The challenge
Pitted against more than 40 teams at Dalhousie University event
Tower built by New Glasgow Academy students at Dalhousie University science event beats the competition
A crew of students from New Glasgow Academy returned home as winners from the Let’s Talk Science Challenge at Dalhousie University on May 15.
Led by teacher Faber Mackie, the three eighth-graders beat more than 40 other teams by building a 48-centimetre tower, scoring a medal for their engineering prowess.
“The only materials we had were scissors, tape and sticky notes,” said student Nikos Bonvie.
To win, the tower had to hold 10 bolts and a tiny cup without collapsing. Bonvie worked alongside his Grade 8 teammates Harper Fraser and Jack Noftall to build their makeshift but sturdy tower.
The competition covered any course material that they would have come across between grades 6 and 8, mostly in the sciences but also including one math category.
Before the 43 student teams completed their engineering challenge, they completed a gameshow-style quiz testing their science and math knowledge.
Most of the teams were from the Halifax area, but several were from elsewhere in the province, including others from New Glasgow.
“It’s another way to get students involved with sciences and love the sciences and show how much they’ve learned since entering our education system,” said Mackie.
The Let’s Talk Science Challenge is a team-based, competitive event for Grade 6 to 8 students held every spring at more than 20 Let’s Talk Science Outreach locations across Canada.
It is billed as a free and program that encourages students to build their team skills, interact with science role models on a post-secondary campus and test their abilities against peers.
The Challenge includes the question-and-answer competition, the hands-on design challenge, guest speakers and more.
It aims to inspire students to acquire science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) knowledge beyond their curriculum. Let’s Talk Science also offers an outlet for students who may not feel properly challenged by their school curriculum.
Before entering the Challenge, students could prepare themselves by accessing quizzes online and familiarize themselves with the types of questions they then faced during the competition itself.
For more information on Let’s Talk Science and access different programs for school students, please visit http://letstalkscience.ca.