March 2012, PASCO Canada attended the Science on Stage Canada (SoSC) flagship event at Appleby College in Oakville, Ontario. The main goal of SoSC is to inspire young individuals to explore the fields of science and technology by providing educators with essential tools to help transform their classrooms into innovative learning environments.
This was a four day event that brought together educators including teachers, researchers and professors from different parts of the country to share their experiences. They were able to display their accomplishments during the science fair, and were also able to propose possible solutions to each others obstacles throughout their teaching course during the pedagogical discussions. Several of the teachers in attendance have our SPARK dataloggers and they were able to provide insight into how such technology-based labs better engaged their students.
This was a well organized event and helped the educators gain an understanding of how they can incorporate a number of different tools to develop exciting lesson plans. There were incredible keynote speakers and AYVA was honoured to be one of the partners.
For more information on Science on Stage visit http://scienceonstage.ca
Back in June, PASCO’s SPARKscience™ learning environment landed a coveted spot on EdNET’s Best for 2011 list as one of the top five recipients in the Shining Stars category – adding it to a prestigious list of “game changers” in the education marketplace.
Described as a “whole new generation of science learning technology,” the SPARKscience environment is designed from the ground up to integrate inquiry-based science investigations within a research-based, state-of-the-art learning environment, while providing both teacher and student support for success in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs.
Another added bonus is that SPARK was created with today’s schooling environments in mind. It operates on Windows and Mac-based computers as well as on interactive whiteboards, netbooks (such as the Intel-powered classmate PCs), the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch – along with functioning as a standalone system.
And SPARK is popping up everywhere. Several dataloggers are being used at the TELUS Spark Centre in Calgary – and the Apple app is proving to be a popular teaching aid, granting students and educators alike with the flexibility to collect data anytime using their mobile Apple device.
As a PASCO distributor, we’re pleased to be playing a role in furthering science education, using cutting-edge technology like SPARKscience!
Click here to read more about SPARK’s EdNET designation.
Earlier this month, PASCO Scientific hosted its Global Science Partners Meeting in Roseville, California. More than 35 countries from around the world were represented – Australia, Taiwan, Chile and Italy to name just a few.
PASCO launched several new products for both the post-secondary and K-12 markets and Distributors shared regional stories and successes.
During the day we had an opportunity to play with PASCO’s crown jewel for physics and engineering educators – the new 850 Datalogger and Capstone software.
At night we had an opportunity to mingle and mix it up with our Global Partners. We enjoyed an Awards Dinner at the Firehall Restaurant in Old Sacremento where our PASCO Canada Division was recognized for the third year in a row for growing the science education market in Canada.
But probably the most fun was the Pizza and Bowling Night where Team AYVA (pictured above) managed to hold their own amongst some stiff competition.
It was a great week and the culmination of a great deal of hard work by our wonderful hosts at PASCO Scientific. We learned a lot and are anxious to share the latest developments and releases with our customers.
Residents of southern Alberta are enjoying a renewed interest in science and innovation, thanks to the October 29th grand opening of the TELUS Spark Centre. The state-of-the art, $160 million facility represents the culmination of 10 years of hard work. It’s being touted as a “place for inquiry” that encourages people of all ages to embrace science, technology and art.
It’s also the first new science centre to be built in Canada in more than 25 years.
“We are a nation of innovators, and nowhere is that more apparent than here in the City of Calgary,” TELUS Spark CEO Jennifer Martin said in a press release. “TELUS Spark … will foster engagement, collaboration, critical thinking and dialogue and we expect some of the ideas born here will have far-reaching impacts that will help make the world a better place.”
PASCO will play a role in the new centre. Several SPARK dataloggers will be used at the TELUS Spark Centre. The inquiry-based labs that are embedded in them make them a good fit for the facility.
Click here to read more about the new science centre. And while we’re on the topic of innovation, take a look at our SPARKvue app.
2011 has been a big year for environmental science and research. It is, after all, the international year of chemistry, the one hundredth anniversary of Parks Canada and the year the Bay of Fundy was inducted as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.
To commemorate these environmental and scientific milestones, five female students from Riverview, New Brunswick participated in the “Riverview High School Water Project.” Under the guidance of chemistry teacher Ian Fogerty, and with the help of PASCO probeware, Robyn O’Dell, Marlise O’Brien, Rebecca Laffoley, Shandelle Murray, and Ha-Gyoung Yoon mapped and analyzed water quality throughout the Fundy Biosphere Reserve.
After taking measurements of pH levels, temperature, dissolved oxygen, phosphate and nitrates, the team has set out to determine how these properties change throughout the day, while collecting baseline data for a citizen science legacy project.
Their efforts have resulted in an invitation to participate in the Chemistry World Youth Conference in Lima, Peru this November.
We’d like to congratulate the girls on their contribution to science and wish them luck at their upcoming conference. Their passion for science and environmental preservation is nothing short of inspiring.
