Science QuestFinal Report 2014

Inspiring youth since 1988

Photo: Greg Black, Queen's University

To generate interest, enthusiasm, and passion for science and engineering amongst diverse students across Ontario—regardless of cultural, social or linguistic barriers—by providing innovative, tangible, hands-on educational experiences in an environment of inclusion and inspiration.

Mission“I hear and I forget, I see and I remember, I do and I understand.”

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3,937172

BRAND NEW CLUBS

YOUTH

WORKSHOPS

UNDERGRADUATE INSTRUCTORS

$13,000

4.77 WORKSHOP RATING OUT OF 5

50 MENTORSHIPS

CAMP BURSARIES

Director ReportThank YouThe Science Quest team would like to recognize the organizations and people be-low for their support throughout the year. Our programs continue to grow and inspire youth across Ontario with the help of these dedicated people. We look

forward to working with you again in the future!

PLATINUM LEVEL SPONSOROntario Power Generation

SILVER LEVEL SPONSORKumon Math & Reading Centre of Kingston West

OTHER SPONSORS3M

Aboriginal Access to Engineering at Queen's University

EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTSummer Work Experience Program

Canada Summer JobsKingston Employment Youth Services

SUPPORTERSActua

Queen’s UniversityEngineering Society of Queen's University

Queen’s University Faculty of Engineering & Applied ScienceQueen's Department of PhysicsKingston Area Recycling Centre

Campus Computer Sales and ServiceGary Neff, Roy Campsell & Rod Burnt

MENTORSDr. Stephane Courteau, Dr. Robin Dawes, Dr. Bill Plaxton, Dr. Carlos Saavedra,

Dr. John Smol, Dr. James Stewart, Dr. Dean Tripp, Chelsea Elliott, Chris Heysel, Kenneth Lockwood, Kathleen Merwin, Michael Nanos, Queen’s SparQ Labs, Queen's Genetically Engineered Machine Team

Working at Science Quest for the past two years has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life; frequently challenging, but always worth it. When asked what I loved most about my job last summer, I was often at a loss to explain it properly. But in the end, it comes down to knowing that the work we were doing was important.

Even on the most frustrating days, I could remind myself that I would not be here without someone else having done for me what we were trying to do for this summer’s campers and workshop attendees.

When I was in grade 8, I had the opportunity to participate in a weeklong computer science "mini-course" offered at Carleton University. Led by a female grad student, our all-girls group delved into the logic of programming, and the fun of computer game development.

I fell in love with what we did that week, and was inspired to take computer science courses in high school. Ultimately this lead me to pursue Computer Engineering at Queen’s University and become the Director of Science Quest.

When I see the girls in our Girls Quest Tech Camp, programming robots and delving into the guts of a computer, I can’t help but think that someday soon they might be in my shoes – studying computer science or computer engineering in university. I can only hope they continue to be supported by the STEM community along whatever path they choose.

Science Quest, and programs like us across the country, are important because we provide that support - to all youth. However, we can only do so thanks to the generosity of the many people and organizations who have supported and continue to support Science Quest.

26 years ago, Science Quest was founded by Jennifer Howard-Grenville and Miye Kadonaga-Cox. This summer, Jennifer’s daughter attended a week of Science Camp. This fall, when Miya returned for Homecoming, she visited the session of Clubs that was running that day. Both founders were impressed with Science Quest's continued growth and expansion.

And we did have an exciting year in 2014, with the launch of School Year Clubs transforming us into a full year program. Another highlight was the expansion of our satellite camp program with the addition of a weeklong camp in Trenton, for a combined total of 5 satellite and Aboriginal Outreach camps.

I am so proud to have had the chance to contribute to Science Quest’s ongoing success and give back to the same kind of program that inspired me to pursue a STEM career. I look forward to visiting Science Quest in 5, 10 or 25 years and seeing how far we’ve come by then.

In the meantime, I owe thanks to my amazing Assistant Directors, Ben and Mikhail, and Clubs Coordinator, Katie, for all their hard work. We were privileged to have an absolutely amazing staff team, some of whom are returning for another exciting summer. I wish them the best of luck – I know they are in good hands with my successor, Amanda Little.

