Science Matters: Engineering Design Competition

Enhance your science learning and achieve an understanding of a variety of topics to prepare for STEM design competitions. Students will be given a series of challenges and will cooperate to design and build machines, structures, and devices that can solve real-world problems. The camp integrates resources from the current British Columbia curriculum and supplemental teaching and exercise materials from the instructor. By the end of the camp, students will possess a detailed understanding of the course topics, skills in designing and building tools and experiments and have a broader understanding of careers in STEM. Let’s have fun and see how exciting science can be!

When?

Monday July 22 - Friday July 26, 2024

Choose from:

Morning (Half Day) Camp: 9:00am-12:00noon.

Afternoon (Half Day) Camp: 1:00-4:00pm.

Full Day Camp: 9:00am-4:00pm.

Who?

This camp is for students aged 10-13 years.

Cost

Half Day Camp (Morning OR Afternoon): $295 (including taxes).

Full Day Camp: $550 (including taxes).

If the fee is a barrier to your participation, a limited number of bursaries are available for eligible families - please email [email protected] to inquire.

Where?

The Vancouver School for Science and Technology (VISST): 1490 West Broadway, Vancouver.

Why should you attend?

Design your own machines, structures and devices and develop collaboration and communication skills working in teams with your peers and friends.

Prepare for science and engineering design competitions.

Get a thorough understanding of what type of careers are available in the exciting fields of STEM.

Earn a certificate of completion from the Vancouver Independent School for Science and Technology.

What will you learn?

Below is an outline of topics to be covered in the camp. More focus and emphasis may be placed on topics based on student interest and understanding.

Morning Camp (Half Day):

Space Science

Topics: Radio Astronomy; SETI – The Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence; Space Telescopes; Careers in Space Science.

Design Challenge: Space probe lander

Chemistry

Topics: The States of Matter, Solids, Liquids, Gases, and Plasma; Bose-Einstein Condensates; Kinetic Molecular Theory; Pressure; Careers in Chemistry

Design Challenge: Balloon powered device

Physics

Topics: Newton’s Laws of Motion; Mechanical Energy; Trajectories; Careers in Physics

Design Challenge: Ping-Pong ball canon

Afternoon Camp (Half Day):

Physics

Topics: Wind turbines; Kinetic energy; Mechanical Energy; Lift and drag; Careers in Physics

Design Challenge: Wind-powered elevator

Earth Science, Engineering and Technology

Topics: The Earth’s Layers; Continental Drift; Plate Tectonics; Earthquakes and Volcanoes; Careers in Earth Sciences

Design Challenge: Earthquake-resistant Building

Biology and Environmental Sciences

Topics: Terrestrial Biomes; Tropical Rainforests; Savannas, Deserts; Boreal Forests/Taiga; Arctic Tundra; Prescribed Burns; Careers in Environmental Science

Design Challenge: Keeping Warm, Build a Shelter

Full Day Camp:

The full day camp includes all topics from the Morning and Afternoon (Half Day) camps.

Camp Instructor

Brady Mumko

Brady is a science teacher in Vancouver, British Columbia. His love of nature, wildlife, hiking, and teaching has brought him here to explore the outdoors and build a community that is environmentally conscious. He is very interested in the latest advancements in engineering, biotechnology, and neuroscience. 

“Please, never be afraid to show me something you have found that is interesting and exciting in the wonderful world of science and technology.” Outside of academics, Brady has been involved with many different sports including soccer, volleyball, and hockey. He enjoys reading, writing, and playing games, and looks forward to hearing about the clubs, sports, and activities you all participate in. “I am excited to learn from each other. Let’s have a great summer!”

Additional Notes

Course materials will be provided by the instructor before each session on Google Classroom.

Students should bring their own electronic devices (tablets or laptops) and a booklet for writing and drawing designs with pencils, pens, and markers.

Students who register for the Full Day camp should bring their own lunch and snacks. Lunch will be from 12-1pm.

Refund policy: Email us at least 2 weeks (14 days) prior to the start of the camp for a full refund.

VISST reserves the right to cancel camps and refund camp fees due to low enrolment. In this event, we will provide as much advance notice as possible.

Testimonials

“Brady’s science camps and tutoring brought science to life for my son. He has encouraged Cleavon to investigate deep levels of biology and shared great books for him to read. Their science competition team ended up winning a national science competition for their engineering design challenge!”

— Cleavon’s mom

“I made new friends in class and was able to test my design skills and video editing. I ended up winning the spirit award for our competition! It was fun! :)”

— Amanda

“I had a blast in our science competition camp. We made a series of designs for different topics and created our own companies, logos, and slogans. We ended up winning the engineering challenge competition!”

— Nathan

Questions?

Please email [email protected]