Igniting excitement for science

Learning about science has never been so fun. Close to 2,000 students from schools across Nova Scotia will gather at Dalhousie in the next several weeks for a variety of fun, educational, hands-on activities all in the name of science. 

This is the fourth year the Faculty of Science has hosted and funded science fun days for students in Grades 6 to 12. This year for the first time, there are five program activities being offered; math, physics, chemistry, psychology and neuroscience, and marine biology. All events are free for school groups and in high demand. Last May, Dal welcomed over 1,200 students and teachers to take part in the activities. For returning teachers, there’s much anticipation about what this year will bring.

“Last year, I brought my Grade 8 class to attend the event and there was so much positive feedback from students that I couldn’t let the opportunity to come again pass by,” says Joy Noseworthy, a science teacher at Uniacke District School. “This is a great program that combines science with fun and makes students think outside the box.”

Psychology and neuroscience

She continues: “I’m hoping my students take away a new perspective on what science has to offer. We’re sometimes limited to what we can do in a junior high science lab so it’s nice for students to get full advantage of what science has to offer.”

This past Wednesday marked the launch of the first annual Psychology and Neuroscience Days at Dal’s Life Sciences Centre. Groups of students arrived in the morning and, after a brief introduction, divided into groups to learn about different areas of study in psychology and neuroscience. Those running the event took this opportunity to clear up some common misconceptions.

“We want to show students that psychology and neuroscience is not about laying on a long leather couch talking about your problems,” explains Heather Schellinck, senior instructor in the Department of Psychology. “Today, we’re discussing autism, brain imaging techniques and theory of mind. We’re doing hands-on experiments to help them understand and maybe peak their interest.”

Theresa Myra is responsible for school outreach in the Faculty of Science and is thrilled with the feedback from teachers and students participating in the events.

“Students come in very excited to work in the labs and do interactive activities,” says Ms. Myra. “Our aim is to ignite that excitement of science and math in N.S. students.”

Reaching out to schools

Ms. Myra, also the employer development coordinator for Science Co-operative Education at Dalhousie University, has taken this outreach initiative from good to great. After coming on board in 2006, she worked diligently to ensure an organized relationship with Nova Scotia schools by developing an easy-to-access webpage link and mailing list sign-up for teachers to receive information about Dalhousie University’s science and math outreach initiatives.

“We do a short de-briefing after each day’s events and we get teachers and students to fill out a short questionnaire. The only complaint we’ve gotten is that the sessions aren’t long enough!” she laughs.

There’s a whole lot of fun still on the way: Physics Fun and Discovery Days are set for May 9 to 13; Math Fun Days, May 16 to 20; Discover Chemistry Days, May 17 to 19; and Biology Fun Days, June 6 to 8.

 LINK: Faculty of Science outreach