Sincerely,

Morgan Williams 2014 Science Quest Director

looking back now, my most vivid memories are not of struggles, but are instead filled with grateful teachers, smiling parents, and kids ig-nited with the fire of curiosity. I hope that I was able to hold true to the values of Science Quest and kindle that curiosity into future scientists and engineers with a passion for their field.

As an organization that thrives on curiosity, in-novation, and above all else fun, Science Quest truly is extraordinary. Expressing my gratitude to all those who contributed to my hiring as an Assistant Director would take up far more words than I am allotted, but know that I am forever grateful to all of you.

This job pushed me beyond my boundaries into leadership roles that I did not think were within the realm of my character. Writing this now I am a little nostalgic thinking about the time I spent at Science Quest.

However, I know that this wonderful organi-zation is in good hands moving forward and the quest for science will continue for years to come. I just hope we find it eventually!

Thanks for the memories,

Over the past year, I had the distinct pleasure of working as the Assistant Director of Business at Science Quest. Throughout my time I faced a variety of obstacles, but was also presented with many educational experiences.

To say that I learned a lot would be an under-statement. Through customer service, staff and financial management, I developed a number of skills that will be of use to me in my working life. Science Quest provided me with the op-portunity to discover and advance these skills, which would not have been possible at many other organizations.

My time at Science Quest has shown me the im-portance of our programs to the youth in our area. I see children participating in hands-on learning, asking questions about their world, and sharing knowledge with their peers. By engaging children in science, technology, engi-neering and mathematics, we can breed an in-terest in those subjects that lasts a lifetime.

It is my sincere belief that Science Quest pro-vides a meaningful and essential service. When I see all that our campers and students have learned after their time with us, I see what a difference we are making in their lives. It was both an honour and a privilege to work with so many smart and driven people to make these experiences happen.

I want to sincerely thank all of you for what you have given us over the past year. Your con-tributions will fuel the continued growth and success of Science Quest for years to come!

With warmest regards,

As I write these final thoughts about my tenure at Science Quest, the summer weather has sad-ly faded away and given rise to the harsh Cana-dian winter. While those crisp summer days at Science Quest have faded, the memories I made and people I met are still very prevalent.

I am truly humbled to have had such an incred-ible experience working alongside a cohesive staff, knowledgeable Engineering Society Ex-ecutive, and admirable Director team.

While one of the most rewarding, this sum-mer was also one of the fastest that I had ever

experienced. The months flew by as each day presented new challenges and learning experi-ences.

Some challenges were overcome simply, such as Mikhail fixing my excel files with a simple shortcut or Morgan helping me discover more efficient ways to use Outlook. Other challenges truly tested my character.

There were days where – behind the scenes – I was frustrated with myself, and felt like I wasn’t making a positive impact on the com-munity we had been hired to serve. However,

Business Director Report

Outreach Director Report

Clubs Coordinator Report

Mikhail Hayhoe2014 Science Quest Business Director

Ben Toffelmire 2014 Science Quest Outreach Director

Looking back over my year working for Science Quest, I count myself incredibly lucky to have been part of this program. My aim was always to encourage a love of learning & science.

What every Science Quest instructor knows, is that that there is nothing quite when a child has a “eureka” moment and grasps a concept. Clubs has been a way to reach beyond the sum-mer programming and encourage continuous scientific curiosity.

As the Clubs Coordinator, I also learned that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong at some point. Reflecting back on some of the cri-ses I faced, I can only laugh about our misfor-tune. All of these problems helped me develop a resiliency in the face of trouble and taught me about the value of being overly prepared.

I am so excited to watch the growth of Clubs in the next few years. There is so much potential for this program and I am eager to see it evolve to be just as popular as camps.

I want to say a huge thank you to the Science Quest community for helping me along the way, none of this would have been possible without your support and enthusiasm.

Cheers,

Katie Flynn2014 Science Quest Clubs Coordinator

Our Story: 26 YearsScience Quest was founded in 1988 by two female engineering students to kindle interest in science and engineering among elementary school students. In its first year, Science Quest hosted 140 children over 7 weeklong sessions. Today, Science Quest is a year-round outreach program reaching nearly 4000 youth in 2014. Our mission is to inspire youth to pursue a future in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, with dynamic, hands-on programming.

