'Each of you can be the next to chart a course for innovation and discovery in Canada'

The University of Calgary’s Olympic Oval was bursting with the best of Calgary’s young scientific minds on April 21 and 22 as 916 students from grades 5 through 12 — along with their teachers, parents, family and other science enthusiasts — lined every nook and cranny with displays showcasing their ideas and experiments.   

As a platinum sponsor of Calgary’s 55th annual Calgary Youth Science Fair (CYSF), UCalgary was pleased to host the fair and welcome so many bright young science enthusiasts to the Olympic Oval for the sixth consecutive year. The CYSF is Canada’s largest science fair, and successfully showcased 657 projects, 520 volunteer judges, 20 volunteers and 40 CYSF directors and members this year.

A highlight for participants was taking in the presentations at the guest speakers program on Friday by UCalgary’s Susan Skone, associate vice-president of research; Wolfgang Tittel, Faculty of Science professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy; and Jordan Tillman, master's student in environmental engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering and winner of the Three Minute Thesis. Each speaker shared their love of science, provided some highlights of their careers, and offered their perspective on the benefits of pursuing a career in science.

Additional exhibits and displays as part of the Science Lab proved popular, throwing the spotlight on some of UCalgary’s top research areas including Juniotech, the Robotics Association and Schulich’s Robotics Program, the Faculty of Science Lego Break and Chemistry Gases, NanoCalgary, Minds in Motion, Team Zeus and UCalgary Geomatics.

UCalgary Chancellor Emerita Joanne Cuthbertson welcomed CYSF participants on behalf of the university and took time to walk through the fair to view projects and talk to students about their displays and about how science fits into their future plans.

“Science is serious business in Canada — and around the world,” said Cuthbertson in her welcoming address. “Scientists increase knowledge, drive economic growth, improve lives and create new possibilities for people in the future. Each of you can be the next to chart a course for innovation and discovery in Canada.”

On Saturday, Cuthbertson also presented many of the awards sponsored by the university, including the top prize — the Chancellor’s Bursary — valued at $2,500 for a student to attend the University of Calgary. This year the bursary was awarded to Grade 12 student Mehul Gupta from Sir Winston Churchill High School for his project entitled Minimally Invasive Diagnosis of AT/RT (atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor).

Congratulations to each of the 2017 CYSF award winners!

Winners of the UCalgary-sponsored awards were:

Elementary level (grades 5-6)

• Lily Graham, Grade 6, Early Grey Elementary School, Size of Craters on Mercury — Pacific Institute the Mathematical Sciences Elementary Award
• Gabrielle Seal, Grade 6, Webber Academy, A Bright Future: Watts Up With Light Bulbs? — Hunter Centre Elementary Consumer Science Award
• Trenton Staples, Grade 5, Prince of Wales Elementary School, Earthquakes and Base Isolation — UCalgary Dept. of Geoscience Elementary Award
• Alice Van Ham, Grade 6, Banff Trail Elementary School, Treasure of the Earth — UCalgary Dept. of Geoscience Elementary Runner Up

Intermediate level (grades 7-9)

• Steven Brennan, Grade 7, Louis Riel Junior High School, Recipe for Success — Hunter Centre Secondary Consumer Science Award
• Maren McIntosh, Grade 9, Independent Project #001 School, Effect of Relationship on Equine Cognition — University of Calgary Faculty of Arts Award and UCalgary Veterinary Medicine Senior Animal Health Award
• Amelia O'Keefe, Dinah Kohut, Grade 9, Branton School, Earthquake Severity & Soil Composition — UCalgary Dept. of Geoscience Secondary Runner Up
• Sophie Hoye Pacholek, Grade 8, Louis Riel Junior High School, Going Viral: Exploring & Inhibiting Viral Assembly — Pacific Institute the Mathematical Sciences Secondary Award
• David Popa, Grade 7, Louis Riel Junior High School, Mitigating Wildlife Train Collisions — UCalgary Veterinary Medicine Intermediate Animal Health Award
• Sophia Spiropoulos, Sarah Knude, Grade 9, St. Gregory Junior High School, Microbial Fuel Cell — UCalgary Dept. of Geoscience Secondary Award

Senior level (grades 10-12)

• Anika Archari, Grade 10, Sir Winston Churchill High School, An Integrated Technology to Treat Drinking Water — Faculty Women's Club Award, University of Calgary
• Colette Benko, Grade 11, St. Mary’s High School, Using DZNep to Differentiate  Neuroblastoma — Biochemistry and Experimental Biology Award
• Derek Braun, Grade 12, Sir Winston Churchill High School, ANN Gravitational Arc Classification — Pacific Institute the Mathematical Sciences Secondary Award
• Emily Gubskaya, Grade 12, Sir Winston Churchill High School, Inducing D32 Mutation to Develop HIV-1 Immunity — University of Calgary Faculty of Science Award
• Mehul Gupta, Grade 12, Sir Winston Churchill High School, Minimally Invasive Diagnosis of AT/RT (atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor) — University of Calgary Chancellor’s Bursary
• Tahmid Khan, Grade 11, Sir Winston Churchill High School, Drag Reduction in Commercial Vehicles — Hunter Centre Overall Consumer Science Award and Schulich School of Engineering Second Prize
• Varun Kundra, Grade 11, Webber Academy, Novel Biosensor for Detection of CNS Injuries — Schulich School of Engineering First Prize