Sandra Williams, acting chair of the Prince Albert Science Centre, walks students of St. John Community School through a display of the Smarter Science Better Buildings exhibit. (Rob Mahon/paNOW Staff)

By Rob Mahon

Science Up Close

Science Centre hosts energy efficiency exhibit for Grade 7 students

Apr 24, 2023 | 12:00 PM

Grade 7 students are getting out of the classroom to see one of their units brought to life in front of them at the Prince Albert Science Centre. Running through the weekend and continuing the morning of Monday, April 24, they hosted a series of exhibits for those students.

The Centre hosted an event specifically geared to Grade 7 students called Smarter Science Better Buildings, following their science curriculum and their unit about heat and temperature. The event featured examples of technology that could help make homes and buildings more energy efficient, including a net-zero home and a feature on sustainable water use.

“It’s super exciting for us at the Science Centre to be able to offer these kinds of opportunities because it’s a great fit for what we believe in here,” said Sandra Williams, acting chair of the Prince Albert Science Centre who also has 31 years of teaching experience. “Anytime we can get students into our building, we’re super excited about that.”

One aspect of all the displays was their hands-on nature. Students were allowed and even encouraged to pick up items from certain displays and use switches on others to demonstrate them.

“Hands-on opportunities allow students to further their learning in a way that compliments what they’ve heard, what they’ve read, what they’ve viewed,” Williams said. “It’s another modality to help them understand exactly what they’re learning.”

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First thing on Monday morning, students from St. John Community School were in the Science Centre and were taking in the exhibits. They broke off into groups and examined each of the exhibits up close. Seeing them so engaged with the content the Science Centre was offering put a smile on Williams’ face.

“As a teacher, it makes me feel super excited to see students in here and also to have the support of my fellow colleagues from around the city,” said Williams. “It’s a great feeling to be able to offer that.”

SaskEnergy offered their support to the exhibit as well, specifically in the form of transportation. They subsidized bus transportation for the students to arrive at the Science Centre.

“It’s very important for SaskEnergy to do that,” said Blair Smadu, customer solutions leader with SaskEnergy. “Sustainability is important to them, so it fits with what we are trying to do.”

The exhibits were designed with input from the Saskatchewan Environmental Society, the Western Development Museum, and teachers from Saskatoon Public School Division.

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rob.mahon@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @RobMahonPxP