Thank you volunteers!!

As the fall semester wraps up, we've been taking some time to look back on the amazing things that have been accomplished by our volunteers! The fall semester always rushes by; we spend the first month and a half recruiting and training volunteers, and the first in-class visits usually only begin around the middle of October. By the time we get to December, many of the volunteers understandably need to take a step back to prepare for their own exams (and to deal with a heavy load of TA-ship duties)! Despite these challenges, the fall 2011 semester has been a tremendous success by any metric!

• The "partnership-style" of pairing volunteers with teachers directly has allowed volunteers more freedom and flexibility in arranging times that work well in their own schedules! As a result, more activities are happening more frequently at more convenient times!
• Our first rural trips of the year to Arthur, Orangeville, and (not quite rural, but a hike for us!) Durham went smashingly well!
• Amanda's DNA Barcoding activities with high school students across Ontario have been a huge success, and she and her students have made some interesting discoveries (more on this in a later post!)
• So far this year, according to the activities logged on the portal, we have reached an absolutely unbelievable 1,000 youth in Guelph and the surrounding area!!! Considering that last year was a record-breaking year.. and that at this time last year, we had reached 433 youth... I think it's fair to say that Let's Talk Science volunteers at the U of G are on track for another year of big achievements!!
• Probably our most important measure of success is knowing that the volunteers have made a difference. I can't think of a better way to show how much the volunteers' hard work is appreciated than this beautiful card that volunteers Xin and Ramya received from Ms. Kurtz-Favero's grade 1's!

Have a fun, relaxing, safe, friend-and-family-filled winter break everyone!!

DNA Discovery!

Last week, volunteers from Let's Talk Science at the U of G presented hands-on activities about DNA to the kids in the Family Housing community at the University of Guelph! The kids had the chance to extract DNA from a banana, to solve a mystery using DNA evidence, to draw the resulting baby from a "chromosome mixup" game, and to make their own take-home model of DNA.. which probably didn't last very long when they left the community center ;)

Aya and Linda filtering the banana for the DNA extraction!

Aboud showing off the chromosome mixup baby!

Checking out what real DNA looks like!

Candy DNA!!

The All Science Challenge is Coming!

Can you believe that it's already time to start thinking about the 2012 All Science Challenge?? The All Science Challenge is a one-day science showdown for kids in grades 6-8.  Students study a handbook of reach-ahead science facts prepared by a team of educational experts and volunteers. On the big day, the students will compete against teams from other area schools for the title of All Science Challenge Champion!! All Science Challenges are hosted by Let's Talk Science sites across Canada, and this year will be Guelph's second time hosting this fun day of friendly competition and teamwork! The All Science Challenge at the University of Guelph will take place on April 24th, 2012.

If you know a student in grades 6-8 in the Guelph area who might be interested in competing, have his or her teacher visit http://www.letstalkscience.ca/challenge to register a team!

What have we been up to?

The fall semester is in full swing, and Let's Talk Science volunteers have already been out and about performing activities with youth in Guelph and beyond! Here are some of the highlights of just some of the activities that we've been up to!

• Linda, Amanda, and Amy showed kids at the Arthur Fall Fair that science doesn't have to take place only in the classroom! Kids at the fair had a chance to test their lung capacity, make slime, and take home some delicious candy DNA!
• Witek, Naheda, and Midori traveled with volunteers from other Let's Talk Science sites in southern Ontario to Alliston, ON to help out at Honda Canada's Take your Kids to Work Day activities! They helped grade 9 students build Rube Goldberg machines! After the activities at the car plant, Witek and Naheda kept the fun rolling by teaching kids about their 5 senses at the New Tecusmeth Library! Check out the full story on the main Let's Talk Science website!
• Jason and Derek have already visited the Guelph Homeschool Science Co-op several times to lead hands-on demonstrations!
• Colette, Midori, and Erica grossed out students at Holy Rosary Catholic Elementary here in Guelph with activities about the human body!

As you can see, we are already off to a busy year! This year, for the first time at the U of G, most volunteers have been placed in year-long partnerships with an educator partner to establish lasting relationships with the youth they visit! Several teams of volunteers have made plans to visit their classes within the upcoming weeks, so stay tuned for more updates about our amazing volunteers!!

