Students from across Canada aim to be next great inventor at Edmonton science fair

You might not know it but a Canadian invented both the telephone and the radio. This week in Edmonton, young Canadians are hoping their inventions are the next great idea — looking to improve the future.

“What I would really like it to be is a treatment that patients can have access to readily that isn’t going to result in a lot of side effects,” said Elizabeth Chen, Old Scona Academic High School student.

As for the inventions, some are a bit to complicated, so, who better to explain than the inventor.

“So my project this year is about electrolysis of water. So splitting water by running electricity through it. And this goes water into it’s hydrogen oxygen. And this hydrogen can be used for many applications, including powering your cars in the future,” explained Aaron Dias, 14-year-old inventor from Edmonton.

The fair boasts over 300 inventions created by students and features an appearance from every province and territory. The ages of the students ranging from 12 to 17-years-old.

“I found out that there’s just a scarcity of hydrogen and hydrogen plants to produce hydrogen. So I set out to fix that by producing hydrogen at home,” said Dias.

The executive director of Youth Science Canada says the fair has grown year-to-year, and this year many students have adapted AI technology into their research.

“We’re using it to analyze images and data and get at information that previously was that was kind of inaccessible. And, you know, when they’re doing it, when they’re, you know, 15, 16, 17 years old, it’s it’s pretty extraordinary,” explained Reni Barlow, executive director of Youth Science Canada.

But it’s not just Canadians. The champions from Thailand and Mexico have also been featured in this year’s edition, proving that collaboration is the best for science.

“The top projects are at the master’s degree level and and some of them are just extraordinary in terms of the creativity, the the curiosity, the ingenuity that’s represented there,” said Barlow.

But for the young students, they are just proud of the research they have accomplished and hope to one day become the next great Canadian inventor.

“Our future is in good hands when we see these bright young students just showcasing their research,” said Benjamin Gee, Edmonton Science Representative.