Inspiring Discovery
UBC Let's Talk Science strives to improve science, technology, engineering and mathematics literacy through the outreach efforts of members of the research community at the University of British Columbia. Our volunteers work with youth from elementary and secondary schools to ignite science excitement and share their knowledge with eager young minds.
Get Involved
We have many programs that fit a variety of personalities and schedules. We do not ask volunteers for a minimum time of commitment (we know how busy academic life can be!). Instead, we ask you to pick events and programs that you are truly interested in and have time for.
Below is a summary chart of our programs available for graduate students as well as the time of year they occur and commitment needed. Undergraduate students can get involved in our SMaRT and Mentorship programs. For more detailed descriptions, please see the Outreach Programs page.
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Program Name |
Brief Description |
Time of Year |
Commitment Level |
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Our most popular program! You are paired with a teacher in the community and visit his/her classroom to lead students in hands-on activities. The topics of each visit are decided upon by you and the teacher. |
Pairing occurs in early October with visits occurring until June.
We ask volunteers to visit the classroom at least 3 times over the school year. |
Moderate. Prior to your visits, there is some planning needed (done in conjunction with the teacher) to decide on the activity topic, date, length of time, etc. You are free to develop your own activities or use ones that we have prepared in the office. |
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Lead students in hands-on science in some of the most beautiful places of BC. Past trips included visits to Haida Gwai, the Okanagan, and the Kootenays as well as the Yukon. |
Various times from September to June. Usually a trip will last anywhere from 2 to 7 days. |
Moderate. All activities and supplies are planned and prepared for you. Working in a team, you visit several schools over the trip duration. |
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A fun, exciting day where teams if Grade 5-7 students come to campus to compete in a quiz show and activity challenge. |
Annual event that occurs in early May. The organising committee begins to meet in December. |
Low to High. Participate on the day of the event (be a tour guide, judge, etc) or join the organizing committee and help plan the event. |
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Working with science undergrads, help Grade 8 -11 students in the Downtown Eastside with their science fair projects from hypothesis generation to presentation at the school’s science fair. |
Training occurs in November with visits to the school occurring from November to February at Britannia Secondary School. There are 8 visits total spread over this time period. |
Moderate to High. Some students have never done a science fair project before and may require more guidance. You may also invite students to your lab to do experiments.
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Working with science undergrads, lead Grade 5-7 students in a series of hands-on activities. |
November to April. Training occurs in November/ December with visits beginning in January. There are a total of 4 visit to the classroom scheduled according to your and the undergrads’ availability. |
Low to Moderate. All activities and supplies are provided and prepared for you. You are responsible for supervising the undergrads while they lead the activities. |
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One-off events that Let’s Talk Science is invited to participate in. These include science fair judging, learning expos, library events, annual school visits, etc. |
Various throughout the year, often occur in the evenings and on weekends |
Low. Sign up to participate if the day and time work for you! |
