Students across Vancouver gathered at Langara College on Friday, March 6 to showcase their curiosity, creativity and problem-solving skills at this year’s Vancouver District science fair (VDSF). The in-person event brought together 130 young scientists in Grades 6 to 12 and capped off a week of virtual judging on Microsoft Teams. This year’s projects included a low-cost wheelchair system that individuals with neck-down paralysis can operate by tensing their jaw muscles, the quest to uncover the best surface preparation when painting plastic models and a study to determine if social media algorithms favoured any particular political ideologies in Canada.

Get a glimpse of some of this year’s projects below.

More than 75 per cent of students presenting projects at this year’s fair were first-timers, making the event both exciting and a little nerve-racking for many participants.

Watch the video below to see student reflections on first time jitters and the rewards of sharing their work with judges.

Behind each project at VDSF is a teacher sponsor who provides guidance to students as they navigate the process of formulating a hypothesis, conducting background research, planning and conducting their investigation, analyzing the results and presenting their findings. Yulanda Ng, a science and biology teacher at Britannia Secondary, helps mentor students through an in-school science fair that prepares them for the District event.

“Our goal is to give students the opportunity to explore their curiosity and share their discoveries,” Ng says. “The science fair allows students to pursue questions they are passionate about and communicate their ideas to others.”

At Britannia, students begin their projects in class and receive support from teachers as they design experiments, gather data and refine their presentations. The school science fair then selects projects that advance to the District level.

For many students, the science fair is more than a competition. It is an opportunity to connect with like-minded young scientists, gain confidence in discussing their work with judges working in related STEM fields, and discover how their own curiosity can lead to innovation and personal growth.

“Science fairs allow students to extend what they learn in the curriculum and explore their own questions,” says Janet Fraser, VSB trustee. Fraser shares a love for science and holds a PhD in chemistry from the University of Bristol.

When not presenting projects to judges, students attended breakout sessions facilitated by Langara College, the Canadian Alliance for Skills and Training in Life Sciences (CASTL) and the UBC Bachelor of Medical Science program (UBC BMLSc). The hands-on activities included soap-making, building a terrarium, using a VO2 max machine and simulating working in a sterile environment. The evening ended with a chemistry magic show and participants left with a surprise treat – ice cream! After all the judging data was entered and sorted, 64 projects were named finalists. Next stop for these students: the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair at UBC.

Congratulations to all participants, mentors, teacher sponsors and VDSF cheerleaders for a wonderful week of science! The fair organizers also wish to extend their deepest thanks to the judges, student volunteers and Langara College for another successful fair.