UNews - Steph Elder

High school students don lab coats in pursuit of research

caroline.zentner — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 15:53:18 +0000

Some of southern Alberta’s top high school science students will get the opportunity to work with leading ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge researchers this summer as ULethbridge hosts the annual High School Youth Research Summer (HYRS) program.

Students in last year's HYRS program worked in labs across the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ.

One of the most influential summer development programs for high school students, HYRS has proven to be a launching pad for exceptional science students and future post-secondary researchers.

“This is such a great opportunity for young people interested in science to really see their studies in action and take their learning to another level,” says Steph Elder, Manager of Destination Exploration, ULethbridge’s youth outreach program. “The hands-on work they’re involved in and the high-end lab facilities they get to work in really spark their curiosity and creativity. It gives the students invaluable experience they can build on as they finish their high school studies and take with them into a post-secondary setting.”

In just the last year, three local-area students who had the opportunity to train with ULethbridge researchers in the summer HYRS program won medals at the Canada Wide Science Fair. Fatema Riaz (Medicine Hat High School) earned a gold medal at the national science fair after being mentored by Dr. Dylan Girodat (chemistry & biochemistry); Mehnaz Khan (G.S. Lakie Middle School) earned a bronze medal after working with Dr. Matthew Bogard (biological sciences); and Nycea Hazelwood (Lethbridge Collegiate Institute) received the award for the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association after studying with Dr. Kim Stanford (biological sciences).

“One of the greatest strengths of the HYRS Program is the exceptional quality of researchers the high-school students are paired with from multiple departments,” says Dr. Trushar Patel, Canada Research Chair in RNA and Protein Biophysics and associate dean in the ULethbridge Faculty of Arts & Science. “These dedicated scientists not only lead cutting-edge research, but they also take the time to mentor and inspire the next generation of leaders. For high school students, this is a truly unique opportunity to learn from some of the brightest minds in their fields."

HYRS is a six-week consecutive program that runs annually at ULethbridge, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary. Students receive a stipend of $3,000 for six weeks of training and get the opportunity to participate in hands-on research work with Alberta Innovates-funded research groups.

“Students will join research teams that include PhD, master’s and bachelor students, get full lab access and work on projects in fields such as genetics, neuroscience, bioengineering, molecular imaging, recreational therapy, health-care policy and more,” adds Elder.

In addition, students get the chance to hear guest speakers talk about their research careers and participate in a term-end research symposium where they can showcase their work to parents, mentors and members of the public. This year’s HYRS program runs July 4 to Aug. 15, with the research symposium taking place Thursday, Aug. 14, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. in Science Commons Atrium.

Destination Exploration at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge receives $186,000 in funding from Actua to support youth STEM programs

caroline.zentner — Mon, 19 Aug 2024 20:15:30 +0000

Destination Exploration at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge announced roughly $186,000 in funding from Actua, one of Canada’s leading science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) youth outreach organizations. As part of Actua’s national network, Destination Exploration (DE) engages youth through STEM workshops, camps, clubs and special events. Part of this funding comes from a significant investment in the Actua network through the Government of Canada’s Strategic Science Fund, totalling $38.4 million over five years.

The Actua network includes over 40 colleges and universities across the country providing STEM learning opportunities for youth while breaking down barriers to access. Destination Exploration has been a member of the Actua network since 2002. Through specialized programming, Destination Exploration engages diverse youth, including Indigenous youth, girls and young women, Black youth, youth facing socio-economic challenges and youth from other equity-deserving communities in programming that builds essential employability skills and confidence. In addition to the Government of Canada, Actua deeply values its esteemed industry partners whose long-term investment has been and continues to be essential in our collective mission to equip and inspire youth to lead Canada’s future science and innovation economy.

“Each year, the Actua network engages 375,000 youth in 600 communities across the country. Destination Exploration at ULethbridge is an integral part of this national impact and together, we will continue to relentlessly remove barriers so that all youth can be engaged in STEM," said Jennifer Flanagan, CEO of Actua.

“The support of Actua since our program's inception 22 years ago has been incredible,” says Steph Elder, DE interim director of Youth Outreach. “With this year's funding announcement and support through the Strategic Science Fund, we'll be able to continue to grow and provide more opportunities to youth in Lethbridge and across southern Alberta.”

