Fiona Madsen (L), Anika Wirtanen (C), and Alison Thomas (R) welcome campers to the 2019 Science Summer Camps. Photo credit: John Ulan
Science Summer Camp instructors are passionate and enthusiastic about sharing their love of science with our camps of future scientists. Meet the instructors of this year's Nature Science summer camps.
Fiona Madsen
Program: BSc, earth and atmospheric sciences and biology
Interests: Hiking, camping, kayaking, bouldering, music, watercolour painting
What do you love most about science?
What I love most about science is the fact that there is always more questions that can be asked and explored, and there is always more to learn and understand about our world and how we interact with it.
Why do you think it is important to promote science to young people, and what makes you a good science mentor?
I think promoting science to young people is of the utmost importance, because science is integral to understanding the world around you, and because it teaches critical thinking skills, the abilities of observation and experimentation, and the importance of being curious and seeking out the answers to your questions.
I'm a great science mentor because I have a broad appreciation for many different fields, and I understand the importance of young people being able to meet role models in scientific fields who can offer advice and who also actively encourage them to learn more.
Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?
I wanted to work with Science Summer Camps because I think for some students, it can be hard to feel like science is a worthy field to explore or pursue as a career. It may be hard to find role models in these fields, be positively encouraged to learn more, or find resources where they can access more information about these subjects. However, I think that is why science mentors are so important, and how they can act as important figures in young people's lives.
Tell us a fun fact about you!
I have nine healthy houseplants and counting.
Anika Wirtanen
Program: BSc, paleontology
Interests: Hiking, rock climbing, camping, synchronized swimming, water polo
What do you love most about science?
I love how we are constantly learning new things about our planet and everything on it.
Why do you think it is important to promote science to young people, and what makes you a good science mentor?
I believe it is important to encourage young people to pursue what interests them and show them how many branches of science are out there. I am excited to give them opportunities to come to their own conclusions and make their own discoveries.
Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?
I want to encourage campers to ask questions, learn more about the world around us, and have fun doing it.
Can you tell us a fun fact about your favourite scientist or scientific discovery?
The Burgess Shale is a rich fossil bed in British Columbia. What sets it apart is that it preserved some critters with no skeletons exceptionally well. The circumstances for burial were just right and this allows paleontologists to glimpse what the fauna over 500 million years ago looked like.
Tell us a fun fact about you!
I was in French immersion for 12 years and enjoy practicing as often as I can.
Alison Thomas
Program: MSc, Earth sciences
Interests: Houseplants, fencing, glassblowing, Girl Guides, and collecting rocks and minerals
What do you love most about science?
That science ranges from very large scale concepts, like plate tectonics, to very small scale things like micropaleontology. And that it never runs out of ways to amaze or questions that we still have to explore.
Why do you think it is important to promote science to young people, and what makes you a good science mentor?
Promoting science to young people is important to develop an early interest in scientific disciplines that they can then choose to explore further, and to learn critical thinking and how the world around them works. I am a good science mentor because I am passionate about learning about the natural world and about sharing my knowledge with others.
Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?
Through working as a teaching assistant with geology courses and volunteering as a tour guide in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Science museums I have discovered that I love to teach others about science. I hope to build my teaching skills through working with Science Summer Camps.
Can you tell us a fun fact about your favourite scientist or scientific discovery?
Plate tectonics was first proposed as a theory in 1912 by Alfred Wegener, but it took until about 1970 for plate tectonics to become accepted by almost all geologists. 1970 isn't that long ago. This makes me wonder about what other big concepts we have yet to uncover about how our planet works.
Tell us a fun fact about you!
I am 6'4" tall, which helps with the fencing.