At UPEI, science doesn’t happen just in the classroom.
For example, each year since 2002, more than 300 young scientists from around the province eagerly present their projects, experiments, and innovations to judges and the public at the PEI Science Fair at the Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre. Science Fair judges look for originality, creativity, and, most importantly, scientific thought, and top projects from the intermediate and senior divisions go on to the nationals. This important community event is the result of the volunteer effort of hundreds of people from UPEI and the community, including teachers, parents, students, judges, mentors, the organizing committee members, and sponsors.
While the Science Fair provides an opportunity for younger PEI students to present their projects at the University, UPEI students and professors within the Faculty of Science are taking their research and findings to the community. They are using their knowledge and skills to educate young learners and demonstrate their projects to elementary school students.
In June 2009, UPEI biology students, led by Dr. Jim Kemp, demonstrated their research on sustainable pollination in blueberry fields to grade 5 and 6 students at Southern Kings Consolidated School.
With the major decline of pollinators such as bumblebees, not only here, but throughout the world, UPEI researchers are trying to improve the landscape of blueberry fields by making the fields more "friendly" for pollinators. The work includes making sure there are a variety of flowering plants in the area, so pollinators will not be stressed, and will over-winter in the area, increasing their numbers in subsequent years.
Biology professor Dr. Jim Kemp and his students were invited to visit Southern Kings Consolidated and explain to the children what they were doing out in the field across from their school. They were happy to oblige, giving a presentation in the classroom, and then walking the students over to the field for a demonstration. The purpose of the presentation was to let children know how important bumblebees are to the success of plant species and that everyone needs to help protect these crucial pollinators.
Another area of research that is of interest to Dr. Kemp and his biology students is the water quality within our Island's watersheds.
“Working with school children and making them aware of environmental sustainability issues is extremely important. I would like to get some schools involved in this area,” says Dr. Kemp. “I have taken first-year UPEI students out to a watershed and shown them the environmental problems, and this could be expanded to work with public school children. In fact, the Sierra Club of Canada presently has a program involving school children (grades 6 to 12), that introduces them to this environmental issue. We could develop this for many other schools in the province.”
Dr. Kemp and his crew plan to continue their research this summer, and will be back working with classes at Southern Kings Consolidated. It is interesting for these students to understand that UPEI students are conducting research across our province related to issues that will impact our collective futures.
