Meet the 2018 Science Camp Leaders - Senior Instructors

Science Summer Camps have been made possible with the support of many instructors, tour guides, and guest speakers. As summer wraps up, meet our senior instructors.

Riley Antler

Program: BEd in secondary education, major in mathematics and minor in computing science

Interests: I love reading, dancing, and technology.

What do you love most about science?

I love science because there are endless possibilities. In computing science especially, the only limitation is your imagination. You can create anything you want if you put your mind to it.

Why do you think it is important to promote science to young people, and what makes you a good science mentor?

I believe science is where the future lies and it is important to educate young students so they can be aware of what's out there. I have taken computing science classes for six years now and originally came to the University of Alberta to become a computing scientist. I believe it is important for the students to not be afraid or intimidated by what might seem scary at first. Especially in a field where there are not many women yet, I believe it is great to show all students, boys and girls, that computing science is for everyone. After realizing my love for science as well as teaching, I decided that becoming a computing science teacher is what I am meant to do.

Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?

I have worked for the Science Summer Camps the past two years and this job has never felt like work. I enjoy every minute of working with the students and seeing them understand and grasp concepts is such a rewarding experience.

Can you tell us a fun fact about your favourite scientist or scientific discovery?

Ada Lovelace, the first computer programmer, created the world's first machine algorithm on paper before computers existed.

Tell us a fun fact about you.

I have danced for 15 years.

Mark Laraya

Program: BEd in secondary education

Interests: I love singing and make covers of songs for fun. I also love musical theatre. Some of my hobbies includes reading books, hiking, camping, and watching movies.

What do you love most about science?

One thing I love about science is how every single day there are new species being discovered. I love learning about new species that no one has seen before, and learning about the process that scientists used to discover it.

I also love how hands-on science is. Lots of people think that science is all about learning terms, but in reality there are a lot of experiments, field work, and hands-on activities that scientists do to learn more about the world.

Why do you think it is important to promote science to young people, and what makes you a good science mentor?

I believe that it is important to promote science to young people as early as possible. These children will be the future and it's great to introduce science to enhance their critical thinking and perspective of the world around them. At a young age is where they have lots of questions and curiosity about the world around them and I think that it is important for us to provide them with explanations.

What makes me a good science mentor is how engaged I am when it comes to scientific content. I love asking questions that enhances the campers' understanding of science content, and I also love answering their questions.

Why did you want to work with Science Summer Camps?

To enhance my knowledge and skills as a teacher and gather experience that can help me in the future. I also love that I can share my passion and knowledge about science to young people in the summer camp.

Can you tell us a fun fact about your favourite scientist or scientific discovery?

There are extraterrestrial dust particles on our rooftops. They are called micrometeorites and are about 40 microns in size - that's about the width of two and a half strands of hair.

Tell us a fun fact about you.

I am currently part of a new local musical and I can sing.