Science Quest instructors engage students through grade-specific curriculum-based science workshops, and weeklong summer camps, such as Science Camp and Tech Camp. We invest in women in STEM through our Girls Quest camps, and increase access to science programming with satellite camps in nearby communities, including several for Aboriginal youth.

In 2014, Science Quest expanded to full year operations with the launch of Clubs during the school year. Our two clubs, Synapse and Momentum, provide year-round hands-on science and technology programming to youth in grades 4 to 6.

In 2014, Science Quest worked with 3245 youth in workshops, 673 in camp, and 55 in clubs. We reached 87 girls in all-girls programming and 168 Aboriginal youth. In total, Science Quest reached 3,937 youth across Ontario.

1988 Science Quest begins with seven weeks of camp for children in grades five to eight.

1989 Classroom workshops introduced. Camp capacity doubles and staff increases to seven.

1991 Science Quest hosts the first Science and Engineering Camp Conference (SECC) which brings together many science camps from across Canada.

1994 First satellite camps a week-long outreach program is held in the Peterborough area.

2004 Science Quest programs move into the new Integrated Learning Centre, a larger and more versatile space for the varied programs offered.

2012 Workshops become grade specific and curriculum-based. New science/business camp, Entrepreneurs in Science, is introduced. Over 5,500 youth were reached across Ontario.

2013 ECO Camp, Girls’ Computer Camp and Science Camp in French are introduced. Impact and Brainstorm overnight camps expand to include fourth sleepover night. Science Quest celebrates its 25th Anniversary!

2014 School Year Clubs launches in the fall, reaching 55 kids on a long-term basis over the school year. Over the summer, workshops and camps reached nearly 4000 kids. Girls Quest Tech doubled in enrollment from 2013, and a new satellite camp in Trenton is launched.

Amanda Little |Instructor, Environmental Toxicology '16

Ben Toffelmire | Outreach Director, Biology '14

Brent Jackson | Instructor, Computer Engineering '16

Cameron Henry | Instructor, Life Sciences '17

Cole Johnston| Instructor, Life Sciences '15

Conor Blayney | Instructor, Mechanical Engineering '16

Dylan Hay | Instructor, Chemical Engineering '15

Emily Heffernan| Clubs Instructor, Electrical Engineering '17

Emily Townshend | Instructor, Computer Engineering '15

Erica Moran | Clubs Instructor, Chemical Engineering '17

Janeil Johnston | Instructor, Geological Engineering '15

Katie Flynn | Instructor, Biochemistry '16

Laura Sawula | Senior Instructor, Kinesiology ‘15

Mark Perera | Instructor, Mining Engineering '16

Mikhail Hayhoe | Business Director, Applied Mathematics and Engineering '15

Morgan Williams | Director, Computer Engineering ‘16

Natasha Mosdossy | Instructor, Education '15

Sandra Westcott | Instructor, Life Sciences ‘14

Scott Mitchell| Instructor, Chemical Engineering '17

Stephen Penstone | Special Needs Instructor, Engineering Chemistry '15

Zoe Traquair| Instructor, Civil Engineering '16

Our Team: 21 Undergraduate Students

%100STUDENT OWNED & OPERATED

Unique among camps of its kind in Canada, Science Quest is entirely driven by a team of Queen’s University undergraduate students.

Since its founding, Science Quest has stayed true to the vision of an entirely student run initiative.

We pride ourselves on the professional development of our instructors, who receive up to 3 weeks of training and development.

Our Programs:

Pure Substances and Mixtures

School WorkshopsIn May and June, Science Quest delivers engaging, hands-on workshops in classrooms across Ontario. These 90-minute curriculum-based workshops are designed to encourage and inspire youth to pursue their own passion in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics field. Each workshop wraps up with a class discussion about what engineers and scientists do, STEM careers, and how students can continue to explore science and technology!This year, instructors presented 172 workshops in schools across Ontario and reached 3,344 youth in grades 3 to 8. As part of our mandate to serve all youth, Science Quest also partners with underserved schools to provide classroom workshops free of charge.

