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Stem and Innovation Day - October 22, 2018

Please join us on October 22, 2018 for the Power of Ideas Exhibit and STEM Sessions for all Brant, Haldimand, Norfolk secondary students. Hosted by Assumption College School | 257 Shellard Lane, Brantford.

Power of Ideas - Video  |  Event Poster (printable)

Power of Ideas Exhibits:

A travelling science center, the Power of Ideas was developed for Canada’s Canada’s one-hundred and fiftieth anniversary.  The Innovation150 exhibits are a collaboration of five Canadian science outreach and research organizations, led by Perimeter, and including Actua, the Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, the Canadian Association of Science Centres, and the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation.

Schedule for the Day:

9:00 am - 3:00 pm - Power of Ideas Exhibit and Presentations

2:00 pm - 3:15 pm - Presentation from McMaster’s Innovation Park

3:30 pm - 4:30 pm - Session A University Workshop

4:40 pm - 5:40 pm - Session B University Workshop

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm - Power of Ideas Open House (Open to the public)

University Workshops include:

  • Food Science (Guelph)
  • Quantum Physics (Waterloo)
  • Electric Pacemaker Circuits (McMaster)
  • Polymers (Let’s Talk Science)
  • Chemical Reactions (Let’s Talk Science)
  • Game Design (Brantford Laurier)
  • Mathematics (Waterloo)
  • Engineering (Western)
  • Geoscience (Brock)
  • Material Science (McMaster)
  • Mission to Mars (Western)

Detailed Agenda and Workshop Descriptions:

Power of Ideas Exhibits – Large Gym (9:00 am – 3:00 pm)

The Power of Ideas Exhibition deals with cutting-edge science programming. In this inspiring exhibition and presentation from Perimeter Institute, students take a fun, hands-on approach to engaging with the process of science. From delving into two of the world’s largest science experiments to exploring changing ideas about our universe, this immersive experience fosters curiosity and a better understanding of how we investigate our world.

Keynote Address: McMaster Innovation Park– Cafeteria (2:00 – 3:15)

A panel of speakers from award winning McMaster Innovation Park (MIP) will be visiting us with an interactive presentation to discuss their experiences in STEM research. MIP is an important part of the innovative ecosystem in Hamilton by supporting start-ups, business, research and offering collaborative space for each sector to co-locate, connect and commercialize; a place to transform ideas from vision to commercial reality. Entrepreneurs, firms, researchers, industry partners, business mentors and support facilities can connect and facilitate commercialization. MIP is committed to using sustainable design principles, transforming former brownfields into a premier research park at a LEED silver or higher level.

University Hands-On Workshops

Session A -  3:30-4:30

Session B - 4:40-5:40

McMaster University – Pacemaker Circuits – room 2004

In this interactive workshop, students will use a 555 timer in combination with LED’s to illustrate how a pacemaker controls the rhythm of a patient’s heart. Students will have a chance to build their own simulated pacemaker with a breadboard and other components. This allows us to look closer at how electrical mechanisms can be used for medical treatments and applications.

University of Waterloo - Quantum - room 2005

One of the key principles of quantum mechanics is that measuring an object unavoidably disturbs it. This is often illustrated through the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, which states that we cannot learn an object’s position without disturbing its momentum. While, on the surface, this seems to be a nuisance, we can actually harness it for a powerful communication technique, Quantum Key Distribution. Unlike traditional encryption, which relies on problems which are hard for computers to solve, Quantum Key Distribution guarantees security through the laws of quantum physics. In this workshop, we will use lasers to demonstrate the role of measurement disturbance in communications technology, and build our own Quantum Key Distribution system from the ground up.

Western University - Engineering - room 2010

Engineering projects always have a set of constraints on them: anything from size limitations and weight requirements, to the shape or purpose of a structure. During this workshop, students will be given the ultimate constraint, save the world without becoming a zombie! They will act as the engineers who have to stop the zombies from spreading. To do so, they will design a device or structure to contain the zombies and prevent contamination of an entire city (and perhaps the world!). In this lesson, students will explore the impact of forces on the stability and function of structures by designing their own device to safely transfer the zombies.

University of Waterloo - Math - room 2035

The workshop is titled “Where Do We Use Mathematics?” and is a fun and interactive session that combines problem-solving activities with interesting stories and thought-provoking examples. The workshop has a “choose your own adventure” format and covers a wide range of themes. Themes are everything from Health Care to Entertainment to many others.

Brantford Wilfrid Laurier University- Game Design - room 2060

Want to make a game?  In this workshop, two faculty members from Wilfrid Laurier University will lead you through the process of making, testing, and competing in science-related games in a one-hour game jam. Join Scott Nicholson, director of the Game Design and Development program in Brantford and Ron Daniels, Program Coordinator of Science Entrepreneurship in Waterloo, for this live-action game jam!

Let's talk Science McMaster- Polymers- room 2063

Polymers are found in nearly everything we use, from batteries to plastics! Learn about how polymers are made, what they can do, and how to make one.

Let's Talk Science McMaster – Chemical Reactions - room 2065

Chemical Reactions help us create new materials (and cool looking explosions). Learn about what actually happens during a chemical reaction while working with catalysts and pH indicators.

Western University - room 2066

To be determined.

Brock University- Geoscience - room 2073

In this hands-on workshop students will learn where materials come from that make modern life possible and how geologists find those materials. Students will have the opportunity to see and touch the minerals which are the source for various components in the things they use every day. Examples include nickel from a meteorite impact and banded iron from Lake Superior which are used in making stainless steel for the body of an iPhone X; quartz veins with disseminated gold which are used in all modern electronics. In addition, we will look at the jobs geoscientists do and why this field might be right for you!

Guelph University - Food Science - room 2076

Discover the world of food science in this interactive workshop. Investigate how the olfactory system and gustatory system work together through smell and taste tests.  Grow your understanding of food perception and how that influences product development.

Open House – Power of Ideas Exhibits – Large Gym (6:00 pm – 8:00 pm)

To register for events from 9:00 am - 6:00 pm for all Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk secondary students please contact: Mr. David Page | Department Head - Science | Assumption College School | 519.751.2030 | dpage@bhncdsb.ca

ALL EXHIBITS OPEN TO THE PUBIC FROM 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (NO NEED TO REGISTER)