Although he did not return from the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Windsor, Ont. with a medal around his neck, Siddhant Gautam felt the experience was well worth it.
Gautam, a Grade 8 student at R.F. Staples, qualified for the May 10-17 event after he won gold in the junior category at the Regional Science Fair at NAIT on April 12.
His project this year looked at creating a heated sidewalk that is powered by the meltwater it creates flowing through a hydroelectric generator.
In Windsor, only those students who placed in the Top 3 were named and recognized, Gautam said. Because he was not one of them, he doesn’t know how well he actually did.
However, with it being his first trip to nationals after two previous unsuccessful attempts, just getting there was a reward on its own.
“My main goal was to try to get into nationals, so I’ll probably try again next year with a better project,” he said. “After having this experience, I’m more motivated than I was before to do it.”
The atmosphere at nationals was different from that at the Westlock and regional science fairs, Gautam said. The participants and spectators “really enjoyed science more,” he explained.
“It was nice to see what they were thinking about and what they were learning,” he said.
Being around the best young scientists in Canada was enlightening, he said, as he got to see several projects that were creative, novel and innovative.
Gautam singled out the project that won Best in Fair as one such example.
Done by a Grade 11 student, it was a 3-D scanner that could scan limbs and had applications in prosthetic surgery.
“It was really interesting to see the science behind it and everything,” he said. “He explained it really well.”
Gautam noticed the most successful and advanced projects all had one thing in common — their students all had mentors. With designs on doing better next year, it’s something he’s already thinking about.
“For next year I’ll probably try to get a mentor’s guidance to advance my project a little bit more,” he said.
Although the trip to Windsor was for a science fair, Gautam said the actual fair — the judging and the awards — was limited to only one day.
During the rest of the time there were courses available for the competitors to take, lots of free time to meet and mingle, and open viewings for the public and school groups to see the projects.
The public viewings were a fun time, as they allowed the competitors to talk about their projects, as well as help them better understand their own work.
“You had to be able to explain it to them, all the science behind it, in the most simple way,” Gautam said. “That really shows you actually know, not just that you’re using terms.”
In addition, the free time to mingle proved especially rewarding.
“We talked about where they came from and what their schools were like,” he said. “I didn’t meet anybody I didn’t like. They were all nice people there.”
Taking in the entire experience in Windsor, Gautam said he learned a successful project takes a lot of time and devotion, as well as a desire to think outside the norm.
“It can’t be just some simple thing you’re doing in all the projects,” he said.
