By Connor Butler

On May 27, 2023, a team of grade 7 and 8 students, along with their coach Connor Butler, participated in the APEGA Science Olympics held at the University of Calgary. The APEGA Science Olympics is an annual event that brings together young scientists and engineers to showcase their creativity, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills from all over the province.

Our team shared their model of a landscape to demonstrate water flow and erosion prevention techniques. Our team had been working during lunch hours to design, sculpt and decorate their working diorama. Water was poured over the entire area of their model to simulate a flood-like rainfall. The water flowed into the created river system and was slowed through wetlands, simulated vegetation, and holding ponds.

At the in-person event, the team was tasked with a rapid maker challenge where they had to design and build an artificial leg that could support the weight of two of the team members. See the gallery below for images of their cardboard and plunger leg design. One thing not captured with these pictures is that the artificial leg was adjustable to be able to fit many differently sized people.

Our team earned a SILVER for their incredible efforts.

The event was an excellent opportunity for our team to meet other teams from Calgary and the surrounding area. We are looking forward to next year already.