Light and Sound

Discovery By Design : Bridges

Electricity and Electrical Devices

Forces Causing Movement

Properties of and Changes in Matter

7 CURRICULUM-LINKED TOPICSOur Partners:

Actua: A National Network

Engineering Society of Queen's University

Formed in 1897, the Engineering Society is one of the oldest representative bodies for engineering students in Canada and continues to be a leader in student initiatives. With 2700 members currently on campus, 15,000 active alumni living throughout the world, and an annual budget of $1.5 million, EngSoc oversees some forty-five student-run initiatives ranging from design projects to services such as Science Quest to fun social events.

Fluids

Community Outreach WorkshopsScience Quest is committed to reaching all youth, and we partner with community organizations in order to expand our reach. Thanks to our generous sponsors and supporters, all of our community outreach workshops are delivered at no cost to our partners or the participants.

Boys and Girls ClubsScience Quest partnered with two Boys and Girls Club locations in Kingston to provide free after-school workshops in May and June. In total our instructors made seven visits throughout the season to bring a variety of activities to 145 youth.

Kingston Military Family Resource CentreScience Quest offered 8 sessions of after-school programming at KMFRC this year, reaching 96 children of military families with a variety of hands-on STEM activities and games.

Calvin Park Public LibraryFor the second year, Science Quest visited the Calvin Park Public Library in order to deliver a collaborative learning kids and parent based workshop!

Science Quest is proud to be one of the founding members of Actua. Actua provides training, resources and support to its national network of members located at universities and colleges across Canada in the delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach programming.

Actua has a solid history of success and 20 years of experience in helping young Canadians develop awareness, interest and skills in science, engineering and technology. Actua provides the infrastructure and resources to ensure quality and sustainability at the local level and to promote synergy among the members – leveraging local innovation for national impact.

Each year these members engage over 225,000 youth in 500 communities nationwide. Please visit Actua at www.actua.ca..

THE ENGINEERING SOCIETY OF QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

As a service of the Engineering Society of Queen’s University, Science Quest is student run from top to bottom. The Science Quest Director team works within the portfolio of the Director of Services and the Vice President of Operations. They are also advised by an Advisory Board consisting of students, faculty and alumni.

Girls Quest CampsMindful of the barriers facing women in STEM, Science Quest offers all-girls camp programming in the form

of our Girls Quest and Girls Quest Tech Camps, as well as Brainstorm overnight camp. In 2014, Science Quest

ran 6 weeks of all-girls camps, reaching 83 girls in those programs.

Girls QuestGirls Quest is all-girls science camp, designed to

encourage girls to consider a future in STEM in an

empowering all-female environment. This year Girls

Quest focused on science throughout the ages – with

projects that included building sun dials, aqueducts,

and seismographs.

Girls Quest TechGirls Quest Tech is a chance for girls to gain experience

and confidence working with programming and

technology, in an empowering all-female environment.

In its second year in 2014, Girls Quest Tech nearly

doubled the number of girls reached, with projects

including graphic design and a robotics maze challenge.

In July and August, Science Quest offers 9 weeks of camp to youth entering grades 4 through 9. For each of our ten different camp programs, we provide engaging, hands-on STEM learning activities, developed anew by each summer’s instructors.In addition to our many Kingston camps, in 2014 Science Quest offered satellite camps in Perth, Brockville and Trenton, as well as Aboriginal Outreach camps in Tyendinaga and Akwesasne. More information on those camps can be found in our Outreach section.

Our Programs: Summer Camps

Thanks to the generous participation of Queen’s University professors, graduate students and researchers, Science Quest offers campers the chance to tour campus labs and facilities and learn about what it’s like to work as a scientist.

In 2014, we partnered with 14 mentors to provide 50 mentorship experiences to our campers. Topics included Computer-Assisted Orthopedic Surgery, and Civil Engineering. This year, mentors also led hands-on activities, including extracting DNA from bananas, and computer science based magic tricks.

Science Quest is the proud recipient of the 2013 Actua National Mentorship award in recognition of our exceptional mentorship program.

