The Southern Alberta Technology Council (SATC), which has organized the Lethbridge Regional Science Fair and Science Olympics since 2002, is going ahead with a virtual platform for the 2021 Regional Science Fair event.

SATC is now accepting video submissions of student projects from kindergarten to Grade 12 until Monday, March 22 (see www.satclethbridge.ca). Virtual project judging will take place from March 23 to 30, and a live-streamed awards ceremony will take place on March 31. An online public showcase of the projects will be hosted following project evaluations.

This format allows students, judges, and the public to follow social restrictions while celebrating the work these students have done.

“We are excited to bring this event to the community this year within the current public health protocols,” says Dr. Locke Spencer, SATC President and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Lethbridge. “We had a very successful virtual event in 2020 and look forward to building on that in 2021.”

Top projects at our regional fair will go on to the national science fair. Youth Science Canada (YSC), the parent organization of the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF), is hosting the virtual CWSF from May 17 to 21.

Kelly Oikawa, SATC Board member and Lethbridge College Instructor, was key in developing plans for our virtual event.

“For many of our participants, the science fair is something they look forward to each year,” says Oikawa, who represents Lethbridge College within SATC. “These young scientists are our future and we want to help set an example of how to move forward, adapt, and problem solve in an ever-changing and complex world. Today's youth could use a message of being positive, innovative, and dealing with challenges.”

To host the Lethbridge Regional Science Fair, SATC is sponsored by the City of Lethbridge, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge College, the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Quantum Alberta, and many other local and regional sponsors. Information about this year’s event, the SATC organization, and its sponsors is available at www.satclethbridge.ca.