Scientist enthusiasts get real-life experience from UOIT experts

Michael Mior, vice-president of Advancement for the Durham College-UOIT Solar Vehicle team, offered young students a presentation on the solar car project.

More than 250 young science enthusiasts were on campus recently to learn about the latest science, energy, and environmental research at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT).

UOIT's second Energy and the Environment Day was another great success, attracting elementary and high school students from across Durham Region.

Part of a $240,000 three-year project funded by the Ontario government's Youth Science and Technology Outreach Program and held in collaboration with Youth Science Foundation (YSF) Canada, the event provided the students with an opportunity to visit UOIT's science labs and geothermal well field, hear about the Durham College-UOIT Solar Vehicle project, and visit with representatives of Friends of Second Marsh, the largest remaining urban wetland in the Greater Toronto Area.

Attendees also learned about the latest research in areas including risk management, the oil peak, fuel cells and hydrogen, advanced energy systems, water pollution and aquatic ecosystems, YSF Canada's SMARTS network, and how they can play a role in preserving our planet.

Among the speakers were Dr. Ron Dembo, founder and CEO of Zerofootprint, a risk management expert, and founder of Algorithmics Incorporated; Reni Barlow, executive director of YSF Canada; UOIT President Dr. Ronald Bordessa; Dr. William Smith, dean of UOIT's Faculty of Science; and a number of other UOIT professors.

As part of the Energy and the Environment Day initiative, UOIT research teams are mentoring students as they develop science projects of their own to be judged next spring.