Barry Coulter
An annual highlight of the East Kootenay academic spring is approaching.
Organizers of the annual East Kootenay Regional Science Fair want students to know there's still plenty of time to put together a science project for the event, scheduled for April 10 and 11 at the College of the Rockies in Cranbrook. The fair is open to all students from School Districts 5 and 6.
At last year's science fair there were more than 200 projects entered, with thousands of dollars in prizes and scholarships available.
The theme of this year's fair is "Light," in keeping with the United Nations' proclamation of the International Year of Light and Light-based technologies.
In proclaiming an International Year focusing on the topic of light science and its applications, the UN has recognized the importance of raising global awareness about how light-based technologies promote sustainable development and provide solutions to global challenges in energy, education, agriculture and health.
"Light plays a vital role in our daily lives and is an imperative cross-cutting discipline of science in the 21st century," according to a UN statement. "It has revolutionized medicine, opened up international communication via the Internet, and continues to be central to linking cultural, economic and political aspects of the global society."
Friday, April 10, will feature the Competitive Fair for students in Grades 6 through 12. Saturday, April 11, will feature the non-competitive fair for students from Kindergarten through Grade 5. Information on how to do a science project, including a six-week plan to follow, can be found at the Fair's website, www.ekrsf.ca.
One of the highlights of this year's fair will be the guest speaker — Astronaut Abby.
Abigail Harrison's ambition is to be an astronaut — but not only that, she plans to be the first astronaut to Mars. With a dream that big, it takes setting goals and working hard each day to make it a reality. Abigail is one step closer, having travelled to Russia in May, 2013, as a special guest of Italian Astronaut Luca Parmitan, to to be a part of a legendary Soyuz launch–Soyuz-TMA-09M.
After the launch, Abby served as Parmitano's Earth Liaison, bringing space down to Earth by sharing Parmitano's space mission with her followers and other young people interested in space.
Many exhibitors will also take part in the science fair, including Kimberley's Sun Mine project, The Rocky Mountain Trench Ecosystem Restoration Society, Wildsight, Kootenay Beekeepers, Mainstreams, the Kootenay Trout Hatchery and others.
Volunteers are needed for both days, including judges for Friday and helpers for Friday and Saturday who can commit to two hours, four hours or all day. To volunteer, contact Tess Green at greenbarn@cintek.com.