Featured Volunteer - Jan Edward

Jan is an amazingly passionate and dedicated volunteer who began working with Let's Talk Science at the start of the 2010-2011 school year! He has visited schools and community groups within Guelph and in rural areas like Dublin, and he performed an amazing 10 activities last year! 

Q. What are you studying and what have you studied in the past?

A.I did my undergraduate degree in Wildlife Biology in Guelph and I loved it so much that I am still here pursuing my MSc degree studying stress neuroendocrinology.

Q. Why did you become a Let's Talk Science volunteer?

A. Science has always been a passion of mine. Science is practically everywhere in today's world. It is transforming our world in a rapid pace. However, Science is under appreciated. I volunteered for Let's Talk Science to pass on my passion to younger students and at the very least, for the students to gain an appreciation for Science. I believe that  being able to understand the importance of science in our everyday lives is not only an advantage but a necessity. More importantly, I want everyone to know that Science is fun!

Q. What has been your favourite part of volunteering (or what is the best activity that you've done so far)?

A. One of my most memorable Let's Talk Science experience is visiting schools in rural areas. The students are very excited to have us visit their school as they have very few visitors in the school year. This makes the long trip very rewarding. As rural students do not have the same level of access to science programming as urban students, I feel that these trips makes a huge impact as far as science outreach goes.

Past Featured Volunteers:

• Derek
• Kaity

New Year, New Coordinator, New Volunteers.. Same Fun!

Can you believe that it's already September?!? The new school year is ready to start, and Let's Talk Science at the U of G is ramping up for another super fun, super successful year!

We have grown from one coordinator to two! This year, Linda will be joined by a second PhD student from the U of G, Amanda, who will help out with connecting volunteers to teachers and educators! Amanda is also heading up an amazing DNA Barcoding activity (more on that another day!). 

This fall, we are offering several information and training sessions to help bring new graduate students into the program! The information sessions are an optional way for you to learn a little bit more about the program and what we are looking for volunteers to commit to. Attendance at a training session is MANDATORY before we can let you go out into classrooms and community groups!

Information sessions will be held:

Tuesday, September 13th at 2:00pm in the GreenhouseCafe, Bovey Bldg.

Tuesday,September 20th at 4:30 pm in 1800 Pathobiology

Thursday, October 6th at 4:30 pm in 1714Lifetime Learning Centre

Monday, October17th at 4:30 pm in 1714Lifetime Learning Centre

Training sessions will be held:

Tuesday, September 20th from 5-8 pm in 1800 Pathobiology

Thursday, October 6th from 5-8 pm in 1714Lifetime Learning Centre

Monday, October17th from 5-8 pm in 1714Lifetime Learning Centre 

I hope you can join us for another awesome year!

2010-2011 Award Winning Volunteers!

I can't believe it's the end of the school year already! Things have finally started to quiet down (except for the activities from summer schools and community groups!), which means that it's time to name this year's volunteer and activity of the year award recipients! On June 30th, we had a volunteer appreciation and awards night to honour the hard work of all of our fantastic volunteers.

The first award that was distributed was the Activity of the Year Award, which is given to the volunteer (or volunteers!) who develop and exceptionally creative, useful, and detailed activity.  The winners of this year's Activity of the Year Award were Nick S. and Angie R. for their activity about pulleys and levers!  Honourable mentions went to Amanda N. for her amazing Barcoding activity and to Adam T., whose anatomy field trip didn't quite see the light of day (but which was still pretty amazing!).

The second award that we distributed was the Christopher Zweerman Volunteer of the Year Award, which is given to a volunteer who has demonstrated a tremendous amount of passion, dedication, and creativity. This award is named in honour of the U of G's first Volunteer of the Year, Christopher Zweerman, who tragically passed away in 2010. We chose to name the award in his honour because he exemplified all of the qualities that make for a fantastic volunteer.
The winner of the 2010-2011 Christopher Zweerman Volunteer of the Year Award is Midori B., who not only performed an astounding 15 activities, but who also traveled to rural communities, developed new activities, and lent a hand with the All Science Challenge!  Honourable mentions went to Jan (Edward) L., who was also an amazingly dedicated volunteer who spent an enormous number of hours working both in Guelph and in rural communities; to Derek T., who single-handedly managed one of our busiest partnerships (and still found time to do other activities!); and to Kaity R., who not only had a hand in Adam's developing field trip activity, but who also performed several activities and who stepped up when other volunteers became unavailable on short notice.