Leaders-In-TrainingA dedicated team of high-school volunteers join our camp groups each week. LITs receive training and mentorship from our instructors while helping facilitate and lead programs. Many LITs are former campers, and some go on to be instructors at other Actua camps!

hours volunteered in 2014.

Standard CampsScience CampCampers participated in activities to learn about biology, chemistry, physics, engineering and so much more! This year, Science Camp A talked about the science of surviving on a deserted island, including mapping and navigation, building generators, water filtration systems, and Rube Goldberg pet traps.

Science Camp B focused on exploring the ways various careers use science – including astronauts, doctors, police officers and engineers! Projects included a chemistry mystery, learning about casting broken bones, and building Ferris Wheels and Water Parks.

Tech CampCampers focus on technology, computer skills and robotics in this camp. This year, campers had the opportunity to work with brand-new Lego EV3 Robots, create their own fonts and cursors, make 3D glasses and images, and produce stop-motion animation movies. Campers also learned about healthy computer use habits, and the inner workings of computers.

Specialty CampsEntrepreneurs in ScienceEIS combines STEM programming with business and innovation in a weeklong entrepreneurial project; this year, campers founded Cruise Lines! After pitching their ideas, marketing their new company, and building their cruise ships, the week ended with a final float test of the boat’s engineering and strength.

Impact and BrainstormThese weeklong overnight science camps invite campers in grades 6-8 to stay four nights in residence at Queen’s University. Campers participate in hands-on STEM programming while making friends and participating in an educationally immersive fun-filled week! This year, campers built and tested boats in the Queen’s Centre pool, and visited Fort Henry to learn about historical science.

Eco CampThis camp focused on the environment and sustainability in science, engineering and technology. Projects included designing a city to survive natural disasters, and testing air quality on campus. Campers learned about genetic engineering, greenhouse gases, evolution and the food chain.

French CampFrench Camp is a a week of Science Camp offered by bilingual instructors.

50 MENTORSHIPS

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Science Quest satellite camps have all the excitement and hands-on learning of our regular camps, relocated to communities near Kingston!

Perth and BrockvilleIn 2014, Science Quest once again offered weeklong satellite camps in Perth and Brockville, reaching more than 30 youth in those areas. Every Science Quest satellite camp is offered thanks to the dedication of instructors who travel to and from the area each day.

TrentonOur brand-new Trenton satellite camp reached 16 youth this summer, including several youth registered in partnership with Highland Shores Children's Aid. We look forward to building on this exciting first year and growing this camp in the future!

Outreach

Launched fall 2014, Science Quest Clubs is an exciting new program designed to bring the fun and learning of Science Quest to youth on a year-round basis. Long-term, instructors can more effectively serve as positive role models to inspire interest in the science, technology and engineering.

For the 2014 inaugural year, two clubs were created: Synapse and Momentum. Both are for youth in grades 4 through 6, with Synapse all-girls, and Momentum mixed-gender. Each club met six times, with four meetings devoted to science activities and two to tech activities.

We reached 35 club participants in Fall 2014, with our Fall Momentum session nearly sold-out! Combined Fall and Winter, we reached more than 50 youth. This year’s clubs projects included building obstacle courses for Sphero robots, simulating tsunamis and making stethoscopes.

Our Programs: School Year Clubs

Aboriginal OutreachOntario Power Generation sponsored the 2014 Science Quest Aboriginal Outreach camps, playing a key role in making STEM programming accessible to youth in these areas. AkwesasneWorking with the Board of Education in the region, Science Quest provided in-depth STEM programming to local Aboriginal youth in the form of a one week camp. Two instructors travelled to Cornwall for the duration, in a van packed full of the supplies needed for hands-on STEM fun!TyendinagaIn Tyendinaga, Science Quest worked with the Head Start program to deliver programming to Aboriginal youth in the community for a full week. Science Quest also travelled Tyendinaga Public School in the spring to offer a day of our curriculum-based workshops.Aboriginal Student BursaryNew this year, Science Quest was pleased to offer an Aboriginal Student Bursary, sponsored by Queen’s Aboriginal Access to Engineering. The bursary was open to First Nations, Métis and Inuit campers, and aimed at increasing STEM engagement among Kingston’s Aboriginal youth.

