Students in grades 6-12 from the Saskatoon area gathered at the University of Saskatchewan on Thursday to show off the science projects they’ve been working on for the past year.
Competitors in the junior and senior divisions presented their work, which covered a wide range of topics.
“From biomedical sciences, cancer research, AI assistive technology to hydraulic displays,” said Kelsey Knoblauch, vice-chair of the Saskatoon Regional Science Fair. “And then simpler projects, students that are just starting their science journey, their STEM passions.”
Being involved with the science fair for 12 years, she says the themes of the projects have evolved over time.
“There are so many more technology-focused projects that come to fairs using everything from Arduinos to Edisons to coding,” said Knoblauch. “So, it’s been really interesting to see, we always get a few projects that are focused on agriculture, living in the province that we do. And there always seem to be some projects that are working on biomedical sciences, specifically cancer research or things that have impacted kids and their families.”
The students are competing for local awards, but they’re also trying to be one of three or four local competitors that represent their region at the Canada Wide Science Fair.
And Knoblauch says Saskatchewan students always perform well there.
“They’ve won some top awards, gold medals,” she said. “There were a few prizes that we won that were top six, top ten in all of Canada. And this year, one of our students from the past is actually going to the International Science Fair event this year in Ohio.”
Organizers say the development of the students’ projects over the years is amazing to see.
“A lot of times you can see students that’ll come through every year from grade 6 to 12,” said Hayden Reitenbach, Saskatoon Regional Science Fair committee member. “And by the time they’re at grade 12, they’re basically doing undergrad research projects, but they’re still in high school. That’s really great to see the progression that these ambitious students have.”
While he admits judges enjoy seeing a project in action, others that are more research-oriented can be just as effective at capturing their attention.
“Maybe it’s not a little robot that does something on the tables, but there’s always things that they can put onto their board that really draws you in,” said Reitenbach. “And it makes you understand the full research project that they did within the 15 minutes or so that they have with you.”
He says the skills learned through the science fair will serve these students in their academic and professional careers.
“We’ve actually had a couple of students who went through the science fair here, they maybe won a couple of science fairs from the regional level, went on to Canada-wide and really progressed,” he said. “Now, for example, four of them are actually on the science fair committee, two of them couldn’t make it this morning because they’re writing their finals right now in a different building. I was talking to one earlier yesterday, they’re going to be writing their MCAT this fall. So this is a great stepping stone into the scientific career that will span the rest of your life.”
Knoblauch says students can draw inspiration for their next projects based on the work they see at this year’s science fair.
“Part of the fun of science fair is getting to be around like-minded people and getting to engage with judges that are from a variety of different scientific, STEM fields,” she said. “And many of these students talk about how they get their next year’s project idea just from interacting with the people that come through here that are in STEM careers.”
The top performers from the Saskatoon Regional Science Fair will be chosen to present their projects at the Canada Wide Science Fair that runs the first week of June in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
