Coupe de science

Committed to Introducing Students to the Sciences in a Recreational Context

Two challenges with three hours to carry each one off and the same material and tools for each team: the perfect cocktail for generating a good dose of creative energy. This was what was in store for the Secondary 5 students at De Rochebelle high school participating in the first Coupe de science, which was organized as part of the 33rd science and engineering festival at Université Laval.

The aim of the project - instigated by Karl-Alexandre Jahjah, a student pursuing a master’s degree in physics, and his fellow doctoral student Alexandre April, with the support of 16 of their colleagues and numerous volunteers - was to use a dynamic approach to get young people interested in the sciences and engineering. Sixteen teams, each made up of four players, were given two challenges. Number one: to build a floating structure that could support as many rolls of black pennies as possible. Number two: to design a structure that could only be supported by the central skyscraper on the scale model of a city that they were given and that would throw light on the tops of three other buildings located near by.

To spice up the event, the general public were invited to attend the finals of the competition, presented by professor emeritus Jean-Marie De Koninck, who explained to the audience the peculiar problems the participants had to solve and also asked them to suggest their own solutions.

“Our general aim was to offer students the opportunity to take part in an activity that would require the use of creativity and resourcefulness and make them realize how scientific concepts can be used in real situations, but above all we wanted to show them that science is dead easy and that with the knowledge they already have they can achieve impressive results,” assert the creators of the project.

The very first Coupe went beyond the organizers’ wildest dreams and they had to turn away ten teams. The popularity of the new activity is linked to the fact that it was open to everyone, regardless of their level of scientific skills. In targeting not just a public with an avowed interest in the sciences, the event succeeded in reaching out to students who would perhaps discover they had a hidden interest and the skills required for a scientific career. According to one of the collaborating teachers at the high school, the activity gave a number of students the desire to specialize in the sciences at the Cégep level. The project also enabled the university student tutors in charge of supervising the teams to participate in a popularization and educational experience, and demystify certain aspects of the scientific professions. The experience thus enabled everyone to establish ties, develop their creativity and improve their ability to communicate and work as a team.

“In the educational milieu, it is often said that we only remember 20% of what we hear and 30% of what we see, but almost 100% of what we create. In taking this approach to create projects where students are active when learning, we believe that the Coupe de science participants benefited from a stimulating learning environment,” Karl-Alexandre and Alexandre say in conclusion.

Coupe de science