The University of Winnipeg and its Research Office, in partnership with ANAK (Aksyon Ng Ating Kabataan or “young people”), presented a free Science Day Camp August 9 aimed at inspiring and educating Filipino and immigrant youth. The University’s Science Day Camp allowed 20 participants, aged 10 to 17, to be scientists for a day. The youth, ANAK volunteers, and three University of Winnipeg student instructors spent the day together in one of UWinnipeg’s Chemistry laboratories. In all, the junior chemists—safety glasses firmly in place—conducted four hands-on Chemistry experiments.
Using household items like laundry detergent and glue, the young scientists created polymers (many units), made soap, learned the properties of starch, and discovered the synthesis of nylon-all the while demonstrating an eagerness to learn and a fascination with the scientific results. This educational opportunity, part of the Kapatid Summer Educational Program, was also supported by the Natural Sciences & Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and City Councillor Mike Pagtakhan’s office.
