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Motivated by a passion for science and innovation, close to 800 bright young people from across the city gathered at the University of Calgary to compete at the (CYSF).

CYSF, hosted by ԰������ for the last 13 years, empowers student participants from grades 5-12 to demonstrate their knowledge, understanding and application of science, encouraging them to pursue futures in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). This year’s event ran from April 9 to 11 and was held in the Olympic Oval.

Young talents showcase inventive solutions

This year’s projects involved a diverse range of topics such as:

• "Microscoping Allies Against Climate Change"
• "Autonomous Hemostatic Treatment"
• "Why Faster-than-LightTravel is Impossible Using Modern Physics"
• "Sharkwings: Hydrodynamic Shark Scales for Airfoil Aerodynamics"

԰������ Chancellor Jon Cornish praised the students’ creativity and determination. “You didn’t just complete projects — you asked big questions, took risks and explored ideas that matter,” Cornish said at the closing awards ceremony.

Several ԰������ faculties and units sponsored different awards at CYSF this year, with the biggest prize, the $2,500 University of Calgary Chancellor and Senate Award, awarded to Luotong Shi and Allen Guo-Lu, Grade 12 students from Western Canada High School.

Their winning project explored augmenting balance and spatial awareness in people with Parkinson’s disease by using a wearable assistive tail. Inspired by the movement of animals, the project aims to provide users with something that patients can use naturally in daily life without clinical supervision.

CYSF is the biggest fair of its kind and serves as a stepping-stone to the  where young scientists from across Canada compete for a range of prestigious awards and scholarships, celebrating scientific excellence, creativity and societal impact.

Out of the 584 projects presented, 15 were selected to continue to the national fair, which this year will be held at the Edmonton Expo Centre in late May. Projects were judged based on scientific content, creativity and insights, communication and degree of difficulty.

԰������ fosters curiosity for greater community impact

This year’s CYSF was particularly special as its closing day coincided with on April 11, giving participants a glimpse of the vibrant celebrations that included a Guinness Record-breaking gathering of people in dinosaur costumes.

In their remarks, Cornish highlighted the university’s commitment to investing in the thinkers, builders and problem solvers of tomorrow, while fostering an environment driven by curiosity in fields like space research, quantum innovation, health breakthroughs and artificial intelligence.

As ԰������ increases access to impactful and future-focused education, building strong relationships with youth and the community is essential. “Today’s science fair project could very well become tomorrow’s breakthrough,” said Cornish.