Mentorship

THE SCIENCE FAIR ALUMNI MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

The Science Fair Alumni Mentorship Program (AMP) is an initiative run by volunteer science fair alumni which helps students in grades 7-12 find the resources they need to investigate scientific questions of interest to them. Based on an initial project proposal, AMP matches students with one or two mentors: a former Canada-Wide Science Fair participant and a university or industry expert.

Not sure where to get started? Check out the Alumni Mentorship Program Guide to Completing Your Science Fair Project.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Students should submit a project proposal which is sufficiently well-developed to identify specific needs with which a mentor could assist. For example, particular pieces of equipment or reagents should be listed on the application, as well as a general experimental plan. Applications requesting general assistance with answering questions in a specialized field will also be considered.

All interested students should complete the Student Application. This should be sent by email to cwestwellroper@cfri.ubc.ca (Fall 2012). Please print and scan the signature page.

Project ethics guidelines: Please review the YSC Ethics and Safety Guidelines before beginning your project work. A summary of guidelines for projects involving humans and other animals can be found in this primer on Science Fair Ethics Guidlines for Animal Use.

INFORMATION FOR MENTORS

We are currently seeking mentors for the 2012/2013 science fair season. If you are a science and technology professional, graduate student, or CWSF alumnus interested in mentoring a student, please contact us at cwestwellroper@cfri.ubc.ca.

General enquiries from science fair alumni interested in mentoring students or getting back in touch, please contact the Alumni Representative on the Board of Directors of the Science Fair Foundation BC, Philip Edgcumbe (alumni@sciencefairs.ca).

FURTHER INFORMATION

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Please email us at alumni@sciencefairs.ca.

ALUMNI MENTORSHIP WORKSHOPS

Science fair alumni provide workshops for students to get project tips and learn about current research in academia and industry. The Science Fair Networking Dinner is an avenue for students to discuss their project with experts including regional science fair committee members and science fair project mentors. The Dinner is open to high school students working on science fair projects and their parents and teachers. Details...

Science Fair Networking Dinner
February 21, 2013 at 5:00 pm
Child & Family Research Institute (Chieng Family Atrium)
Entrance #18, 938 West 28th Avenue, Vancouver

Previous workshops were hosted at the Michael Smith Laboratories at the University of British Columbia. Presentations from those workshops are featured here:

1. Orientation Dinner 2008
2. AMPS Orientation Workshop 2010

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Teacher Resources from Genome BC Education
Teacher Workshops, Hands-On workshops, Classroom Activites, Travelling Exhibits and more! Find out more from Genome British Columbia Learning Centre.

CIHR Youth Connection
CIHR’s Synapse program is a good place to start answering questions on health research. Visit the Youth Zone to learn more about many aspects of health research. Meet CIHR-supported researchers and mentors and find out about careers in this field.

CIHR Synapse Pocket Guides: A guide for Researchers Acting as Mentors
Download this handy pocket-guide from CIHR that provides tips, advice and guidance for anyone choosing to be a mentor for a Science Fair Student.