From left to right, Julia Lawlor, Bennet Lee, Dalton Ronan, Riley Antler, and Erin St Jean have shared their love of science this year as they've supported Science Summer Camps as senior camp leaders. 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 this year's Senior Camp Leaders-whose support behind the scenes helped make our camps possible!
Julia Lawlor
Program: BSc, specialization in physiology
Interests: Dancing, especially ballet and lyrical
What do you love most about science?
What I love most about science are the endless possibilities. So many questions remain unanswered and it is open to all of us to solve them. I also love piecing together all of the existing knowledge about a topic to learn how something works.
Why do you think it is important to promote science to young people, and what makes you a good science mentor?
I think it is very important to promote science to young people because they are the future. By fostering a curious mindset in young people we can enable them to find their unique interests, and maybe even to make important strides in that field. I believe my enthusiasm for science makes me a good science mentor.
Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?
I'm excited about working with Science Summer Camps because they offer incredible opportunities for children of all ages to get excited about science and explore new topics. They also foster friendships between young people with similar interests.
Can you tell us a fun fact about your favourite scientist or scientific discovery?
In 1985, Dr. Barry Marshall deliberately ingested the bacterium H. pylori to prove that it caused stomach ulcers. His experiment worked and he developed the illness. Prior to this, it was believed that stress and spicy foods caused stomach ulcers. Marshall and his research partner, Dr. Robin Warren won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 2005 for this discovery.
Tell us a fun fact about you!
I have spent two summers doing research in an ophthalmology lab here at the UofA. We studied the effects of uncontrolled diabetes and .
Bennett Lee
Program: BEd
Interests: Hockey, hiking, learning about education
What do you love most about science?
I like that science gives people endless opportunities to discover and research new concepts while exploring the world around us.
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 because it encourages kids to foster learning and intrigue for the everyday world around them, and to continue asking questions and finding answers to those questions. I'm a very curious person and I love to figure out the "why" of puzzling ideas, so I'm looking forward to bringing this same curiosity and enthusiasm to every camper this year.
Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?
I wanted to work with Science Summer Camps because I am very passionate about education and working with kids, and being able to do that in an environment with cool experiments and awesome activities will be a big highlight of my summer!
Can you tell us a fun fact about your favourite scientist or scientific discovery?
The idea for Velcro was invented by accident-George de Mestral, a Swiss engineer, was hiking with his dog when he noticed burrs from plants getting stuck on his dog. He later used this idea to create hook-and-loop fasteners known today as Velcro, which have been used on kid's sneakers and NASA astronaut suits.
Tell us a fun fact about you!
I can hum and whistle at the same time, and I've been skydiving before.
Dalton Ronan
Program: BSc
Interests: Playing guitar, collecting records, camping, hiking, fishing, cooking
What do you love most about science?
I love that science encourages curiosity and questions how things work. I love that it's okay to be wrong about something, as that just means there is more to learn, and that for every question answered, many more questions may be uncovered.
As a returning instructor to Science Summer Camps, what did you find fulfilling about the position in previous years/what made you want to return?
I believe it's very important to encourage scientific