[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/balloon_car.jpg” caption=”Karim Boucher, a Grade 12 student from York Mills Collegiate Institute, watches Daniela Damjanovic, a second-year master’s student in medical sciences, demonstrate how to make a balloon-powered car. Photo by Susan Bubak.”]If you noticed some extra excitement on campus yesterday, you were not mistaken. For the 18th year in a row, the Engineering and Science Olympics and Open House had a successful turnout, with more than 1,000 high school students from 55 schools across Hamilton and southern Ontario.

School teams participated in events throughout the day, and in the true sense of the Olympic spirit, they competed for highly-coveted prizes in categories of gold, silver and bronze. These prizes took the form of more than $20,000 in McMaster tuition awards.

The events included the Build a Boat contest, Physics Paper Triathlon, Egg High Jump, Software Engineering Challenge, Mechanical Transporter, Mental Gymnastics, Engineering Jeopardy and Chemical Forensics.

“I want to encourage the students to have fun, while learning about the wonders of science and engineering,” said undergraduate chemistry lab technician Heather Zelisko, who also organized and ran the first ever Chemical Forensics event.

Teachers also had the opportunity to participate in a bridge-building event using popsicle sticks. The winner of the Teacher Challenge was Jay Boucher from Port Perry High School in Durham Region.

“The teacher challenge was done differently this year,” explained Ryan Marciniak, organizer of the Teacher Challenge. “The teachers were not told what the challenge would be until they arrived for the event. For the challenge, the participants had 35 minutes to build a 30-cm-long bridge out of popsicle sticks and white glue. Points were awarded for conservation of materials and maximum amount of weight held.”

There were also opportunities during the Open House for students to experience engineering and science in a less competitive way. There were campus tours and departmental displays and demonstrations hosted by The Let's Talk Science McMaster Partnership Program, Engineering & Management, Engineering & Society, McMaster Engineering Society and Engineers Without Borders, to name a few.

There were also presentations, such as In Your Face Chemistry by Dr. Randall DuMont from the Department of Chemistry, How it's Made: Engineering in the Real World and a lecture by Dr. Megumi Harada from the Department of Mathematics & Statistics on Symmetry: Nature, Art & Mathematics.

For Harada, the number one goal of the Engineering and Science Olympics is to provide youth with a conduit for engineering and science inspiration and aspirations.

Harada's teaching philosophy, as well as her ability to engage and excite students about her own scientific area of research came across during her lecture.

When asked about her style, she explained, “I smile a lot when I'm in a classroom. Partly, this is just my personality, but partly, it's because I approach teaching mathematics as an active, friendly conversation.”

The day would not have been possible without a team of faculty, undergraduate and graduate students as well as staff from the Faculties of Engineering and Science who put a great deal of time and effort into this event.

Gratitude must also be extended to Deborah McIvor, special projects coordinator in the Faculty of Engineering. To top off an already successful day, lunch was provided courtesy of Dofasco, for which the Faculties of Engineering and Science are greatly thankful.

“The Engineering and Science Olympics and Open House is a great opportunity for high school students to visit our beautiful campus, enjoy a day of fun and interesting activities, displays and presentations and take home a great impression of our University community,” said McIvor. “It's my first year coordinating the event, but I have to say that I was very impressed with the enthusiasm and support of faculty, staff and current students in helping out with this annual event.”