Science Olympics around the corner

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For the second year in a row, the Lakeland Branch of APEGA (Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta) and the Cold Lake and District FCSS (Family and Community Support Services) are teaming up to host the Cold Lake Science Olympics on Saturday, February 8.  The event is free and open to all Grades 3-6 students in the region.

You might be wondering, “What exactly is the APEGA Science Olympics Cold Lake?” and “Why should I register my kids?” or even the teachers out there might be wondering “Why should I encourage my students to participate in this event?” Let’s shed some light on what this event is all about.

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The APEGA Science Olympics Cold Lake is an interactive and interschool engineering event for students in Grades 3-6 that takes learning beyond the classroom. Students are grouped into teams and given a series of three mystery challenges that must be solved in competition to gain points. Points are totaled throughout the day, and the teams will be scored and awarded based on Olympic-style medal classes.

The mystery challenges are problem-solving scenarios that demonstrate the fun side of engineering and geoscience and allow students to see first-hand how these fields impact our everyday lives. The challenges are designed to cover many different areas of scientific study while also challenging the students work and interact within a group.  In fact, teams are also scored on important team-related performance such as resourcefulness, cooperation and member participation. It will take scientific skills and creative solutions to complete the challenges throughout the day.

All challenges at the event are related to Alberta school curricula and have been developed by a group comprising APEGA professional engineers and professional geoscientists, as well as Alberta Teachers. These events have been tried and tested all over the province, so are guaranteed to test the students’ ingenuity and rouse excitement.

There are other Science Olympics events in the Lakeland Region, but what makes the APEGA Science Olympics unique is that students are invited from all school boards and all schools to participate. It is a chance for students to team up with or compete against friends and a variety of peers that they may not typically encounter at other school science events.

APEGA branches host annual Science Olympics across the province for students of various grades and ages. What’s ingenious about the APEGA Science Olympics is that all the volunteers who run, coach and score the challenges work in the fields of engineering and geoscience. It is a great opportunity for students to interact with real engineers and geoscientists who work in our community and who study, design, construct, manage and maintain machines and systems that are critical to our economy and quality of life.

What is the role of the FCSS in this event? Leading up to event day, the FCSS is managing the event promotion and registration as well and providing childcare services and volunteer support during the event. The FCSS has also played a key role in working with the event sponsors the Municipal District of Bonnyville and City of Cold Lake as well as booking the event space, which has been generously donated by the City of Cold Lake.

This year APEGA celebrates its centennial year of self-regulation. In other words, 100-years ago the Government of Alberta passed the Engineering and Geoscience Professions Act which granted engineers and geoscientists in the privilege to self-regulate their profession in the province of Alberta. For those of you who don’t know, self-regulation is a big deal. Other professions that are self-regulated include health professionals such as Doctors, Dentists, Pharmacists and Nurses; legal professionals such as lawyers; and specialized professionals such as accountants.

A self-regulating organization such as APEGA, or for example, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) controls professional licensing and discipline based on educational, technical and ethical standards. Workers in a self-regulated profession must exhibit a level of skill comparable to their peers and are held accountable to that standard of care. So just like the CPSA determines that the doctor who is performing open-heart surgery is qualified, APEGA similarly determines if the civil engineer who is designing a new bridge is qualified.

100-years of self-regulation is a lot to celebrate. It represents an enduring commitment to public safety and well-being. It signifies a century well built.  Seventy-five students attended the 2019 APEGA Science Olympics in Cold Lake. To celebrate APEGA’s centennial year, the goal is to have 100 students attend the event.  These APEGA Science Olympics will be bigger and better than ever before, so please register soon!

The APEGA Science Olympics Cold Lake will take place on Saturday February 8, 2020. The event runs from 10am to 4pm in the Energy Centre Field House.  You can register online by visiting apega.ca/science-olympics through the FCSS website or by calling the FCSS at 780-594-4495.