We also had several volunteers who were nominated for national awards!!  Lisa W. was nominated for the National Volunteer of the Year Award due to her creativity, strong teaching skills, and dedication.  She is an outstanding volunteer! The CIHR Synapse award recognizes an outstanding activity in the field of health science. Amanda W. and Marina N. were nominated for this award based on their fantastic activity about microbes, and they were national finalists for this award!!

Thank you SO MUCH to all of the amazing volunteers this year! We really achieved some amazing things this year, and none of it would have been possible without you!

The All Science Challenge!!

After months of preparation, on Thursday, May 26th, the U of G hosted its first ever All Science Challenge!! Ten teams of students in grades 6-8 from five area schools competed for the top prize! All of the volunteers, teachers, and spectators were absolutely blown away by the questions that the students were answering! The kids worked their brains off to prepare for the big day, and their hard work really paid off! All of the competitors, whether they won or not, can be extremely proud of how they performed.

A HUGE thank you is owed to a huge number of people! In no particular order:

• Thank you to our fantastic sponsors for providing many of the materials and prizes!!
• Thank you to the national office of Let's Talk Science for their organization and support!
• Thank you to all of the volunteers who worked so hard to make the big day a success!
• Thank you to all of the teachers who worked overtime to help their students prepare!
• Thank you to the friends and families of the competitors for their support, both in advance and on the big day!
• And, of course, thank you to the competitors, who spent many hours working to study the All Science Challenge handbook!

To see all the photos that were taken on the big day, check out our Picasa album. Keep reading to hear about the big day!

Guest Post - Trip to Moosonee and Moose Factory

Jess is an outstanding volunteer who just returned from a week-long volunteer-a-thon in Moosonee and Moose Factory alongside a volunteer from Ottawa! She has written a post about her activities. You can check out a collection of photos on our Picasa!

May 8-10 2011  

From the moment we arrived at the tiny airport just outside the small community of Moosonee, we realized that this was going to be a week full of surprises and new experiences.  Our accommodations were in an area where teachers at the local catholic elementary school mainly lived,  about a 5 minute walk from “downtown” and communities only grocery store.  We arrived early in the afternoon on Sunday, therefore we had a good amount of time to prepare for our first set of presentations the next day.  The next morning we arrived at the docks to catch a water taxi over to Moose Factory.  This town is located on an island accessible by boat in the summer, ice bridge in the winter, and helicopter during the ice freeze-up and thaw outs in the spring and fall.  This means that if a student from Moosonee attends school on the island they take a helicopter to class for around 4 weeks every year! 

Featured Volunteer - Kaity

Kaity is a star volunteer who began volunteering with Let's Talk Science at the start of the 2010-2011 school year! She has participated in a huge number of different activities, including helping out with lots of activities at a local elementary school, participating in College Royal, and, most recently, performing hands-on activities with over 200 kids on a ferry in Owen Sound!

Q. What are you studying and what have you studied in the past?

A. I attended UoG for my undergrad with a major in Human Kinetics and a minor in Psychology. I am currently doing my coursework Masters in the Department of Human Health and Nutritional Science. Our lab studies different aspects of nutrigenomics. I have focused on relating specific genes to enzyme activity levels and associating these traits with inflammation and fatty acid synthesis. The long-term goal for parts of nutrigenomics would be to create personalized dietary plans for individuals, according to their genetic makeup.

Q. Why did you become a Let's Talk Science volunteer?

A. I love working with children and helping to create a love for science and a desire to to learn. Working with children is a very rewarding experience, I learn with them and I hope that they can learn something from me! In the future I would like to teach and each opportunity leaves me with new information about how I can improve and create a better presentation in the future.

