Skip to content

Science Centre supports youth in STEM

Okanagan Science Centre offers Marg Sim Memorial Scholarship to North Okanagan youth
11361157_web1_180411-VMS-MargSim
In honour of one of it’s founders, the Okanagan Science Centre offers the Marg Sim Memorial Scholarship to North Okanagan youth entering a STEM post-secondary program. (Photo submitted)

It’s about encouraging North Okanagan youth to pursue science, technology, engineering and math.

The Okanagan Science Centre is offering the Marg Sim Memorial Scholarship of $300 to a graduating North Okanagan high school student.

“The scholarship is open to students who are members of the Okanagan Science Centre, graduating high school this spring, and entering a post-secondary program in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) or education fields in the fall,” said Jim Swingle, executive director.

Interested students should write a 500 word essay on one of the following topics and submit it to info@okscience.ca by Friday, May 18.

  1. What do you love about science and why?
  2. Explain one way you use science in your everyday life.

In 1985, Marg and Bill Sim founded the Vernon Science and Discovery Society, which started operating the Okanagan Science Centre in 1991.

Originally, the Okanagan Science Centre was located in the basement of the old Tolko building. The Science Centre re-located to the heritage Park School in Polson Park in 1997. Marg was the first one to bring dinosaurs to the Science Centre, re-building a large dinosaur that sat on the roof of the science centre.

She regularly drove long-time Okanagan Science Centre employee Kevin Aschenmeier through the Okanagan as he delivered planetarium shows with the portable StarLab at schools and organizations throughout the region.

Aschenmeier remembers Marg’s least favourite science was chemistry, because it left the biggest mess.

The Okanagan Science Centre maintains exhibits on subjects from robotics to ecosystems to astronomy—many of those exhibits designed and built in-house at the science centre. This year, Dinosaurs Unearthed, a large traveling exhibit of animatronic dinosaurs and dinosaur fossils, is at the Okanagan Science Centre from March 4 to August 31.

Related: Science Centre hosts gecko workshop

Information on how to apply for the scholarship is available online at www.okscience.ca.


@VernonNews
newstips@vernonmorningstar.com

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.



About the Author: Vernon Morning Star Staff

Read more