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 :)