‘Science Olympics’ looks to inspire and identify new ‘energy’ workers

Nuclear Innovation Institute’s Science Olympics in Tiverton gave students a chance to show off their skills. CTV London’s Scott Miller reports.

Lindsay Kingston loves science.

“You can build things, you can experiment, you can create new knowledge with … basic science knowledge. Like stuff that I started doing in a Grade 3 or 4, and I’m still learning new things about it all the time. It’s really awesome,” said the Grade 12 St. Mary’s Catholic High School student from Owen Sound.

Kingston is one of 80 students from 18 schools across midwestern Ontario taking part in the third annual Nuclear Innovation Institute “Science Olympics,” where students work as teams on scientific problems, thirty minutes at a time.

“In urban areas, they tend to get a lot of academic competitions. Here in the rural areas, we don’t have that. So, for the Nuclear Innovation Institute to run the Science Olympics, gives us that equal opportunity. When they’re applying for universities, they have that opportunity to say, ‘I’ve done an academic competition, and I rocked it,’” said St. Mary’s Catholic High School science teacher Jason Kim.

The real goal of these Science Olympics is to get some of those future scientists and problem solvers to return to midwestern Ontario to work at Bruce Power and nearly 50 nuclear based companies in the region.

“Like even inside Bruce Power, they have their own chemistry lab and their own environmental studies department to monitor the environment and surrounding waters and fish life. So … there’s all kinds of opportunities for students who want to get into it,” said Owen Johnston, lead recruitment officer with the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers.

While the focus may be on keeping the Science Olympics students in the area, there are literally thousands of jobs that are and will be available in Ontario’s energy sector.

“In Ontario, we’re going to need 75 per cent more electricity in the next two decades. These are the kids who are going to be making that, and innovating, and using all of these skills to really drive our economy forward,” said Phillip Craig, director of S.T.E.M. Education for the Nuclear Innovation Institute.

“Our workforce is depleting as it retires. With the announcement of the new build at Darlington for four small module reactors, it’s huge. So, not only building inside the nuclear plant, but the transition to the grid. We need workers for that,” said Johnston from the Skilled Workers union.

But do these students want to work in energy production? The best answer is, maybe.

“Going to go into business in the fall at the University of Toronto, so maybe I’ll end up in something like this, but it’s really open ended, so they’ll see where that takes me,” said Sarah Ball, a Grade 12 student from Goderich District Collegiate Institute.

“You need to use the knowledge you have and share it with the world. I’m really excited to be able to do that with my education. And I really hope this kind of gives me the opportunity to be able to do that, kind of that experience,” said Kingston, who said she’s currently leaning towards a career in healthcare.

“One of the students I saw today is a former graduate, and he’s now working at Bruce Power. It’s so wonderful when we have our students come back and stay in the area. The more competitions like this they do the area, the more likely they are to come back and stay with us, which I’m really hoping for because I grew up in Durham, so to stay in Bruce-Grey just makes me so happy,” said Kim, an Owen Sound high school science teacher.

“I don’t think people understand the magnitude of the infrastructure projects happening right in our backyard and the incredible technology and, like, industry that’s happening right here,” said the Nuclear Innovation Institute’s Craig.