The Final Day

Another great day of Science Camp :-)

This morning's session at the Winnipeg Inner City Science Centre was very interesting and informative. I was fascinated by the process of staining cells and preparing slides for examination under the microscope. Click on the following image to see what some of your prepared slides looked like under the microscope:


You'll find a few more pictures below that capture some of the activities that took place throughout the day. Some of these images were taken at the Industrial Technology Centre, where we were treated to a demonstration of their virtual reality lab. The applications of this immersive experience for science are incredible. Being able to visualize things at the molecular level in three dimensions (or more...) is pretty powerful. And having the power to manipulate this data with such high resolution will undoubtedly lead to many new and exciting discoveries in this field.

We hope that you've enjoyed your Science Camp experience :-)

Please feel free to share your Science Camp highlights in the comments following this post. You may also want to leave some advice for the committee that has organized this year's Science Camp so that the students who take part in next year's Science Camp can also benefit from your experience...

Day 3

What an awesome day we had learning about electronic circuitry, building robots & engaging in some friendly competition :-)

Mr. Yakimoski and his students at École Sturgeon Heights provided us with many rich learning opportunities and deserve a huge thank-you for their role in engaging us in all of the collaborative activities that took place throughout the day! Thank you, Mr. Yakimoski, for providing such wonderful hospitality...

Here are a few pictures that capture some of the highlights of the day:



What were your highlights from the third Science Camp session?
What advice would you give to students who participate in these activities next year?

Don't forget to brush up on your biology for our last Science Camp session next week ;-) Spend a few minutes thinking about the following questions prior to next week's activities...
1) The parts of a cell (i.e. nucleus, cytoplasm, etc...) and the role of each part
2) The parts of a microscope and how a microscope works
3)Why do we prepare cells/specimens before we look at them under a microscope?
4) What are the uses of cells in cancer research?

What resources will you use to help you find your answers?
You may want to use this website as a starting point for reviewing this information...

Don't forget to bring a bagged lunch for the last Science Camp session next week. We look forward to seeing you there :-)

Day 2 - A Review...

What a fantastic day we had at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Agriculture! Thanks, Crystal, for doing a fantastic job of whisking us around the campus so that we could enjoy many exciting activities!

The first half of the day involved obtaining DNA samples and testing them. Bob Adamson did a fantastic job of leading everyone through many fascinating activities. Thanks to Mr. Adamson, you can click here is find some follow-up information related to the activities that you completed this morning.

We spent most of the afternoon in the Food Sciences building, where we had a chance to experiment with baking biscuits, making ice cream and more! Pat and Michael did a wonderful job of helping us to see just how much energy is required to transform simple ingredients into edible delights. I look forward to repeating many of these activities in my own kitchen :-)

I can't wait to work with all of you again later this month to design and build robots! In the meantime, what were your highlights from the 2nd session of Science Camp? Please share your feedback, recipes, etc... in the 'comments' following this post ;-)

Reflecting - The First Day

Image: 'Scientific FUTAB' - http://www.flickr.com/photos/97021165@N00/996717266

Please take a couple of minutes to reflect on what you enjoyed about your first Science Camp session last week. Use the 'Comments' button below to post your own highlights from the day.

What are you looking forward to learning today on our trip to the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Agriculture?

Sustainability & The Environment

We hope that you've enjoyed your first day at Science Camp!


I would like to thank Bob Austman, the Education Coordinator for Manitoba Model Forest, for sharing so much information with us throughout the morning. Bob's presentation really helped us to understand how important it is to work together to protect our forests.

Bob's presentation got me thinking about Severn Suzuki's 1992 presentation to the United Nations when she was only twelve years old, urging everyone to consider the impact we're having on the environment. You can watch Severn Suzuki's presentation here:


Over lunch, we checked out the GE SmartGrid augmented reality and we also watched a few short presentations from TED Talks that demonstrated the negative impact we're having on the environment. Here is one of the videos that we watched, featuring Charles Moore, who showcased the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch':


Throughout the afternoon, Ria (from Oak Hammock Marsh) shared some information with us about some of the many conservation efforts that are being initiated by Ducks Unlimited.

What did you like best about the first day of Science Camp? Please click on 'comments' to add your feedback below.

We look forward to seeing you again next Friday, when we take a field trip to the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Agriculture. See you next week :-)

Mark Your Calendar...

Congratulations on being chosen as a representative of your school to participate in Science Camp 2010. Through this experience, you will be provided with many opportunities to explore various applications of science.

We've arranged some exciting activities for this year's Science Camp. Be sure to mark your calendars...

Image: 'End at the Beginning'

Session#1: February 3rd, 2010
Session#2: February 12th, 2010
Session#3: February 23rd, 2010
Session#4: March 3rd, 2010

Getting Ready...

This blog has been created to serve as a portal for students who are participating in the 2009/2010 St. James-Assiniboia School Division's Science Camp.

More information will be posted here in the coming weeks :-)