Biomedical lessons at youth camp

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This article was published 21/07/2016 (3350 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Abdul Khizar made his own sunscreen this week, but whether he will use it remains to be seen.

Khizar was one of about 160 students from across Manitoba, including many from Winnipeg’s inner city, who have been participating this week in the 10th Biomedical Youth Camp hosted by the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Manitoba’s Bannatyne Campus. Students from grades 5 to 12 are taking part in 16 science-focused workshops throughout the week. The five-day program is free of charge.

“We had zinc oxide and this other powder stuff, and we mixed it all up. There was also mineral oil, and you mix it all up, and you put it in the container and shake it up,” said Abdul, 13, who completed Grade 8 at Al-Hijra Islamic School in Winnipeg but has not decided which school he will attend this fall for Grade 9.

Abdul said it was fun to concoct the sunscreen in the lab, but it may never see the sun.

“I don’t really want to (try it)! The way it feels, I don’t think it’s really sunscreen!” he said with a laugh.

It is his third year at the camp after his sister, who volunteers at the camp, told him about it.

“I like immune systems, so this (camp) tells me more about it. The thing I like is they make you do experiments, and that’s helpful for when you are going to school.”

Each student has been fitted with a white lab coat and name tag to clip onto the pocket, just like the doctors working at the facility. Each morning, they gather in one of the lecture halls for a briefing about the day’s activities and then head out to the different sessions within groups that are led by U of M science student volunteers.

James Gilchrist, a professor of oral biology in the College of Dentistry, said the biomedical camp exposes youth to the university atmosphere and opens the door to the possibility of a future that includes science.

“It’s fun,” Gilchrist said, noting he is able to find lots of volunteers each year to assist with running the science camp. “There’s nothing quite like working with kids, especially kids that are really focused on enjoying and being interested in what they’re doing. You don’t have to convince anybody of anything. They’re thrilled to be here, they’re attentive, and they’re good to work with because they want to learn.”

Justin Choy, who will attend Grade 9 this fall at Sisler High School, and his group were using microscopes Wednesday morning to examine onion pieces in a session led by Gilchrist.

“It was really fun to see all the certain cells inside the onion,” said Justin, 14, in the camp for a second straight year. “We’ve done dentistry and got to try to fill in a (simulated) tooth, that was really fun. I like how you get to experiment and it’s so hands-on.”

Gilchrist said the camp gives the students authentic opportunities to carry out simulated medical procedures or emergency scenarios and do experiments using real laboratory tools and equipment.

“It’s beneficial, from the point of view of taking science from a textbook subject to a hands-on subject. Schools these days, science is presented as a textbook subject. You can’t do science by just reading about it. It’s terribly boring,” Gilchrist said. “A lot of the kids have said, ‘This is great, I can actually do something.’ From that point of view, it’s fantastic.”

He said the science enrichment caters to youth who may face financial or social barriers, some who may feel alienated at school because they enjoy science and others who just love science.

“We want to show these young learners that they are bright, that there are financial supports out there, but they first need to believe in themselves and build up confidence,” Gilchrist said.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca