Every year the Manitoba First Nations Science Fair keeps growing. This year set a new record for student attendance and participation with 400 students from 31 schools exhibiting 240 projects.
We were able to speak with Rosely Booth, who works in Science & Technology at MFNERC. “Being a staff means I am able to help plan and organize the fair. I have seen a lot of change, good changes. The students participating in the program not only have a good experience preparing their projects and learning science but also gain so much from the social aspect of the fair. They come over here and meet other communities, and they experience success. That’s what makes them want to do more science. That’s why I think these events are important, especially for the little ones,” she says.
“We also have something going on in terms of high school students. In many circumstances, high school students aren’t as interested in science fairs. There is this gap we noticed after junior high where students weren’t wanting to participate. We now have a science mentorship program to address that gap. We encourage students to do projects that are relevant to their community, and we match them up with mentors who are not restricted to our own staff but with members of the science community. The students use their labs, spending time next to their mentors, and they’re coming up with great projects and solutions and learning so much. Some of them are following science fields for work and study, which is always a plus.”
We’ve received great feedback from previous science fair participants, noting how it was through these events and coming out to meet with other students, the public, and the social interaction between other like-minded people that was one of the most helpful contributors to their educational careers. The numbers keep growing and we could not be more proud of the students who came out for the 17th Annual First Nations Science Fair this year.
We also send out a big congratulations to the finalists, Sarah Grieves, Julia Courchene, Adian Esculund-Hansen, Kayla Anderson, and Emmalee Anderson who are off to Fredericton, New Brunswick!
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