Each year, together with provincial and territorial governments, Youth Science Canada declares March as Youth Science Month to celebrate young Canadians striving to make the world a better place through science.
Every fall, grade 7-12 students across the country are challenged to solve difficult problems through science and engineering projects targeting seven key issues: Discovery, Energy, Environment, Health, Information, Innovation and Resources - real world problems requiring real science and engineering.
If "science project" makes you think volcanoes and solar systems, you couldn’t be more wrong!
In 2011:
- A grade 7 student from Winnipeg, MB investigated the effects of folic acid on blood cells
- A grade 9 student from Liverpool, NS found a new use for clam and oyster shells - neutralizing sulphuric acid in the process of recycling car batteries
- A grade 11 student from Fort St. John, BC tested cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) from a local lake as a potential biofuel source
...just three of over 450 projects that competed at the 50th annual Canada-Wide Science Fair in Toronto last May.
Over 500,000 young Canadians do a science project every year; 25,000 participate in 100 regional science fairs - in every province and territory. Youth Science Month salutes these young Canadians and highlights the remarkable opportunities available to youth through science.
Download the provincial proclamations below:
British Columbia
Manitoba
Newfoundland & Labrador
Nova Scotia
Prince Edward Island
Saskatchewan
Yukon
View a video of the Youth Science Month 2012 materials in Horizon Travel magazine (Toronto Star and National Post (Ottawa)), Union Station in Toronto, and in the Toronto (TTC) subway system: