Four Renfrew County students, winners of the Canadian Nuclear Laboratories grand prize from the Renfrew County Regional Science and Technology Fair in April, participated at the 2026 Canada Wide Science Fair at the University of Alberta in Edmonton from May 23 to 30.
Abigail Baker from Valour School in Petawawa won a Shad Canada special award with her project “Practical Polymers 2”. Henry Hocking from Mackenzie Community School in Deep River won a bronze medal with “Salmon & Sediment Science: How Floods Affect River Sediment and Pink Salmon Spawning Success”, and Jiya Savsani from West Ferris Secondary School in North Bay won a senior bronze medal with her project “Highway Harvest 2.0: Optimizing Ways to Harness Renewable Energy on Highways”.
Stella Ziegler from Fellowes High School in Pembroke also participated in the weeklong event with her project “Kombucha leather… what if?”.
Beyond having their projects judged by scientists, engineers, doctors and other experts, the students also participated in university lab experiences, networking opportunities with other science fair finalists from across Canada, toured the University of Alberta and Edmonton, and met many top scientists and researchers in a wide variety of fields.
“I’m very proud of our team. Not only did they demonstrate the bright future for our local youth with their incredible projects, they also represented Renfrew County with utmost class and positive attitudes.” said Aidan Leach, the chairperson of the Renfrew County Regional Science and Technology Fair, who accompanied the students to the fair.
The CWSF is Canada’s only national science fair, showcasing the projects of 393 young finalists from all Canadian provinces and territories. It is the culminating event of 98 regional science fairs and over 16,000 participating schools across the country.
The Renfrew County Regional Science and Technology Fair would like to thank all of its sponsors, in particular Canadian Nuclear Laboratories, the grand prize sponsor that makes it possible for RCRSTF students to attend the Canada Wide Science Fair.
The next Renfrew County Regional Science Fair will be held on April 10, 2027 at the Algonquin College waterfront campus in Pembroke and is open to all Renfrew County students from Grade 5 to 12. No prior entry into a school fair is required and it is never too early to start your project. Visit region.youthscience.ca/renfrew-county/ for details.