Photo courtesy of Red Deer Polytechnic.
Red Deer Polytechnic (RDP) has renewed a partnership to extend the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) experiences for youth.
RDP received a grant of $135,000 from Actua, to continue advancing scientific discovery through the institution’s Red Hot Science program. The funding is through the federal government’s Strategic Science Fund.
“We appreciate the ongoing collaboration and support from Actua,” said Dr. Robbie Halonen, Dean, Donald School of Science, Business and Computing. “Through the Red Hot Science program at RDP, central Alberta youth receive unique scientific exploration opportunities in collaboration with the Polytechnic’s faculty, staff, and students. As a result, youth are inspired to pursue a career in STEM, helping to fulfill the needs of the province and nation.”
The science program is designed for students from kindergarten to Grade 12, and offers customizable hands-on activities, helping to remove barriers to STEM experiences.
Through the program, students can learn about technology and engineering, simple coding, build robots and enhance their digital skills or perform experiments in RDP’s biology, chemistry, and physics labs.
Last year, five RDP faculty and staff members and 15 student volunteers engaged with 2,500 youth through the program.
**With information provided by Red Deer Polytechnic.