Featured Volunteer Pair - Xin and Ramya

Xin and Ramya began volunteering in the Fall of 2011. They have received rave reviews from the teachers and students who they have worked with thanks to their enthusiasm and creativity!

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

Xin:  I went to University of Waterloo to complete my BSc. in Biochemistry/Biotechnology specialization and now I am doing my master study in Environment Biology in University of Guelph.

Ramya: I do have my undergraduate degree in Biotechnology (Engineering)from Visvesvaraya Technological University (VTU), India and presently pursuing masters in Bioinformatics at University of Guelph.

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

Xin: The best part of this experience is to see the smiles from every single kids, and get them to like science even when they are young. Learning science can be so enjoyable if the fun ideas are introduced to all those kids, which is why I am so thankful that they have this program to cover kids from age 6-17. Teaching the kids to appreciate science and not just some boring formula in chemistry, or nasty animals that scare them. 

I only had chance to volunteer with one activity, which is budding science that talked about how insects and birds adapt to their habitats. This activity was great because it allows the kids to have hands on experience to "become a bird" when feeding and to build their own insects.

Ramya: The excitement and happiness in each young scientist(kid) after there hands on activity.

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!!