Alberta Science Network helps get kids excited about science
The Alberta Science Network (ASN) is engaging young students through their “Scientists and Engineers-in-the-Classroom Program.”
“It offers free curriculum-based presentations to teachers and classrooms around southwestern Alberta,” said local program director Angela Larsen.
The network extends all across Alberta and has provided curriculum and science outreach to over 1,000 classrooms around the province.
Presentations are made by scientists, engineers and technical experts who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and experience with grade students.
“I know certainly, like myself growing up, I didn’t really realize that there was all these interesting jobs out there and I think it’s really cool to expose children to them,” Larsen explained.
“We are trying to get kids excited about science.”
The southwestern Alberta region of ASN has approximately 15 active volunteers.
The volunteers stem from a variety of backgrounds, but most are either university or college graduates.
One volunteer, for example, is Mandy Sandbach from the Lethbridge Sustainable Living Association.
Her presentation on waste was perfect for the Grade 4 students at Mike Mountain Horse, who are currently exploring waste in our world as part of their science curriculum.
On Tuesday, students took a break from their regular classes to hear and see first hand how Sandbach and her family tackle waste and what they do to limit the amount they create.
ACN is looking for more volunteers to be involved with Scientist and Engineers-in-the-Classroom program.
“We’re looking for people who are excited about science, who want to share their passions about science and engineering and give back to their community,” added Larsen.
Larsen will discuss the program with new volunteers and may help with presentations, but there is no set time commitment and is completely dependent on the volunteer’s availability.
Classroom presentations are to be about an hour in length, but volunteers decide how many, or how few, they’ll be involved with.
“Some people do one presentation in the school year, some people do 10 or more. It really depends on the volunteer’s schedule and flexibility,” said Larsen.
Interested volunteers can email Larsen at lethbridge@albertasciencenetwork.ca or find out more at