Young scientists back on campus this week

Nearly 1,000 students in grades 5 to 12 from Calgary schools will be on campus at the Olympic Oval Thursday and Saturday to present at the Calgary Youth Science Fair (CYSF). The annual fair is organized by the CYSF Society to encourage and promote ongoing interest in science.

The university is a platinum sponsor and longstanding supporter of the fair. Students, faculty and staff of the university will participate as speakers, award sponsors, judges, presenters, and volunteers.

Dru Marshall, provost and vice-president (academic), will take part in Friday’s guest speakers program, talking about her role as provost at the university and her expertise in the areas of exercise physiology, women in sport and coaching.

“We are so pleased the Calgary Youth Science Fair is returning for its third year at the University of Calgary’s Olympic Oval,” said Marshall. “This partnership is a wonderful opportunity to integrate the university with the larger Calgary community, and we are delighted to be part of an event that encourages and promotes ongoing interest in science. The level of excellence and innovation demonstrated by participants is inspiring.”

Schulich School of Engineering student and musician Emily Marasco will join Marshall on Friday to talk about her research on the interdisciplinary and innovative design practices for electrical engineering education. Finally, Dr. Tom Noseworthy, professor of health policy and management in the Department of Community Health Sciences, will be on hand to discuss his work at the Institute for Public Health.

Students set up their exhibits on April 15 and will participate in a full day of judging on April 17. On Saturday, April 19, the fair is open to the public on Saturday April 19 to view student projects and for the awards ceremony. 

On event days, many faculties and departments will appear in the Science Lab, an interactive set of showcases featuring some of their faculty’s best work. Participating faculties and departments include:

• Faculty of Kinesiology
• Faculty of Nursing
• Faculty of Science
• Schulich School of Engineering
• Arctic Institute of North America
• Institute for Public Health
• Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta
• Department of Geomatics Engineering
• Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Infectious Diseases
• Cybermentor 
• Let's Talk Science
• Undergraduate Health & Science Education

For more information, visit www.cysf.org.