conference for Let's Talk Science Outreach site coordinators from across Canada to come together and participate in five days of collaboration, development and fun!

This week, approximately 60 coordinators are together at Western University in London, Ontario, to participate in the national conference and learn new techniques, share their challenges and successes and gain some inspiration from other volunteers from across the country!

On Wednesday, Let's Talk Science welcomed more than 30 new coordinators to the Let's Talk Science Outreach team. These new coordinators spent a full day of orientation, where they met Let's Talk Science's national staff. This jam-packed new coordinator session is full of a number of interactive presentations and workshops that help new coordinators get settled in their positions.

Yesterday, returning site coordinators arrived at the conference. With everyone together, the coordinators will spend four days planning for the coming year. To kick off the conference, keynote speaker Dennis McCormac delivered an incredible talk about his combined love of genetics and art. He set the stage for our coordinators to spend the next few days – and the entire coming year – thinking creatively about what we do. 

Sessions over the weekend include presenting site updates, discussing successes and challenges, planning events for the year ahead and networking with other outreach sites and the national staff. Another special presentation this year is a media relations training session led by PR firm Hill and Knowlton Strategies, from Toronto, Ontario.

The conference will conclude with a banquet dinner celebrating the 20^th anniversary of Let's Talk Science and our national volunteer award winners.

The conference concludes on Sunday, and our coordinators will return home with added knowledge, fresh insights and new ideas!