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Arushi Nath, Grade 8 Student, Toronto The 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) took place in Edmonton, Alberta, from May 14 to 19, 2023. It was the first in-person event since […]
Arushi Nath, Grade 8 Student, Toronto
The 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) took place in Edmonton, Alberta, from May 14 to 19, 2023. It was the first in-person event since 2019 because of the pandemic. The 61st edition of the national science fair brought together some 396 regional science fair finalists from 7th to 12th grade from across Canada. The event was organized by Youth Science Canada, which is also responsible for coordinating over 100 regional science and technology fairs across the country.
My Journey to Winning the Best Project Award Innovation (second year in a row) at the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair for Developing Algorithms to Determine Asteroid’s Physical Properties and Success of Deflection Missions
Toronto Science Fair 2023
The journey to the Canada-Wide Science Fair starts at the regional level. In my case, I first entered the 2023 Toronto Science Fair held at the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus, on April 1, 2023. Almost 300 students from various schools in Toronto participated in the Fair.
My project was “Developing algorithms to determine asteroid’s physical properties and success of deflection missions.” It was a wonderful experience presenting my project to the various judges and answering their questions. Each interview lasted around 15-20 minutes. I had four judges for my project, and the final results of the Toronto Science Fair were declared on the same day.
I was excited to have won a Gold Medal and two special awards: the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Award and the University of Toronto (Scarborough Campus) Department of Physical and Environmental Sciences Awards – Physics Award at the Toronto Science Fair.
At the end of the Awards ceremony, the organizers announced 10 winners from amongst the Gold Medal Winners who would be part of Team Toronto at the Canada-Wide Science Fair 2023. I was one among them, and I was already looking forward to the journey ahead and the preparations that needed to be made.
Winning Gold Medal and Other Awards at 2023 Toronto Science Fair: The starting point of my journey to the Canada-Wide Science Fair 2023
Canada Wide Science Fair 2022: A look-back to Winning the Best Project Award (Innovation)
It was a wonderful realization that I will finally be able to attend the Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF) in person. In 2022, my project “Strengthening Planetary Defense: Detecting Unknown Asteroids using Open Data, Math, and Python” won a Gold Medal, the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada Award, and was selected to be part of Team Toronto to Canada Wide Science Fair. Unfortunately, the CWSF 2022, which was supposed to be held in Fredericton, New Brunswick, could only be held virtually.
I performed exceeding well at the 2022 virtual Canada-Wide Science Fair. I won the Best Project Award (Innovation) amongst over 350 entries and became the first 7th grader in 17 years to win such a prestigious award. Only three junior participants had even won the top award in the 60 years history of the Fair. In addition, I also won four other awards, including Gold Medal, Excellence in Astronomy Award, Youth Can Innovate Award, and the Top of the Category Award in Curiosity and Ingenuity. I would have represented Canada at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in the Netherlands. Unfortunately, the minimum age of participation was 14, and I was only 13 at that time and had to forego that opportunity. It made me more determined to win the top award again in 2023.
My Canada Wide Science Fair 2023 Project: Developing Algorithms to Determine Asteroid’s Physical Properties and Success of Deflection Missions
The pace of discovery of near-earth asteroids outpaces current abilities to analyze them. If an asteroid were on a collision course with Earth, then the knowledge of an asteroid’s physical properties is essential to deflect them.
My project had two goals:
I developed open-source algorithms that combine images from robotic telescopes, open data, and math to determine asteroids’ size, rotation, and strength. I took observations of the Didymos binary asteroid, and my algorithm determined it to be 820m wide, with a 2.26-hour rotation period and rubble-pile strength. I measured a 35-minute decrease in the mutual orbital period after impact by the 2022 NASA DART Mission. External sources validated the findings. Every citizen scientist could now be a planetary defender.
Complete project details: https://projectboard.world/ysc/project/developing-algorithms-to-determine-asteroids-physical-properties-and-success-of-deflection-missions-zbdjwn
Participation in the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton
The 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair was spread across 6 days, and each day was filled with exciting activities and interaction with other participants.