Frontenac Lennox and Addington Science FairScience Quest had the opportunity to judge projects at the Science Fair. Assistant Directors Mikhail Hayhoe and Ben Toffelmire were impressed by all the projects, and selected three deserving students to receive a free week of camp! First Robotics Competition JudgingDirector Morgan Williams was thrilled to represent Science Quest while volunteering as a Robot Design Judge at a First Robotics competition. It was a great day discovering the amazing ideas that the youth had to solve complex robotics challenges!

Community Outreach

Satellite Camps

Bursaries

Financial Summary

63%

7%

30%

72%

23%

5%Revenue Expenses

Sponsorship and Actua

Wage Subsidies

Registration Fees

AdministrationProgram Delivery

Salaries

$13,000CAMP BURSARIES

Science Quest’s mission is to serve all youth, regardless of their family’s circumstances. With support from our generous sponsors, we were able to grant over $13 000 in camp bursaries in 2014, the equivalent of more than 60 full weeks of camp! Science Quest grants partial bursaries on a sliding scale basis to maximize the number of youth able to participate in camps. We also work closely with Big Brothers Big Sisters Kingston and the Family and Children's Services of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington to provide at-risk youth with a fully subsidized camp experience.

Photo: Greg Black, Queen's University

Impact and EvaluationScience Quest's goal is to inspire youth to pursue further education and careers in a science-related field, and we strive to have the best programs possible. Each year, we receive feedback from surveys completed by teachers after workshops, campers at the end of each week and parents at the end of the summer. We use this feedback to shape and improve our programs.

After every Science Quest workshop, we asked teachers to rank the workshop content and delivery on a scale from 1 (below expectations) to 5 (excellent). Our team received an average rating of 4.77 in our 2014 spring workshop season.

4.77 WORKSHOP RATING OUT OF 5

When Science Quest campers were surveyed this year:

72% were more interested in science and engineering

62% were more interested in taking science and engineering in school

58% were more interested in working in science and engineering

At Camp I learned...

Computer science isn't as hard as it looks

Jobs like police officers do science About the business behind engineering

It’s better to make a plan before you build

"The presenters were well prepared and did an amazing job engaging all students" - Workshop Teacher

"My daughter had a fantastic week; the camp has helped develop her interest in science. She is already signed up for the school club on Saturdays." - Science Camp Parent

"The best part of camp was solving crimes and making casts. I hope Science Quest comes again."- Tyendinaga Camper

In their own words...

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science Electrical and Computer EngineeringDepartment of Chemistry Department of Physics

3M Canada

ENGINEERING SOCIETY

QUEEN’S UNIVERSITY

Kingston Area Recycling CentreCampus Computer Sales and Service

Thank you to all who have been involved with Science Quest over the past 25 years. It is with the support, effort and ideas of every one of these people that Science Quest continues to grow and offer successful programs.

A special thank you goes out to our sponsors and supporters, without whom our programs would not be as successful and wide-reaching as they are. We look forward to many years of continued partnership!

Photo: Greg Black, Queen's University

2014 Science Quest Supporters

The Science Quest '88 Staff, including founders Jennifer Howard-Grenville and Miye Kadonaga-Cox.

2014 Actua Ontario Funders

2014 Actua National Funders

Kumon Math & Reading Centre of Kingston WestAboriginal Access to Engineering at Queen's University

3M

Faculty of Engineering & Applied Science Campus Computer Sales and ServiceDepartment of Physics Kingston Area Recycling Centre

Science QuestThe Engineering Society

Beamish-Munro Hall, Queen's UniversityKingston, Ontario

K7L 3N6(613) 533 - 6870

info@sciencequest.ca

Inspiring Youth Since 1988

@ScienceQuestQ /ScienceQuest

www.sciencequest.ca

Actua provides training, resources and support to its national network of members located at universities and colleges across Canada in the delivery of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education outreach programming. Each year, these members engage over 225,000 youth in 500 communities nationwide. Please visit Actua at www.actua.ca.