Canada’s top youth talent showcasing problem-solving STEM projects in Edmonton

Hundreds of students at the Edmonton Expo Centre showcasing their STEM projects. (Sean McClune/CTV Edmonton)

Edmonton is hosting some of the brightest young minds in the country this week for the Canada-Wide Science Fair.

The top Grade 7 to 12 students in Canada are showcasing their unique projects on math, science and engineering.

“As you walk through, the projects focus on specific challenges that range from things like aerospace to energy, environment and climate change, natural resources, health and wellness – it covers the whole spectrum,” said Reni Barlow, executive director of Youth Science Canada.

Barlow highlighted one project where a student created a device that attaches to a robotic turtle that detects microplastics in water in real time.

Another project is looking at better ways to measure a pulse from a watch for people with darker skin tones.

“The kinds of things that you see are investigations into fascinating questions and really interesting problems,” Barlow said.

One Edmonton student’s project uses sensors for breath concentration to determine if someone has an oral disease. A person breathes into the device through a tube and a screen shows the results.

“My goal is to bring more awareness to oral health and to do that, people need to realize how often people skip their dentist appointments,” said Grade 9 Edmonton student Jainika Joshi.

“I want a low cost device, non-invasive, that still functions accurately.”

More than $2 million in awards is up for grabs, most of them university entrance scholarships.

People can see 344 projects at the Edmonton Expo Centre until Saturday.