ALBERTA SCIENCE NETWORK: AN ALBERTA SOCIETY
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Mission Statement
Alberta Science Network was founded in 1991 and originally under the name Calgary Science Network. In 2013 we merged with other regional science outreach organizations across Alberta and subsequently changed our name. Mission: We bring science to life for students through hands-on activities and provide educators with tools and resources to get kids excited about science. Vision: Young people inspired by science who have fun discovering its relevance to everyday life.
About This Cause
Our signature Provincial program is Scientists & Engineers-in-the-Classroom. Practising scientists, engineers and subject matter experts volunteer their time in classrooms and inspire the next generation with Alberta Education science curriculum linked presentations. In previous years SEitC annually reached over 1,200 classrooms and 30,000 students. When the program was paused in March 2020, we invested financial resources into the creation of professionally produced 8 - 12 minute videos featuring some of our volunteers demonstrating their classroom science concepts. These were made available at no cost to teachers. Chemistry All Around You goes beyond the curriculum and features demonstrations that teach students about the wonders of science that are literally “all around us”. The program is delivered in school gymnasiums to 200 to 250 students at a time. Teacher Workshops is science professional development for teachers. We bring curriculum unit specific science to groups of teachers and show them how to convey the science to their students. With schools now allowing entry to volunteers, we are working to re-establish all of our programs. Scientists & Engineers-in-the-Classroom is now fully restarted and teacher requests through our online portal and are slowly returning. While Scientists & Engineers-in-the-Classroom is available to teachers and students in grades 1 to 9, historically over 85% of our teacher requests for SEitC are for grade 2 to 6 science topics. This is likely because most teachers in the elementary grades lack post secondary science education and with five very diverse Alberta Education science curriculum topics per grade level, it can be a challenge for teachers to accurately and confidently convey the theory behind the science. Scientists & Engineers-in-the-Classroom visits are essential to ensure that students receive education that increases scientific awareness, stimulates young minds and exposes them at an early age to the wide variety of traditional and emerging careers in science and technology. We believe that reaching children in elementary grades can be the spark that inspires the next generation of scientists and engineers. Volunteer Quotes: “As a minority in the Engineering field, being both female and Metis, I feel I have a responsibility to let others see that perceived barriers can be broken. ASN offered me the opportunity to reach out to youth and inspire a more diverse working environment for engineering in the future.” Grande Prairie volunteer. “I believe that it is essential that we spark the interest and curiosity of the next generation about science. Students who are inquisitive and eager to explore will become the science and engineering innovators of the future.” Calgary volunteer. “Students continually astound me. They energize me, inspire me, humble me, teach me. I am deeply appreciative of the opportunities and experiences that the Science Network has afforded me.” Calgary volunteer. “As an academic, I think outreach is an assumed responsibility. All of us should be doing this, it’s part of the job, just something we should do. I feel passionately about this – increasing science literacy wherever we can.” Red Deer volunteer. “The best thing about volunteering with ASN is seeing the “lights go on” in kids’ faces when they learn new things, just like when the lights on their circuit boards turn on during presentations.” Edmonton volunteer.