Last week, hundreds of students in Barbados saw science come to life in a whole new way.
As part of the celebrations marking its 70th anniversary, McGill’s Bellairs Research Institute opened its doors to the community Dec. 5. Three hundred students from five local schools were treated to free science kits, lunch and a day of hands-on activities.
The event was a collaboration between McGill, the Ohio-based Center of Science and Industry (COSI), and its partner, the U.S. Embassy in Bridgetown. It was presented by Frederic Bertley, BSc’94, PhD’00, the President and CEO of COSI and a member of the Board of Directors of McGill’s Redpath Museum.
Gathered under a large tent, the students, ranging in age from nine to 13, buzzed with excitement.
The event opened with speeches from distinguished guests and university representatives, including Sandra Husbands, Minister of State in the Barbados Ministry of Education; Donald Maynard, Public Affairs Officer at the U.S. Embassy Bridgetown, McGill President Deep Saini and R. Bruce Lennox, Dean of Science.
The students listened as Saini spoke about his experiences as a young student in India and encouraged them to “prepare yourselves to lead this world.”
“I know that I am looking out at many future leaders,” he told the students. “Get engaged, particularly with science, but also think about how science relates to social science and humanities, because the complex problems that the world faces will be solved by the confluence of many different approaches. Together, we can tackle the challenges that lie ahead and make a positive impact that will endure for generations to come.”
To kick off the science activities, Bertley invited several of the representatives to join him as volunteers in a live science experiment. The students streamed from their seats to stand in front of the stage, where Saini, Lennox, McGill’s Vice-President (Global Engagement) Anja Geitmann and Fiona Hinds, President of the Bellairs Board of Directors, poured water onto dry ice, causing it to turn from a solid to a gas. As the volunteers emptied their water bottles, a thick cloud of fog billowed into the crowd to the audible delight of the students.
Highlighting how many countries and institutions came together to make the event possible, Bertley encouraged the students to embrace collaboration as a way of life.
“As you think about your future and think about what you want to do, you can and should work really hard,” he said. “But always make sure to partner with people, whether it’s your friend, your classmate, people in your school or people in your neighbourhood, because there is strength in partnership.”
Assigning the students to breakout groups, COSI staff guided them through two interactive science experiments at picnic tables shaded by tall trees. First, the students made their own lava lamps using oil, water, food colouring and antacid tablets, creating a cascade of colourful bubbles. Next, the students filled an empty film canister with water and an antacid tablet, closed the top, and waited for the pressure to build until it popped, sending the canister flying skyward in a simulation of a rocket launch.
Students left Bellairs with science kits donated by COSI and the U.S. State Department, along with valuable hands-on experience.
For Lennox, the event was a testament to the remarkable students who participated.
“What’s striking is how rich this nation is in terms of people and resources, and I think today we saw a celebration of that,” he said. “We were pleased to work with our local community partners on this event and hope that it sparked in the students a sense of curiosity and excitement about science. Above all, it was an important reminder of the power of collaboration in supporting the next generation of global scientists.”