Q. What has been your favourite part of volunteering (or what is the best activity that you've done so far)?

A. My favourite part about volunteering is being able to watch the kids use their imagination and creativity during hands on activities. Their ideas always amaze me and I am always very excited to see the end result :) I am looking forward to the opportunity to participate in more fun activities with Let’s Talk Science!

Rural outreach in Dublin, Ontario AND a major milestone!

Dublin, Ontario is a small town about 90 minutes away from Guelph.  A team of four volunteers braved early morning traffic and snowy roads to visit the grade 1 and 2 students at St. Patrick's to show them how much fun science can be!

The grade 2's learned how the familiar structures in a playground - slides, merry-go-rounds, and teeter-totters - are really simple machines! They built playground models to show off to their friends and families! The grade 1's learned about structures, and tested whether a suspension bridge was stronger than one without support wires (dental floss!). Then they built geodisic domes using only newspaper!

The kids and the volunteers all had a blast, as evidenced by the photos passed along by the teacher!

Nicole showing how a playground is really a collection of simple machines.

The dedicated volunteers - Sonya, Jan, Mary, and Nicole.

What makes this trip even more special is that, when we tallied up the number of youth reached in this visit, we realized that we had hit a milestone... we have now reached our goal for number of youth reached in the 2010-2011 school year! That's right: as of today, Let's Talk Science in Guelph has reached over 1,500 kids!! This amazing feat would not have been possible without the sincere dedication of volunteers like Mary, Sonya, Nicole, and Jan, as well as the enthusiasm of our community and educator partners!

Guelph Let's Talk Science hanging out with Stephen Harper!!

Yup, that incredible title is true: on Friday, March 11th a team of LTS volunteers from the U of G and UWaterloo visited St. Ignatius school here in Guelph for a normal, run of the mill roller coaster engineering challenge with the grade 6's that culminated in PRIME MINISTER STEPHEN HARPER dropping by to test out the kids' fantastic designs. No big deal. That's just how we roll here in Guelph.

This activity was followed by an incredible announcement: the PM has dedicated $2,000,000 across 4 years to Let's Talk Science in Southern Ontario through Fed-Dev Ontario's Youth STEM program!!!! How ridiculously fantastic is that?!?!?

This incredible announcement was front page news here in Guelph, and it was also covered by several national news sources and at the PM's own website.  Plenty of photos are coming soon so stay tuned!

News articles about the announcement and the PM's visit:

• The Prime Minister's website
• The Guelph Mercury
• CTV News

Edit:  Photos after the jump!  To see all of the high-res photos, check out our picasa album!

Mr. Landoni's amazing grade 6's.. with a special guest!

Let's Talk Science at College Royal!

College Royal is a huge open house that is held each year at the University of Guelph.  There are 12 days of activities, lectures, and friendly competitions for students and the community, and it culminates in a weekend-long open house where clubs and organizations at the university present booths and activities to show the community what we're all about!

This year, for the first time ever, Let's Talk Science will be running activities all weekend long at College Royal!! Come find us in MacKinnon 228, where we will be running hands-on activities for kids of all ages on a rotating schedule all weekend long! Our schedule is:


Saturday:
9:30–10:30 am: Super Science Challenges AND Feast for the Senses
11 am – 12:30 pm: Guts AND Crime Scene
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Super Science Challenges AND Feast for the Senses
3–4 pm: Guts AND Crime Scene

Sunday:
10:30–11:30 am: Super Science Challenges AND Feast for the Senses
12:30–2 pm: Guts AND Crime Scene
2:30–3:30 pm: Super Science Challenges AND Feast for the Senses



Super Science Challenges and Crime Scene activities are aimed at ages 8–14, and Feast for the Senses  and Guts are aimed at ages 4–7.


Check out the main College Royal website at www.collegeroyal.uoguelph.ca to see all of the other fun, family-friendly, hands-on activities that will be going on - and make sure to stop by and visit us, too!

Featured Volunteer - Derek

Derek is a fantastic Let's Talk Science volunteer who has been active at the Guelph site since 2009. This year he has worked extensively with the Guelph Home-School Science Co-op and wowed them with demonstrations about chemistry, matter, and structures!

