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Join WISEatlantic as they celebrate Science Literacy Week at Halifax North Memorial Public Library on September 18th, 2019. The theme of Science Literacy Week this year is Oceans and Ocean Science! Explore some cool Ocean Science careers from our panel of experts and participate in our hands-on, ocean-themed activity!
Junior high students are welcome to attend, along with parents.
Please RSVP to Sally at WISEatlantic@msvu.ca
The third biennial Atlantic ConnecTions Conference was held on May 30 & 31, 2019 at the University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, PE, and was hosted by the Faculty of Sustainable Design Engineering. The main theme of the conference was “Sustaining Women in SETT”, and as such the program particularly focused on how best to retain women and gender minorities in SETT in Atlantic Canada.
ACT 2019 provided an opportunity for attendee’s to share their experiences of studying and working in male-dominated fields, to network with others, and to discuss successful strategies for recruiting and retaining women in SETT. ACT 2019 welcomed 84 students, academics and industry professionals from SETT sectors across Atlantic Canada.
Read the full conference report on the conference website, http://atlanticconnections.ca/
Last week, WISEatlantic held their third Senior Girls Get WISE Science Summer Camp. The four-day event exposed a group of high school girls to a variety of STEM careers. While they got to participate in plenty of hands-on activities, they also got a taste of what university life is like.
The girls shook off those first-day jitters by participating in a group challenge to create windmills that lift tea-bags off the ground as they spin – the least amount of materials, the better. They explored the concept of regeneration by working with planaria, a flatworm species that has the ability to grow back missing parts of their bodies, or even create whole new beings from smaller pieces. The girls tried their hands at drone building, to a variety of success, but had a thrilling time getting them to fly. They left the lab smelling beautiful by making soap with the Laughing Pear Soap Company; they even got to bring some sweet-smelling soap home! Each girl also had the chance to create their own website using HTML and CSS coding with Code Mobile.
In addition to participating in these activities, they got to learn about some unique career options. The girls got the opportunity to talk to a pediatric resident at the IWK who, alongside her hours at the hospital, is conducting specialized research that the girls were able to participate in. They got to visit the campus beehive and learn about the amazing world of beekeeping, as well as trying some delicious honey! They also explored how StatsCan aids in spreading real statistical data on a variety of subjects by creating their own visual representations of data related to a topic they were interested in.
The girls got to go on a campus tour where their burning questions surrounding what university life is like were answered. Spending time on campus was a new thing for a lot of the girls and as they start thinking about their post-secondary education, exploring what the Mount has to offer was a fun and inspiring opportunity. They also got to visit the Mount garden, which gave them a peaceful end to a jam-packed week of hands-on fun!
Have you heard the good news?! Halifax is getting it's own chapter of the Canadian Association of Girls in Science (CAGIS)! Starting in September, 2019.
CAGIS is an award-winning club for girls aged 11 to 16 that facilitates interest in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). CAGIS chapter members meet monthly to explore STEM with fun, hands-on activities led by women and men experts in a variety of STEM fields.
These monthly events often occur at the work places of our STEM experts, giving girls a behind-the-scenes view and allowing them to experience the lab and field environment for themselves!
If you’d like to learn more, or register, please visit the CAGIS national website at girlsinscience.ca
Take a look at what we’ve been up to this summer and find out what we have planned for Fall 2019!
The first booklet in the Career Spotlight Series – Women in Science, has been completed. The Career Spotlight Series is directed at young girls in Junior and Senior High Schools and will be distributed to various schools and teachers’ conferences in the Atlantic Provinces. The aim of the Career Spotlight Series is to showcase the variety of careers available in the STEM fields. The first booklet features a diverse selection of female scientists from across the Maritime provinces.
WISEatlantic currently provides sponsorship for STEM based team initiatives for youth, such as FIRST LEGO League teams or Let’s Talk Science Challenge. The team must be comprised of 50% or more girls. Download the sponsorship application HERE!
Applications for the 2019/2020 competition year will be available starting May 1, 2019 and will be accepted until September 27, 2019.
