Student Spotlight: Science Summer Camp Leaders

Celebrating the success of Science Summer Camps 2018

Andrew Lyle - 30 September 2018

This summer, over 1,500 campers attended Science Summer Camps at the University of Alberta, taught by 30 student summer camp leaders. Between classroom demonstrations, hands-on experiments, and tours to UAlberta's premier museum collections, these student leaders helped ensure campers never had a dull moment.

Science Summer Camps make the most of their home in the Faculty of Science, holding class in state-of-the-art undergraduate laboratories. But that doesn't mean campers spent the whole day inside. Leaders took campers on regular breaks to enjoy the summer sun and take campers on field trips to the Faculty of Science's world-class museums and facilities, including the Paleontology Museum, Mineralogy and Petrology Museum, and Science Hardware Makerspace.

Join us for one last look back at summer with some of the instructors that helped make Science Summer Camps 2018 possible.

Science Summer Camp leaders

The science topics covered in camps are as many and varied as the different fields studied within the faculty. Here, campers perform an experiment simulating safety in atmospheric reentry as they design a capsule to protect parachuting eggs, under the supervision of Space Science camp leaders Kirstin Prystupa (centre) and Dalton Ronan (right).

Science Summer Camp leaders

Camp leaders Mark Laraya (left), John Maxwell (centre), and Dalton Ronan (right) guide campers through the collection at the UAlberta Paleontology Museum. Trips to the university's premier museums and collections are a great opportunity to engage campers and show them real specimens and samples up close.

Science Summer Camp leaders

Nature camp leader Gabe Moreau (left) and campers hear from greenhouse supervisor and horticulturalist Sarah Jespersen (right). The Faculty of Science's many content experts help give campers the most informative-and scientific!-tours of our facilities.

Science Summer Camp Leaders

Biology and Chemistry camp leader Daniel Finlaison leads a class of campers in one of the chemistry labs as they conduct an experiment. Making use of real science facilities helps campers envision their own potential pathways in science fields.

Science Summer Camp leaders

Camp leader Talia Santarossa (left) takes campers on a tour of one of the UAlberta greenhouses in the Biological Sciences Centre alongside greenhouse supervisor and horticulturalist Sarah Jespersen (right).

For their passion for science, and for sharing their love of science with over 1500 campers, the Faculty of Science thanks all of our 2018 Science Summer Camp Leaders. Meet all of our instructors in detail through our camp leader profiles:

Advanced Computing Science & Game Design Leaders
Sameerah Wajahat, Yasas Witharana, and Tem Tamre

Chemistry & Biological Science Leaders
Jessica Bennett, Bethany Wollin, Sarah Kim, and Daniel Finlaison

Cyber & Minecraft Minis Leaders
Casey Wong, Eisha Ahmed, Austin Ly

Digital Creators Leaders
Riona Wilberg, Emma Buchanan, Bianca Bitting

Intermediate Computing Science Leaders
Josh Smith, Daniela Teodorescu, Allex Rumbles

Minecraft Leaders
Christopher Wood, Kaelie Bittorf, Kurtis Nawrot

Mini Science Leaders
Anna Dang, Hannah Parry, Mackenzie Drefs

Nature Leaders
Erin St Jean, Talia Santarossa, Gabe Moreau

Space Science Leaders
Kirstin Prystupa, John Maxwell, Dalton Ronan

Senior Leaders
Riley Antler, Mark Laraya

Are you a student or know one interested in being a Science Summer Camp leader next year? We'll be sharing recruitment postings in January 2019. Learn more about Faculty of Science Summer Camps on our website.