 

Q. What are you studying now and what have you studied in the past? 

A. I did my undergraduate degree at Dartmouth College, majoring in engineering and biology. I'm currently working on my Ph.D. in the Department of Animal and Poultry Science. My advisor is Dr. Julang Li and my project looks at the initiation of meiosis in soon-to-be germ cells. We're hoping to use that knowledge to improve artificial systems for reproductive technologies, such as in animal production. 

 

Q. Why did you become a Let's Talk Science volunteer?

A.  I've always enjoyed teaching and working with elementary-aged kids. I remember how much fun science was back in grade-school (not that it's not as fun now) and this seemed like a really great way to inspire kids to get fascinated about something that fascinates me. 

 

Q. What has been your favourite part of volunteering (or what is the best activity that you've done so far)?

A. Probably my favourite thing is seeing how excited everyone is when they see me coming back. That means I must be doing something right. And being able to do experiments that I (mostly) know are going to work out the way I'm expecting! 

Family Day Excitement!

Over the Family Day weekend, volunteers from Let's Talk Science at the University of Guelph will be presenting an activity about the human body for all ages at the main branch of the Guelph Public Library on Saturday, February 19th from 10:30-11:30 am.  It should be lots of fun - hope to see you there!

Activity Overload!

Um, so, remember how last week I said that we had reached 500 kids? And remember how I said that this number was poised to jump?

Well hang onto your socks, because they are about to be blown off: as of today, Let's Talk Science volunteers from the U of Guelph have reached OVER 900 KIDS!!!! That means we just beat last year's total!!!

How is that even possible? The huge jump in numbers is thanks to a number of incredibly dedicated volunteers! A total of 5 volunteers traveled to Orangeville over the past week to perform hands-on activities about matter, materials, energy transfer, the human body, and the characteristics of living things! Another team of volunteers visited kids at a community centre on a PD day to talk about animal adaptations, to challenge them with small engineering problems, and to wow them with some chemistry magic! Yet ANOTHER team of fantastic volunteers spent a full day working with kids in kindergarten through grade 2 talking about weather, materials, and animal adaptations! In addition to these large activities, several smaller-scale, but still amazing activities took place at schools here in Guelph - all in all, a pretty impressive week when you consider that Wednesday was a snow day, causing one activity to be postponed!

It's hard for me to express how proud I am of the fantastic things that the volunteers have achieved, not just over the past week, but in the time since I have become coordinator. I never thought that we would be able to work with so many kids in such a short time, and when I look ahead to all of the exciting things that we have planned before the end of the school year - an exhibit at College Royal, our first All Science Challenge, a visit to Northern Ontario, lending a hand at the CWSE-organized Girl Guides badge day, several more rural school visits, and, of course, plenty of outreach to schools here in Guelph - I am absolutely blown away by how much of an impact the volunteers from the U of G have had on the community within Guelph and beyond.

Thank you to the dedicated volunteers, the enthusiastic educator and community partners, and to all of our sponsors - you have made a real difference in the lives of youth in Guelph and the surrounding communities. Go pat yourselves on the back, buy yourselves a hot chocolate, and enjoy the rest of this snowy week :)

500 youth reached!!!!

Here at Guelph we just hit a major milestone: so far, in the 2010-2011 school year we have already reached over 500  youth!! And considering that there are an amazing 8 activities planned for the coming week, I don't think we're going to be in the 500's for very long!
Last year Let's Talk Science at Guelph reached an amazing 900 kids, but it looks like we're poised to do even better this year thanks to the amazing dedication of the Guelph volunteers! I'm so proud to work with all of you!

Let's Talk Science Training Session

If you are a veterinary student, or a graduate student in science, math, or engineering, we'd love to have you as a Let's Talk Science volunteer! If you're interested, please attend this semester's training session, which will be held on Thursday, January 20th at 6pm in 1714 OVC. There will be FREE FOOD!!!! so please RSVP to uguelph@letstalkscience.ca if you are planning to attend!

Hope to see you there!

Our official website is live!!

