SIBLINGS WIN TOP PRIZES AT SCIENCE FAIRS

Vikas Nath moved to Canada in 2009 from Geneva, Switzerland.

He and his family were drawn to the country’s reputation as a big and friendly country, a wonderful place to raise a family.

Nath works in the international development and environmental sector and his children Artash and Arushi attend Bloor Collegiate School and Toronto Ouest School, respectively. Both are public schools.

The siblings garnered top awards at the International and the Canada-Wide Science Fair 2022.

Artash is 16 and Arushi , 12. Both are passionate about science, math, the environment, and using technology for the public good. For the past one year both have been working on their individual science fair projects, says their proud dad.

Artash’s project, Silence of Global Oceans: Measuring Acoustic Impact of the COVID-19 Lockdown, was selected to represent Team Canada at the 2022 Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair – the most prestigious youth STEM project competition in the world – in Atlanta.

It won the silver medal (second place) in the Earth and Environment category sponsored by National Geographic among finalists from 63 other countries.

The project also won the EU Youth for Oceans Awards in the Research Category and was invited to present the findings at a side event at the upcoming UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.

Arushi’s project, Strengthening Planetary Defense: Detecting Unknown Asteroids using Open Data, Math, and Python, was selected to represent Team Toronto at the 60th annual Canada-Wide Science Fair hosted virtually in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

There she won five awards, including the Gold Medal, Youth Can Innovate Award, Challenge Award – Curiosity and Ingenuity, Excellence in Astronomy Award, and Best Canada Wide Science Fair Project Award for Best Project in Innovation.

Both have an interest in science, and Nath says that COVID-19 lock-downs closed the school doors but kept windows of learning open. Kids were encouraged to be curious, to explore their surroundings, and pursue their curiosity by taking up projects. “Arushi looked at the night sky to take up a space-related project while Artash drew inspiration from water bodies surrounding Canada to pursue an ocean-related project,” says Nath. “Each spent 800+ hours on their projects.”

For parents looking to motivate their children to excel in their chosen fields, Nath has these tips.

“Encourage kids to stay curious. Bring conversations on science, space, society and leadership to the dinner table. Create a makerspace at home so that kids become creators rather than consumers of technology. Finally, become a member of some interest groups such as the Ontario Science Centre, Royal Astronomical Society of Canada, or Royal Ontario Museum to engage with the wider community.”

• Youth Science Canada fuels the curiosity of Canadian youth through STEM projects. For more information, visit youthscience.ca

• If you’d like to share the story of your arrival in Canada, please write to desinews@rogers.com or call 416-695-4357.