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elcome to the spring edition of the Science Expo News Bulletin! We are very excited to announce that Science Expo 2012 is soon taking place at the Ontario Science Center on February 25th 2012.

hard at work to prepare for what promises to be an exciting day. Two years since our inception, Science Expo has grown from a local 2-hour event to a full day provincial conference. As Co-Presidents and Co-Founders of this organization, we are so proud to see what it has grown into, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of everyone involved. We would like to give a special thank you to our amazing team and the ambassadors who brought this vision to life.

We started Science Expo after our last science fair competition and thought what better way to end our science fair journey than to start it for someone else. It is our hope that Science Expo will act as a catalyst in your STEM journey and help to empower your future.

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Spotlight on STEM: U of T Mentorship Program.................... 2

Word from the President: Check out ISSYP!.......................................... 3

Science Feature: Stem cells made simple................................................. 5

Tech guru talks about STEM experiences...................................... 6

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- Susie Pan and Hillary DawkinsCo-Presidents, Science Expo

- Science Expo 2012 taking place on Feb 25th at the OSC-2nd Annual Science Expo Scholarship Awarded-Grace Wang wins Science Expo Photo Contest with 323 likes.- Science Expo reaches over 600 likes on Facebook

Even for those of you who are unable to make it out to the conference, we hope to convey some of the excitement to you through this newsletter. As you read through the articles, we hope you are inspired to take action and get involved with STEM opportunities in any way you can.

Welcome to the Summer Edition of the Science Expo News Bulletin. A lot has happened in the last few months since Science Expo 2012: Convene and Connect on Feb 25th at the Ontario Science Center. With the most successful conference to date under our belt, we’ve launched a beta version of our new mentorship program, EXPOtential, and publically pitched at the Youth Social Innovation Competition and came in 2nd place. This is a very exciting time at Science Expo, and we’ll be welcoming 7 interns to the team for the summer. Also stay tuned for details about our upcoming executive hiring for next year.

We’re sad to announce that we’ll be leaving as Co-Presidents of Science Expo, a project we started together in grade 12 over two years ago. Starting September 2012, we’ll be taking the role of Board of Directors, and will no longer be involved in the day-to-day operations of Science Expo. However, we’re excited to welcome a new leadership team consisting of Stephanie Chan, BerBer Xue, and Honghu Wang. We are con!dent that this team will take Science Expo to new heights and we’re excited to see all the possibilities they’ll unleash. In the meantime, we’d like to extend a sincere thank you to the Science Expo 2011-2012 team that has become our second family. No words can describe the journey, but I’m sure our legend of minions, burnt meat, and karaoke will go down in history.

Lastly, we want to thank each of you who have been part of the Science Expo story. We want you to know that you’re part of something extraordinary, and it’s only going to get better. Science Expo’s

Science Expo 2012: Convene and Connect ........ 2

News bulletin: Intel International Science and Engineering Fair ........................................................... 3

Youth Social Innovation Fund ................................. 4

Spotlight on STEM: ISEF ............................................ 5

Internal Highlights ...................................................... 6

*!$*8"%)7*$%*$$'"re!ned mission is to empower youth through connections so we leave you with one last advice: when opportunities don’t knock, build a door – let Science Expo be that door.

Cheers to a new beginning!

Yours in leadership signing o",

Susie Pan & Hillary Dawkins2011-2012 Co-Presidents

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Among the world of high school science, no competition is as prestigious and revered as the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, held each May in circulating American cities. The event gathers 1500 students from over 70 countries around the world to compete for hundred of thousands of dollars in cash prizes, scholarships, awards and internships.

Team Canada was represented by 18 competitors at this year’s event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Despite its relatively small size, Canada has consistently been recognized with disproportionately more awards

received. However, this year’s team had an even more spectacular showing with a total award count of 30, speaking volumes about the capacity of our country’s scienti!c ingenuity and leadership by youth.

