Grade 11 students from across Windsor-Essex took part in the 13th annual Science Academy. (Courtesy of Dora Cavallo-Medved/University of Windsor).
By Sara Elliott
For Victoria Lessard, being a part of the University of Windsor campus for a week was an eye-opening experience.
The Grade 11 student from St. Anne's Catholic High School, along with 59 other students from across Windsor-Essex, learned about a wide range of science career paths at the 13th annual Science Academy.
“This week was really fun,” says Lessard.
“We got to check out all the different science departments within the University, as well as different buildings, do hands-on experiments, see different presentations and participate in various competitions.”
In addition to making new friends, her favourite element was the mid-week Amazing Science Race, a relay designed for teams of students to compete in a series of science-themed challenges.
For one week, the Faculty of Science hosted the high school students for an immersive academic experience that covered research, laboratories and hands-on opportunities available to future Lancers.
“My favourite department to visit was forensics and environmental science,” she says.
“For forensics, there was a mock crime scene that we got to solve, and we got to take our own fingerprints. For the environmental science, we got to make a water filtration system with different materials.”
As part of the 13th annual Science Academy, high school students took part in workshops hosted by the Faculty of Science’s departments. (SARA ELLIOTT/University of Windsor)
Noah Shin, from St. Anne's Catholic High School, said he learned a lot over the course of the week.
“I was originally there for biomedical sciences, but now I see that there are different types of courses that I can really get into and am interested in as well,” says Shin.
He says meeting new people and professors was a bonus.
“Before I came here, I was a bit scared and nervous and thought it would be all lectures,” he says.
“Instead, it was activities. It was very interactive and kept me interested every single day.”
At the end of the week, the students met a panel of eight alumni working in various career fields ranging from medicine and agriculture to finance and sports.
“I didn't know that there was so much the University offered,” says Lessard.
The academy was led by associate dean of science for faculty and student engagement Dora Cavallo-Medved experiential learning specialist Michelle Bondy, with support from student leader Jack Berthiaume and more than 100 undergraduate and graduate student volunteers, faculty members and staff.
Students who attended all five days received a $1,000 entrance award applicable to any Faculty of Science program.
Two participants also received sponsorships from the Friends of Ojibway Prairie to attend the Ontario Nature Youth Summit this fall.