Funding is only one part of the support provided to Destination Exploration from Actua. In addition to significant investments such as the one announced today, Actua provides day-to-day support, training, professional development and best-practice resources in STEM outreach. Additionally, Actua is the national voice representing the local network to advance STEM engagement, diversity and inclusion within science culture in Canada.

“This collaborative effort underscores the significance of community and national support in fostering an environment where young minds can explore, innovate, and thrive in the ever-evolving fields of science, technology, engineering, and math,” says Elder.

About Destination Exploration

Destination Exploration is Lethbridge’s foremost youth science outreach organization. DE strives to provide participants with a positive and exciting educational experience in science, technology, engineering and math programs. DE offers interactive classroom workshops, stimulating summer camps, inspiring afterschool clubs, as well as special events and science-themed birthday parties. Programs have been growing steadily since they originated in 2002, and now reach over 8,700 youth each year in Lethbridge and surrounding areas. Visit the DE website for more information.
About Actua

Actua is a leading Canadian science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) youth outreach organization. Each year, the Actua network engages over 375,000 youth in 600 communities across Canada in transformative STEM learning experiences that build critical skills and confidence. Actua focuses on engaging equity-deserving youth through specialized programs for Indigenous youth, girls and young women, Black youth, youth facing economic barriers and youth living in Northern and remote communities. Its major funding partners include the Government of Canada, RBC Foundation, Suncor Energy Foundation, TD Bank Group, Google.org, Toyota Canada Foundation, Enbridge, Cenovus, CIBC Foundation, Coveo, Scotiabank, Mastercard and Imperial. For more information, visit actua.ca.

Destination Exploration takes community outreach activities online to bring STEM into homes

trevor.kenney — Wed, 08 Apr 2020 19:26:50 +0000

Recognizing the need for engaging young minds with STEM lessons has never been greater, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Destination Exploration (DE) community outreach program has taken its delivery online with the launch of At Home with Destination Exploration.

Destination Exploration lives for "Ah-ha" moments like these.

The DE program was just getting used to its new outreach space in Science Commons when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ to shift its operations to a remote delivery model. Destination Exploration was quick to adapt to a new way of reaching its audience and launched At Home with Destination Exploration on Mar. 30. Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) activities are now delivered to an even wider audience and designed to excite the entire family.

“We are thrilled to engage with our STEM community (from big to small) in this new format,” says Valerie Archibald, the director of youth outreach for Destination Exploration. “Our day-to-day lives may look different, but we know that STEM hasn’t changed. Together, we can explore new ideas, create new projects and join others in our love of science, technology, engineering and math.”

Destination Exploration has always been about empowering and inspiring youth, parents and teachers to experience and learn about STEM in their lives. Just because many of us are now at home, doesn’t mean that has to change. The blog-style webpage will be filled with resources, challenges, activities and helpful hints on how to keep up with STEM at home. Whether it’s catching up on a science unit, learning a skill, making family time away from the tv and screens or just trying something new, Destination Exploration has it covered. They will post three times per week with fun ways to pass the time.

“The best part of STEM is that there is creativity in all of it. It’s not just following a procedure or working to check a box. It challenges us to think, explore and find ways to improve,” adds Elder, the program coordinator for DE.

She will be managing this new resource and is enthusiastic about the initiative.

“I am so excited to engage with everyone in this new format. My hope is that it brings families together to learn about all the neat STEM-related things we interact with every day, but don’t notice or realize,” says Elder. “What I’m going to miss is all of the “ah ha!” moments people get when something clicks. I hope everyone shares what they get up to because that’s my favourite part of all this and really makes my day.”

Join Destination Exploration as they explore STEM at home by visiting uleth.ca/destination-exploration/at-home, following @ULethbridgeDE and the hashtag #AtHomewithDE, or checking Facebook.

UNews - Steph Elder

High school students don lab coats in pursuit of research

Related Topics

Destination Exploration at the ��Ѹ�����Դ���߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge receives $186,000 in funding from Actua to support youth STEM programs

Related Topics

Destination Exploration takes community outreach activities online to bring STEM into homes

Related Topics

Destination Exploration at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge receives $186,000 in funding from Actua to support youth STEM programs