There’s a reason it’s called Science North and not Science Sudbury.
The interactive science museum is expanding its popular THINK Hub across Northern communities. Sault Ste. Marie hosted the first launch of the new attraction on Monday at James L. McIntyre Centennial Library.
The exhibit will remain there until the library’s new North Branch opens at the former Alexander Henry High School site in the fall.
Other Northern cities set to welcome hands-on science activities for children are Kenora, Timmins, North Bay, Thunder Bay and Fort Francis.
THINK stands for tinker, hack, innovate, network and know. The attraction uses science, technology, engineering and mathematics, to provide an interactive environment for people of all ages to experiment with.
The Sault’s site includes a chain reaction and instrument-making stations.
“Strong government funding” in the form of $1.7 million helped the project come to fruition.
“There was a substantial gap (in science opportunities for young people) – it was a quantum gap – and we have bridged it by investing in things like this,” said Sault Ste. Marie MP Terry Sheehan.
“We’ve made science at the forefront of our innovation agenda,” he said, adding it was low priority for the former Conservative government.
He highlighted other local science projects that are federally funded such as research being done on the St. Mary’s River, sea lampreys, teaching coding to kids, and at the Sault’s post-secondary institutions.
TechWhiz Science North campers aged 7-9 attended the launch and broke in the new setup.
“I see these young people as potential candidates for (Algoma University and Sault College),” said Sheehan.
Among campers at the STEM-themed program was Camden McLeod, whose favourite part was the chain reaction station.
There were several children playing and building at this station simultaneously, all working together to incorporate dominoes, balls, blocks and other contraptions, to create a connected chain of events.
“You have to work together to get it to work properly,” said Camden.
He wanted to go to such a summer camp because he likes science, “I do experiments at home and at school,” he said.
One of his favourites is putting Mentos candy in Diet Coke to create a “Coke volcano explosion”
If his plan to be a NASCAR driver doesn’t work out, Camden wants to be “an animal scientist, or a scientist who explores water, or explosion scientist,” he said.
Sheehan described the project as a “win-win-win” and a “game changer for the new economy.”