Tag: science

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A Day Out @ the UBC Physics Olympics

YHS's UBC Physics Olympics Team
YHS UBC Physics Olympics Team

On March 12th, eight students from Grades 11 and 12 took part in the annual UBC Physics Olympics.

Shirley, Brianna, Grace, Nicole, Julie, Jennifer, Ashley and Erin took part in six events designed to test their ability in engineering and various aspects of physics. We competed against 56 teams from schools from British Columbia and Alberta.

We could only prepare for two of the six challenges, which both involved constructing devices designed for movement. Working as a team, we got together and created a mousetrap car and a golf ball driver. Overall, we did very well in our events, and left with a silver medal in the mystery event. Nice!

The girls constructed devices designed for movement in two challenges
The girls constructed devices designed for movement in two challenges

The daylong competition provided a great opportunity to put our physics knowledge to practical use and to test ourselves against students from other schools. It was a good learning experience to be able to see what students from around Western Canada could do in the realm of science. Along with exercising their brains we spent time chilling out, playing cards, eating a variety of ethnic foods and cruising around the UBC campus on their complimentary segways. 🙂 All in all, ‘twas a magnificent day in the world of science, and it will forever remain dear to our hearts.

No, but really..

All in all, it was a great experience and we can’t wait to do even better next year!

Erin & Ashley

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A Day in the Life of a Scientist

Gr. 9's study their own DNA at Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC.
Gr. 9's study their own DNA at Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC.

On February 9th, the Grade 9 girls had the opportunity to visit the Michael Smith Laboratories and experience a day as scientists at UBC.

The program, hosted by the Advanced Molecular Biology Laboratories, allowed us to participate in fun and interesting activities. We were able isolate our own DNA and to explore the newly built Beaty Biodiversity Museum. During the past couple of months, the Grade 9’s have been studying the cell and how it functions. This field trip really helped us to understand how our bodies operate and allowed us to interact with “real” scientists at UBC.

The first activity involved isolating DNA from our cheeks. Using a combination of salt water, SDS, and ethanol, we were able to see our DNA. Everyone was very surprised to see what our DNA actually looked like in real life. It looked quite different in the test tube than in our science textbooks and models at school!

Gr. 9's at Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC.The second activity was exploring the Beaty Biodiversity Museum. This museum displays UBC’s natural history collections, which includes more than two million specimens. Among the exhibits were the second-largest fish collection in Canada, fossils, shells, mammals and plants from British Columbia and around the world. The entrance boasts a 26-foot blue whale skeleton. After the initial tour, we participated in a scavenger hunt and discovered facts about the exhibits from the staff.

Not only did we participate in workshops, but we also had the opportunity to listen to a presentation by Dr. Phil Hieter, a geneticist at the University. Dr. Hieter is a world-renowned scientist who is a leading researcher in gene mutations in yeast. Yeast has proven to be an excellent model for the study of mutations, as it is quite similar to a human cell. His research can be useful for developing strategies for cancer therapies.

Overall, the Grade 9 field trip to UBC was a great success. Not only did we have a great time as a class, we gained new information and experienced “a day in the life” of a scientist at UBC.

Laura, 9Y