Students from two secondary schools and five primary schools were today told about the importance of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), and how science is a part of everything they do daily, including breathing.
They were participating in the joint STEAM Learning Outreach Project, which was one of the activities held to mark the 70th Anniversary of McGill’s Bellairs Research Institute, located at Folkestone Marine Park, Holetown, St. James. It was hosted by the Canadian McGill University, the United States Embassy in Barbados, and the Center of Science and Industry (COSI).
Speaking at the outreach initiative was Minister of State in the Ministry of Education, Technological and Vocational Training, Sandra Husbands; President and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, Professor Deep Saini; Chief Executive Officer of COSI, Frederic “Dr. B” Bertley; US Embassy’s Public Affairs Officer, Donald Maynard; and McGill University’s Dean of Science, Bruce Lennox. They all emphasised the importance of STEAM and advancing science education in Barbados.
Ms. Husbands thanked the hosts for the outreach project, while underscoring the importance of the nation’s vulnerability to climate change and the need to develop climate-resilient solutions through science education.
“So many things that we need to deal with, and we’re going to need new technologies in order to do that and to do that effectively and sustainably, and the only way that can happen is if we are able to help our children, to master science. To master maths, engineering, all of those wonderful science subjects, physics, biology, all of them, because we are going to need you to be the next generation of scientists who are going to develop solutions to the problems which we have as a small island state. And so, we are depending on you,” Minister Husbands stated.
Professor Saini highlighted that McGill University was founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, and is Canada’s top-ranked medical doctoral university.
He told the students that “science is for everyone” and concurred with Minister Husbands that a sustainable future is dependent upon the innovations they create utilising STEAM.
“Anything is possible when you work hard, work smart, and you have the right mentors around you and have the right opportunities, and above all [the] right people, who recognise that you have a talent that can actually be contributed to the world. So, I share that with you, because I know that you are the future talent, and the world is counting on you,” Professor Saini stated.
Both Minister Husbands and Professor Saini shared that the Government and McGill University are discussing ways in which the University could deepen its engagement with Barbados.
Dr. Bertley, with the help of colleagues, engaged the students with a dry ice experiment and shared practical examples of science in their everyday lives.
He said: “Together, COSI, McGill, and the U.S. State Department are steadfast in the belief that a better world can only be achieved through an increasingly STEM-literate society, not just in the U.S. and Canada but across the globe, including the Caribbean. With this vision at the forefront, we are joining forces in Barbados to inspire young minds throughout the region to pursue future careers in science and technology.”
Part of the outreach initiative saw the children conducting experiments in which they created lava lamps and launched ‘rockets’ using water, containers, and Alka–Seltzer tablets.
Each student from the participating schools – Alexandra, Frederick Smith Secondary, St. Alban’s Primary, Gordon Greenidge Primary, Good Shepherd Primary, St James Primary and Shirley Chisholm Primary – received a STEM educational kit and lunchbox, compliments of the hosts.
Mr. Maynard said the US Embassy was proud to collaborate with COSI to distribute learning “lunchbox science kits” aimed at encouraging the next generation of STEAM leaders in the Eastern Caribbean.
The Bellairs Research Institute was founded in 1954 as a marine biology field station for McGill University. It aims to provide a place in which professors and students from around the world can develop a scholarly interest in science and the tropics through field courses, workshops, and research projects.
Over time, the institute has grown to include many other disciplines, which are all related to marine sciences – biology, ecology, agriculture, and sustainability. Part of today’s activities also included presentations of field research projects by students who spent a semester studying the science of sustainability at the Bellairs Research Institute.