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Indigenous high school students from the Northern Village of Pinehouse were invited to spend three days in Regina this week to learn about science and energy, and experience life on campus.
For some of the teens, it was their first visit to the Queen City.
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The 25 selected students ranged between Grade 8 and Grade 12.
Frank McCallum is only in Grade 10, but is already thinking of a future career in science, specifically in the mining industry.
“I really like chemistry, and my teacher likes to teach it, so sometimes I ask her if I can just come so she can teach it to me,” he said.
He was invited by his teacher to go on the trip.
After a visit to the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC) lab at the University of Regina, McCallum said he learned a lot.
“I learned that the lower you go, the rocks change,” he said. “You can take them to the lab and you can put PSI pressure, and you can take the oils and gas and stuff out.”
The Pinehouse students got to learn about different kinds of energy technologies, experiences and careers. There were workshops and activities planned by the PTRC and Pinehouse Power including presentations, tours of the University of Regina and the First Nations University of Canada, and visits to the Science Centre and a Regina Pats game.
The PTRC said Indigenous communities, especially in the north, are closely connected with industries like uranium mining. The centre said it wants to provide youths with this knowledge to inspire them about the future of energy in Saskatchewan.
Madison Fettig is in the same grade as McCallum, and she also said she enjoys science.
The trip was extra special for her, because she got to visit her sister who’s a student at university at the same time.
Fettig said she’s still thinking about her future.
“I’m not too sure about what I want to do yet, but science is something that’s been on my mind a bit,” she said.
Lynette Natomagan, the community education manager with Kineepik Metis Local in Pinehouse, said the trip was an exciting experience for the kids.
“We talk about our kids living up north and we’re kind of isolated,” she said.
“For us to be able to have this opportunity of being on campus, in the dorms, touring the universities and touring the labs and just learning different things, it’s really heartwarming for me to be able to be here and to see them experience this.”
She said she hopes that trips like this will inspire the students to think about their futures.
“I’m really hopeful that we’ll be able to plant the seeds for their future,” Natomagan said.
Youths are the future, says Pinehouse Power CEO
Rob Norris, CEO of Pinehouse Power, said meeting with the students was inspiring.
“They ask great questions,” he said. “They show their curiosity. They’ve got a natural knack for understanding the energy economy.”
Rob Norris said Pinehouse Power was delighted to have 25 students at the PTRC in Regina. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)Norris said it’s exciting to see the students so engaged.
“The future of Saskatchewan is in their hands, and our job is simply to be good, wise stewards,” he said. “Including the youth in these kinds of initiatives just makes a great deal of sense.”
Overall, the goal is to make sure Indigenous youths have a say in the future of Saskatchewan’s energy.
“Let’s help young people from Saskatchewan understand what bright career opportunities there are for the energy economy,” Norris said.
Warren Kaeding said that the PTRC is being recognized worldwide for its research facilities contributing towards energy. (Nicole Garn/980 CJME)
Minister of Trade and Export Development meets with students
Ahead of the students’ tour of a PTRC lab, they met with Warren Kaeding, Saskatchewan’s minister of trade and export development.
He said the PTRC does incredible work.
“It’s renowned worldwide for the research that they do in energy production, in trying to create a more environmentally positive way to extract and develop energy,” he said.
He said the world is moving towards a more scientific approach, and it’s refreshing to see students at the forefront.
“The world in front of us now is definitely going to be based on science, and their interests in science,” he said.
“What we see with these students from Pinehouse is opening up the incredible opportunities that they literally have province-wide, and hopefully piquing their interest and having them involved in the incredible work that’s going on in Saskatchewan right now.”
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