Students on the Beamlines

Tell me, and I forget;
Show me and I remember;
Let me do and I understand.
            (Chinese Proverb)

Challenging students with an authentic inquiry experience, Students on the Beamlines connects high school science with world-class research. The program enables students to become part of the research- to actively participate and learn directly from experimentation, not demonstration.

Dr. Robert Blyth (Beamline scientist) and Britt Howes (Lloydminster grade 12 student) check the location of their honey sample in the vacuum chamber.NSERC CRSNG

CLS is proud to offer this new initiative with funding from the PromoScience program of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council.


Step One: Teacher Training
To participate in Students on the Beamlines, a teacher supervisor must attend the annual Synchrotron Summer Workshop for Teachers. This program provides teachers with knowledge and familiarity of the synchrotron facility, techniques, and safety training required for beamline use.

Step Two: Develop a project with CLS staff
 
The CLS synchrotron provides light for many exciting projects for researchers across Canada and around the world. Many of these projects have direct connections to what students are learning in classrooms. Many of these researchers generously support education. This combination allows for some unprecedented opportunities for Canadian youth to become involved in scientific research. The chart below outlines the projects that have been completed thus far. If you are interested in participating in an experiment, contact Outreach at outreach@lightsource.ca or (306) 657-3525 to discuss details.

Student Projects

Project School Researcher  
Heat Treated Stone Tools
Yorkton Regional High School- Yorkton, SK
Liz Robertson (U of SK)
Robert Blyth (CLS- SGM)
Effects of Acid Rain on Soil (continuing research)
Centennial Collegiate- Saskatoon, SK
Robert Blyth (CLS- SGM)
Lucia Zuin (CLS- PGM)
Effect of UV Light on Plant Cells
Avonlea School- Avonlea, SK
Luca Quaroni (CLS- MidIR)
Chithra Karunakaran (CLS- SM)
Hugo Cota-Sanchez (U of SK)
Headspace of Different Types of Yeast
Victoria Park Collegiate Institute- Toronto, ON:
2008 Beamtime Prize Winners
Brant Billinghurst (CLS- FarIR)
Shocked Minerals at a Meteor Impact Site- the Manicouagan Crater Basin
College Bourget- Montreal, QC
Robert Blyth (CLS- SGM)
Chelated Vitamins in Juices and Powdered Vitamin Supplements
Bishop Grandin High School- Calgary, AB
Robert Blyth (CLS- SGM)
Interaction of Bacteria with Nanosilver Particles in Band-Aids
Evan Hardy Collegiate- Saskatoon, SK
Jeff Warner (CLS- HXMA)
Taste of Honey
Lloydminster Comprehensive High School Synchrotron Club- Lloydminster, AB: 2007 Beamtime Prize Winners
Robert Blyth and Tom Regier (CLS- SGM)
Rod Cell of Toad Retina
Bert Fox Community High School- Fort Qu’Appelle, SK
Luca Quaroni (CLS- MidIR)
Meteorite Chemical Composition
Liverpool Regional High School- NS
Ron & Pat Cavell (U of AB), Stephen Urquhart (U of SK), Lucia Zuin & Robert Blyth (CLS)
Effects of Acid Rain on Soil
Centennial Collegiate- Saskatoon, SK
Robert Blyth and Tom Regier (CLS- SGM)
Soil Chemical Composition
Avonlea School- Avonlea, SK
Robert Blyth and Tom Regier (CLS- SGM)
Soil Chemical Composition
St. Joseph’s High School- Saskatoon, SK
Robert Blyth and Tom Regier (CLS- SGM)

Students on the Beamlines (SoB) General Details:

  • CLS requires attendance of at least one teacher supervisor at the annual Synchrotron Summer Workshop for Teachers
  • NSERC PromoScience supplements travel and accommodations for participants
  • Students must be 14 years of age or older to participate
  • Contact Tracy Walker, Educational Outreach Co-ordinator, to discuss details at tracy.walker@lightsource.ca or (306) 657-3525

 

Last modified: 2009-09-24 15:09:18

Canadian Light Source