Meet 7 High School Students Who Are Future Science Leaders

Future Science Leaders presented by Acuitas (FSL), Science World's after-school program, connects teens to like-minded peers and STEAM experts. Our partners make FSL possible: Acuitas; Boeing; RBC Foundation; AMGEN; STEMCELL Technologies; and NumerixS Quant.

---

Skin in the Game with In-Woo, Miguel and Nathan 

It started, as all science does, with an observation that sparked a question.  

While visiting a cousin in Texas, Grade 10 student In-Woo Park noticed a dramatic change in the condition of his skin.  

“It was super itchy. After a few days it was almost peeling off. I was like, ‘Why?’” 

It could have ended there, but his enrollment in Science World’s program for teens Future Science Leaders presented by Acuitas (FSL) provided a unique opportunity to pursue this question with the rigor of a real-life scientist.  

It also provided him with a group of like-minded peers equally enthusiastic about conducting research.  

“In-Woo and I were both interested in human health impacts of environmental alteration,” says Nathan Yeung, also in Grade 10.  

When In-Woo learned about Texas’s chlorine program to disinfect water, he and Nathan teamed up with Grade 11 student Miguel Bi to conduct their major research project on the effects of different levels of chlorine on skin. 

“Water is all around us every day,” says Miguel. “So, learning how it impacts us is a curious and relevant thing to discover.”  

Toss Around the Pig Skin 

The official stance from Texas government is that scientific studies “did not find any association between exposure and dermatitis (skin rashes).” So, was In-Woo's reaction an anomaly?  

Thanks to FSL Program Manager Dr. Jenny McQueen, they had the materials to investigate. 

"I’ve been a vegetarian most of my life, so rarely go into a butcher shop,” says Dr. McQueen. “I now call my local butcher though for pig skin and sheep hearts. I’m curious as to what animal body part I’ll pick up next!” 

Their FSL mentors guided them through the steps of creating a proposal; building an index to measure skin reactions; planning the steps for effective experiment with useful results; and summarizing the whole process in a proper scientific paper.  

It was a lot of work, with different levels of success. Quantifying skin dryness is trickier than it sounds. What's certain is they learned more than they ever could have predicted.  

Nathan learned he loves designing experiments but that he’ll avoid wet labs in the future for more theoretical research. Miguel learned he has a proclivity for problem-solving, which might make him a prime candidate for the Engineering stream in Year 2. And In-Woo was surprised by how much he enjoyed presenting his project, and that he has a knack for science communication. 

In-Woo with the final endorsement: “I just really enjoyed the process of the whole project. It was so cool to see how, at first, it was just something you wondered about. But a few weeks later, you know a lot about it and you can have a whole in-depth conversation with anybody and share your knowledge. It makes me really excited for what I’ll learn in Year 2.”  

Waste Not, Want Not with Chloe, Claire, Arianne and Emma 

If you're familiar with The Great British Bake-off's Technical Challenge, then you have an idea of how a session of Future Science Leaders unfolds.  

Just replace the basket of food ingredients for a chocolate roulade or a tarte au citron with a kit of materials and an objective to build an electromagnetic swing or to colour in a map using as few hues as possible. 

That’s how Grade 10 student Claire learned, hands-on, the physics behind the Lorentz force and the practical math of the four-colour theorem.  

“This is what differentiates FSL from every other science-learning experience I’ve ever had,” she says. “We weren’t told, ‘Here’s the formula and here’s what happens.’ We actually made it happen ourselves.”  

When the time came to choose the subject for a major research project, Claire, along with Chloe, Arianne and Emma, couldn’t think of a more relevant topic than reducing water usage.  

“We wanted the results of our project to have an impact on our community,” says Arianne.  

“We care about Vancouver,” says Chloe. “We want to protect future use both in the city and for farmland and animals. Because fresh water is limited.” 

In Hot Water 

With scientists predicting “more sweltering summer days” for BC, water conservation should be atop all our minds. The girls meticulously measured their water usage over a two-week period, and then monitored the impact of a series of small changes.  

Emma says, "Turning off the tap when washing your hands, or being more aware of the time you spend in the shower, makes a huge difference to the environment.” 

The girls reduced their indoor usage by about 40%--up to 253 million liters every day if applied to Metro Vancouver.  

“I’m still surprised by the sheer quantity we waste,” says Claire.  

Surprising learnings keep happening for her in FSL, which she says has made her “more open-minded, creative, and ultimately more logical.”  

“I’m a theatre kid,” she laughs. “And I've added significantly to the quality of my creative work when I have solid science backing me up. It’s just easier to understand things after having been a part of FSL.” 

---

Are you a Future Science Leader?  

Apply now. The deadline for applications is May 1!