DiscoverE celebrates 30 years of getting kids excited about engineering
The award-winning program has inspired hundreds of thousands of young people to imagine themselves in STEM careers.
April 12, 2023 By Geoff McMaster
The Faculty of Engineering’s DiscoverE program this year celebrates 30 years of inspiring 500,000 kids of all ages and cultural backgrounds with fun, interactive engineering activities. (Photo: DiscoverE)
As a child, Callie Lissinna was crazy about outer space — captivated by astronauts, space exploration, planets and galaxies.
During the summer she would look for camps to help her reach for the stars. It didn’t take her long to find the University of Alberta’s DiscoverE program, which this year celebrates 30 years of inspiring 500,000 kids of all ages and cultural backgrounds with fun, interactive engineering activities.
“One thing that was really attractive was they had camps just for girls,” says Lissinna. “I had previously participated in camps where I was the only girl, so that was definitely something that set it apart.”
After enrolling in the camp as an elementary school student, she eventually took engineering at the U of A, where she joined AlbertaSat, a student group that designs and builds cube satellites. She was part of the group’s first satellite mission, Ex-Alta1, even travelling to Cape Canaveral to watch their satellite launch into space.
Today Lissinna is co-founder of an Edmonton company called Wyvern that builds satellites to capture high-resolution photos of Earth, mainly to help farmers see where they need to water or fertilize for best crop yield. The company is set to launch its first satellite this month.
It’s a career she couldn’t have imagined as a child, she says, crediting DiscoverE with setting her on that path.
“I learned some important engineering concepts, but I got comfortable on campus and could see it was a place where I could belong. Especially as a young girl, it's easy to look around engineering and not see yourself represented.”
Thirty years of DiscoverE
DiscoverE was founded in 1993 by a student group in the Faculty of Engineering, under the guidance of then dean Fred Otto, to spread awareness and encourage more diversity in engineering. It started by stressing STEM subjects — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
In recent years the program has narrowed its focus to concentrate more on engineering, says director Ilana Young, since there is no engineering content in school curriculum. Many of those who attended DiscoverE summer camps in the early years are now pursuing post-secondary education and careers in engineering and science.
I saw engineering as something that wasn't that attainable, since there weren't that many role models. Now I want my children and my friends' children to see that engineering is a viable option for them.
Ilana Young, DiscoverE director
(Photo: Supplied)
“There are so many STEM programs out there, especially in Eastern Canada. We're trying to get as many kids across Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan and the Northwest Territories excited about engineering,” says Young, adding that bursaries and other financial aid are offered for those in need.
DiscoverE now welcomes nearly 2,000 campers from K–12 to the U of A each year. With direct school workshops and remote programming, including instructional kits sent to students across Western Canada, the organization connects with about 27,000 youth —2,500 of them Indigenous — in 80 communities through workshops and camps in a typical year.
“A really beautiful mission”
A diverse mix of U of A undergraduate students from across STEM disciplines are hired to take on instruction of youth.
“We’re really intentional about hiring at least a 50/50 split of male- and female-identifying staff because representation is so important when the students can see themselves at the front of the classroom,” says Young, adding that many instructors were once DiscoverE campers themselves.
Fourth-year environmental engineering student Polina Reisbig became a devout convert to DiscoverE when instructors visited her junior high school in Peace River years ago.
“It has a special place in my heart,” she says. “I looked forward to it so much, and it was one of the reasons I went into engineering. And I always dreamed about working for DiscoverE, because of that impact on another young person.”
When Reisbig arrived at the U of A, she began serving as an instructor for the summer camp in 2021, working mainly with students in grades 3 and 4.
“I think it's a really beautiful mission, and seeing young students so passionate and interested in engineering and hearing the next day how their parents were talking about it was amazing.”
It has a special place in my heart. I looked forward to it so much, and it was one of the reasons I went into engineering. And I always dreamed about working for DiscoverE, because of that impact on another young person.
Polina Reisbig, DiscoverE instructor
(Photo: Supplied)
The U of A’s laboratory spaces are a huge attraction for the camps, she says, giving participants a real taste of hands-on research. Some, for example, are given the opportunity to test protective helmets and measure body impact, while others create makeup that’s safe for both people and the environment.
Thinking inside the box
Remote instruction was ramped up significantly during the pandemic, says Young, giving rise to a new feature — themed instructional boxes sent to students across the country. Some 5,000 have been sent out so far.
Highlighting subject areas such as robotics and biomedical, mechanical and electrical engineering, the kits demonstrate the diversity of engineering research and illuminate the differences between science and engineering. When possible, teams of instructors travel to schools across Western Canada to work with youth on the exercises.
Young says DiscoverE is just launching its latest kit, called Chemical Engineering Classroom, in which students are sent a sample of contaminated water and are led through the engineering design process to clean it up well enough to drink.
“I really believe in DiscoverE,” says Young. “I was a participant back in the day, and I see the impact on our student staff every day.
“I saw engineering as something that wasn’t that attainable, since there weren't that many role models. Now I want my children and my friends’ children to see that engineering is a viable option for them.”