Day 0
The winning team members from different regional fairs made their way to Edmonton and settled in their hotels.
Team Toronto had 10 finalists and was supported by two delegates: Barbara Worth and Gabriel Ayyavoo. Both were the key organizers of the Toronto Science Fair and had worked hard to organize the Toronto Science Fair, raise funds, and make this trip possible.
Day 1
We had to set up our stall by attaching posters and arranging all the supplementary material. We were briefed on how the judging process would happen.
Day 2
This was the Judging Day for the excellence awards. It went on from morning to afternoon with a break for lunch. This was something all the participants were prepared for and looking forward to. Each of the finalists had four assigned judges who came at different times. Each judging interview lasted around 20 minutes. Around 7 minutes for presenting our project and the rest of the time answering their questions.
The day ended with visiting the Edmonton Mall for fun and leisure. It was a chance to take pictures and interact with participants from other regions.
Day 3
All the participants got a chance to explore the University of Alberta. It was an incredible experience to tour the campus, visit different buildings and labs, and see fascinating things like the solar observatory, meteorite samples, and the university’s bug museum. We also heard an inspiring keynote speech from Bill Flanagan, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Alberta. All of us even got a free swag: a cool University of Alberta sweatshirt.
Day 4
This was the day for special awards judging. Each participant had self-nominated their project for up to three special awards, and judges interviewed the finalists against those awards. We were informed that judges could visit us at any time, so we had to stay with our projects throughout the day. With each special award judge, we had 10 minutes, using 3 minutes for our presentation and the remaining time for questions. Throughout the day, I had over 20 judges, some for the special awards I self-nominated for and others for awards under different categories. It was exciting to be able to share my project with so many judges and answer their knowledgeable questions.
While the judging was happening, the venue was also open to the public. We had students from several local schools visiting the science fair and interacting with the finalists.
In the evening, all the finalists got to visit the Telus World of Science, which was specially reserved for them. We got to interact with the exhibits and view the laser show.
Day 5
This was the STEM Expo and public viewing day. Many universities and research institutions had set up their stall, and their representatives were briefing the students about their programmes.
The evening of Day 5 was the much-awaited Awards Ceremony. This was the moment all the finalists had been waiting for eagerly. It started with Land Acknowledgement, followed by acknowledging the organizers and sponsors, and then moved to the presentation of special awards, excellence awards, and finally, the best of the Canada-wide Science Fair awards.
The Award Ceremony was followed by a banquet and dance. It was a chance to once again meet and mingle with fellow participants.
Day 6
The morning started with “Meet the Winners” where each of the winners shared goals or their project, the challenges they faced, and advice they had for other participants. The panel was moderated by Reni Barlow, Executive Director of Youth Science Canada.
The public viewing and the STEM Expo continued in the afternoon. It was followed by participants dismantling their project posters and packing their things.
In the evening, the Closing Ceremony of the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair was held. It was a time to say our final goodbyes to all the participants with promises to see them again.
Day 7
It was the day to travel back home. Our Team Toronto took the evening flight back to Toronto after having one of the greatest experiences of our lives.
Results of the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair: Winning the Best of Canada-Wide Science Fair Award (Innovation) and Breaking the 33-year-old record
For the second year in a row, I won the Best Project Award of the Canada-Wide Science Fair (Innovation), becoming the first back-to-back best project award winner since 1989-1990 and the youngest ever to do so.
As a result of the best project award, I will be representing Canada at the European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS) in Brussels this September 2023.
In addition to the Best Project Award, I also won 5 other awards:
I was extremely pleased to have been rewarded with these awards and opportunities after having invested over 800 hours in my project.
Resources
Press Release by Youth Science Canada:
Canada-Wide Science Fair presents Best Project Awards to projects on alternative cancer treatments and planetary defense. https://youthscience.ca/cwsf-2023-winners/
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