It's finally here - the real, official, fancy, shiny website of the Let's Talk Science volunteers at the University of Guelph!!

Check out our official website for more detailed information about the types of activities that are available and to get more information about how to become either a volunteer or an educator / community partner.

Our website may be found at http://www.letstalkscience.ca/en/uguelph.html.

What have we been up to?

In short... a lot! Let's Talk Science volunteers have already performed 13 activities in schools and community groups throughout Guelph!

Two wonderful volunteers, Amanda and Marina, put together a great activity called the Wonderful World of Microbes aimed at kids in kindergarten! The activity teaches kids about what microbes are and about some of the things they can do, including making us sick. They also taught kids the importance of proper handwashing with a neat black light activity! A more detailed description of their activity, as well as some great photos, are available on their lab group’s website.

In December, Let’s Talk Science volunteers performed the Chemistry Magic Show activity with the Family Housing community at the University of Guelph! This activity was a lot of fun for everyone because most of the parents stayed with their kids and joined in! There were enough rockets, slime, and explosions to keep everyone engaged, and I got a lot of positive feedback from the community coordinators.
The only mishap was when I tried to perform the burning money trick.. and singed my own $5 bill. I later found out that someone was about to lend me a $100 bill for the trick, so I’m glad he chickened out!
Best of all, one of the volunteers, Vincent, took some great pictures showing the fun!





Lisa showing off the cornstarch goo.




Magic milk with Zach!



A brave volunteer checking to make sure that the money is ok after I lit it on fire!

A message from Joanna - Award winning volunteers!

Hi everyone! Happy New Year! The following post was written by Joanna, the original Let's Talk Science coordinator here at the University of Guelph who was active between 2008-2010.
--
Happy new year! I hope all of you had a restful break. For those of you that were unable to make it to the volunteer appreciation party, I just wanted to let you all know what a pleasure it has been being the coordinator over the past few years. I have officially stepped down and am no longer coordinator. With that being said, being the coordinator was one of the most exciting, rewarding, and fun things that I have had the privileged of taking part in. Since I started up the program a few years ago, we have reached over 1000 youth! This makes me very proud and happy that I was able to work with so many amazing volunteers. Without you all, none of this would have been possible. However, despite me leaving (if I could stay forever, I would!!) I leave the program in Linda's hands. Even over the past few months she has already expanded the program more than I could have even imagined!! I can't wait to see how the program will grow in the future.

With regards to the party, a few more things occurred that I feel are worth mentioning. Firstly, I would like to acknowledge the award winners. This past year Lindsay Bergeron and Mike Gerling earned the Project of the Year award. They both created such a cool workshop involving the human body. They gave a tour of the human anatomy lab on campus followed by a tour of the Science Centre Exhibit (Body Works). Not only did they engage the students and create something fun, unique, educational, and hands-on, they also did this all on their own (including recruiting educators, students, and arranging transportation)! They both went above and beyond, and greatly deserve this award. I applaud them both.

Secondly, before I announce the winner of the Volunteer of the Year Award, I have some sad news to share with all of you. One of our previous volunteers, Christopher Zweerman recently passed away in an unfortunate motorbike accident. Chris was an amazing volunteer. He was one of the most enthusiastic, happy, and passionate people I have ever had the privilege of meeting. He was a volunteer in the first year of the LTS program here at Guelph, and since completing his Masters was attending Medical School in Australia. I am so lucky that I had a chance to work with him. He embodied everything an LTS volunteer should be, and for this he was awarded the first ever LTS Guelph Volunteer of the Year Award. In his honour we have decided to name the Volunteer of the Year Award after him to keep his memory alive.

So, that brings me to the next (more positive) note. The recipient for the Christopher Zweerman Volunteer of the Year Award goes to Beau Frigault. Beau was an avid volunteer and did a great job. Congratulations to Beau.

Once again, I thank you all for the hard work and dedication to sharing science with kids. Thank you for making this such a positive experience for me over the past few years. Also, you haven't seen the last of me yet since I will be volunteering!!


Sincerely,

Joanna McPherson, MSc
Ontario Veterinary College
Class of 2012