Nicholas Schiefer, a speaker at Science Expo 2012: Convene and Connect, won the Intel Young Scientist Award of $50 000, given to each of the top three competitors at the event, along with the Best of Category Award at $5000, the First Place Grand Award at $3000 in Computer Science and !ve other Special Awards. Nicholas’ research centered around improving the abilities of search engines capabilities to sort through vast amounts of information, such as tweets and Facebook status updates. His work is no stranger to Canada’s science fairs; in 2011 he won a gold medal at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Toronto.

Christopher Nielsen of Calgary Alberta and a returning member to Team Canada was honoured with the First Place Grand Award in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and fours Special Awards for developing a robotic navigation system with mobile control. Adam Noble of Lake!eld, Ontario brought home the Environtal Management Best of Category Award and First Place Grand Award for his research into the recovery of antibacterial nanosilver particles in wastewater. Adam Mofeed Sawan of London, Ontario also won a best of Category Award in Earth and Planetary Sciences for developing a computer model to investigate geochemical consequences of the proposed Red Sea-Dead Sea Canal.

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Other Canadian award winners included:

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My 2012 Intel ISEF experience was one of the highlights of my life. My project was investigating Lycium barbarum or goji berry’s e!ects on the formation of UV-light induced cataracts. I learned about doing science fair projects at Shad Valley, an enrichment camp. At Shad, I met amazing people like Brian Krug and Vivienne Tam who inspired me to do my own research project.

I started my experiment at the University Of Waterloo School Of Optometry in the summer of 2011, after "nding a mentor who was willing to take me into her lab. Since this is my "rst year doing a real research project, I had no idea that my project would qualify for Team Canada. I had only hoped in the beginning that my hypothesis would “work”. After getting some preliminary results, I applied for Team Canada. It was a very rigorous process. I sent in a report and there was a power-point presentation and interview I had to do with a panel of judges while talking to them over the phone.

Intel ISEF in Pittsburgh was absolutely amazing. I had never met a group of people who were more talented, motivated, and just so nice. It was incredible to share a week with these people, who were extremely similar to me, learning about their research and their personal goals. I came back inspired to challenge myself, and to push beyond my limits.

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Cataracts, which is when your lens becomes cloudy and unclear, is becoming increasing common, especially in developing countries. It is the leading cause of blindness worldwide. My project investigated if Lycium barbarum or goji berries, which is traditionally a Chinese herbal medicine can prevent cataracts from UV-light. Goji berries have been shown to contain high amounts of antioxidants, speci!cally zeaxanthin. In my study, I used cow eyes with induced cataracts. I found that when the lens was treated with a supplement of Lycium barbarum, or goji berries, it prevented the formation of cataracts. My study also suggested that the antioxidant is preventing cataractogenesis. Eating goji berries can be a preventative method against cataracts. Since goji berries are extremely easy and cheap to grow, it is possible for everyone to have access to this supplement to prevent cataracts.

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the beta version of EXPOtential, a mentorship program for conference alumni to pair students with experience in STEM programs with those seeking support. Check out our website and Facebook page for upcoming information on ways to get involved!

several new projects and we are excited to work with such talented youth.

and Honghu Wang. We wish leaving co-presidents Susie Pan and Hillary Dawkins all the best in future endeavours and we thank them for the tireless work they have invested in the seeding and growth of our organization. We have con!dence they will provide excellent oversight in their new

Zhang, Director of Social Media.

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Thank you for reading this issue of STEM Connect! Pass this on to your friends who are interested in STEM. For article submissions or any questions or coments, contact newsletter @science-expo.org.

PS. Our new website will be launching later this summer! Look forward to it!

- Science Expo Youth Empowerment Group

PRODUCED AND EDITED BY BRIAN KRUG AND STEPHANIE CHANSPECIAL CONTRIBUTER: CHRISTINA DING

SCIENCE EXPO 2011-2012 TEAMBACK: BRIAN KRUG, DANIEL ZHANG, KEVIN LAU, MERETTE SHINOUDA, VENISSA XIAO, TINA TANG, BERBER XUE, HONGHU WANGFRONT: MEGAN SCHLORFF, SUSIE PAN, STPEHANIE CHAN, EDWARD KIM, HILLARY DAWKINS

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