Do you know what the future holds for Nova Scotia?
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A Message from NS YES! Executive Director, Cliff Coveyduc
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At Nova Scotia Youth Experiences in Science (NS YES!), we believe that our province's future depends on innovation and entrepreneurship. Nova Scotia is facing a critical shortage of persons with science and technology backgrounds as the population ages. Just as the need is increasing, enrolments in high school science courses are decreasing.
We believe Nova Scotia's young people have the talent to meet this need. At the Canada-Wide Science Fair held in Peterborough in May 2010, Elise Tessier won a Gold medal and a $20,000 scholarship to the University of Ottawa for her analysis of enhancing the bioactive compounds of spinach. Her findings could potentially lead to tailoring plants to combat many diseases, including some cancers. This is the kind of innovation we want to support and nurture – with your help.
Our mission is “to inspire young Nova Scotians to experience science in their lives, and to celebrate their discoveries.” By encouraging a love of science and learning, we hope to help reverse the downward trend in enrolment in science courses at the high school level.
Since our founding in 2000, we have increased participation in science fairs across the province. We have successfully instituted a regional fair in every school board as of 2006, so that now every grade 7-12 student has access to a science fair. We run an annual showcase event for the regional winners who will be going to compete in the Canada Wide Science Fair, which attracts over 450 of Canada's top students annually. Nova Scotia's representation is getting stronger every year.
Additionally we offer on-line learning resources and support for students and teachers at sciencefairinfo.ns.ca. We have facilitated the development of a science and entrepreneurship workshop for classrooms called Taking Science to Market; produced two science fair DVDs for classrooms (the most recent, Preparing for Science Fairs, won a ‘Telly' international film award); helped institute the Provincial Science Olympics Challenge as of 2007, and delivered Project-Based Learning Presentations to teachers around the province for the first time in the fall of 2008.
But there is much to be done. Young people need more experiences in science that will encourage them to consider a science and technology related career in Nova Scotia. Can you help? We hope that you will see that our work will have a positive impact on the future economy of Nova Scotia.
Yours truly,
Cliff Coveyduc
NS YES! Executive Director
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Nova Scotia Youth
Experiences in Science
2021 Brunswick Street, PO Box 578
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 2S9
Tel (902) 424-8641
Fax (902) 424-0614
nsyes@sciencefairinfo.ns.ca
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