Every Wednesday last fall, a group of girls in grades 5 and 6 at Coronation Elementary School in Montreal spent their lunchtimes learning about outer space.
They were participating in a 10-week introduction to astronomy and telescopes run by members of the Trottier Space Institute and the McGill Physics Department. Called Science in Space: How to Telescope and supported through Dell Technologies’s Girls Who Game program, the initiative aims to encourage girls and gender-nonconforming students to see themselves as scientists and engineers.
McGill outreach volunteers use game-based activities to introduce key concepts in astronomy and physics and to teach the students about the different kinds of objects astronomers study – from stars and galaxies to black holes and exoplanets – and how to observe them.
“We designed the program for this age range because research has shown that this is a pivotal moment to get girls interested in science,” said Carolina Cruz-Vinaccia, Program Administrator at the Trottier Space Institute. “Within a few years we see interest rapidly decline, so if we want to expose them to science, this is the time.”
“It’s also an age where students are incredibly curious and creative, and we see that in the questions they ask,” added Alice Curtin, a McGill Physics PhD student who is facilitating the program. “Students have asked me things like, ‘Can you build telescopes underground?’ and ‘Is there such a thing as white holes?’ It’s inspiring to get such insightful questions from elementary school students.”
Engaging students
In one lesson, students are divided into two groups: one representing astronomical objects and the other telescopes. Carrying yarn and wearing signs that read things like, “Hello, I’m a supernova,” or “Hi, I’m the James Webb Telescope,” they move around the room, searching for the telescope best suited to observe their assigned object’s light.
The McGill facilitators then invite the students to imagine what they might like to observe in the sky and ask them to figure out the kind of telescope they would need to see it. Working in small teams, the students design their telescope and build it in the computer game Minecraft, with McGill graduate student mentors on hand to offer guidance when needed.
“We try to make the program as engaging as possible,” Cruz-Vinaccia said.
Throughout, the students present their work to each other for feedback.
“Peer feedback sessions are crucial, because science is a collaborative process where we give and receive feedback all the time,” said Kim Metera, Academic Associate in the Department of Physics. “How to give respectful and useful feedback is a critical scientific skill that we want the kids to start learning early.”
A place for everyone
At the end of the program, the students celebrate with a pizza party and present their telescope design to the whole class.
“Many of the students have said their favourite part of the program was the community, getting to hang out with other students and mentors. It created a very special place for them that they didn’t have otherwise at school,” Curtin said.
The organizers hope that the program will have long-lasting impacts.
“From our perspective, the goal of this program isn’t necessarily that all the girls who participated will eventually go into science,” Metera said. “But we want to make sure they know, if they do decide that they want to pursue science, there is a place for them.”
Since 2022, the Science in Space program has been held 10 times across five different schools in the Montreal area. Organizers plan to expand to more schools this year. Find out more.
