Concordia engineering students have built a number of K’NEX structures, including replicas of the Eiffel Tower, Habitat 67 and a space shuttle. Photo by Concordia University
The subject matter ranges from physics and chemistry to engineering, but visitors won’t be treated to any conventional classroom lectures.
“Science is cool,” says Miriam Posner, technical supervisor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. “We want to get kids interested in it at a very young age.”
To that end, Posner herself is introducing visitors to printing and paper-making in the Physics and Chemistry tent. “We’ll be using recycled fibers, and the kids will get to make actual paper.”
A team from Concordia’s chapter of the educational outreach organisation Let’s Talk Science is sharing a tent with Virtual Touch, which will showcase the Illimitable Space System, a digital technology that animates human bodies in real time. The system was developed by Miao Song and Serguei Mokhov, affiliate assistant professors and part-time faculty members in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science.
Meanwhile, at the Concordia-staffed K’NEX Labyrinth, children will be able to navigate a maze made from the popular K’NEX toy.
In all, some 30 university ambassadors will be on hand to show children — many of whom will be bused in by their schools on the Friday — what science is all about.
“Audiences can ask questions and interact with the faculty, the staff and the students. They’ll be able to engage in scientific discussion at a level that we hope will encourage them to explore the subject matter further.”
The return of Westmount Science Camp
Many of the same Concordians — including Song and Mokhov, as well as the gang from Let’s Talk Science — are also leading workshops for six- to 13-year-olds at the Westmount Science Camp in July and August.
The campers, who spend most of the time at Westmount High School, will take part in three field trips to the Loyola Campus.
“We’re going to be designing all sorts of hands-on experiments for them to watch and participate in,” Posner says. “The idea is to give the campers an interactive approach to learning about basic scientific concepts.”
Former astronaut Marc Garneau paid a visit to the 2013 Westmount Science Camp. | Photo by Concordia University