Local high schoolers on campus this week to experience life as a UWindsor science student says the hands-on nature of learning is giving them a new appreciation of the discipline.

Sarah Hakim, a grade 11 student at Academie Ste. Cecile, got a chance to try out a number of functions in a chemistry laboratory Tuesday.

“I love science,” she says. “I am hoping to pursue it as a career.”

The Science Academy, supported by the Strategic Priority Fund, involves faculty, staff and students from each science department— biology, chemistry, computer science, earth and environmental sciences, economics, mathematics and physics—leading participants through lectures, research lab tours, hands-on lab work, and social activities.

“The goal is to show students the breadth of opportunities available to them in science, and of course to highlight our campus and programs,” says Michelle Bondy, coordinator of outreach programs for the Faculty of Science.

The five-day program will wrap up Friday with a panel of alumni discussing career possibilities for science grads.

Doctoral candidate Zainab Bazzi supervises grade 11 students Alexa Pandolfi of Villanova, Kristal Lee of Leamington and Emma Langlois of Sandwich as they freeze-dry roses in liquid nitrogen (above) before shattering the results (below).