Let's Innovate!

Michael shares insights on the connection between sports and science fairs, emphasizing the need for infrastructure to support curiosity and STEM education, inspired by his personal experiences and observations. For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any questions or comments you can email Michael Unger at munger@sciencefairs.ca Follow us on Instagram, and LinkenIn  @sciencefairs,...

In this episode of Let’s Innovate , host Michael Unger visits a vibrant school science fair at Chilliwack Secondary School in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. Hearing directly from students about their projects and from teachers Avril Broekhuizen and Scott Liang about the challenges and rewards of organizing a school fair, the episode explores how classroom curiosity becomes the first step on the...

We just wrapped up the 2025 Youth Innovation Showcase, a virtual STEM competition for youth in BC and the Yukon who have used science to solve a challenge in their life or community. This is heart of innovation, and we give these youth a platform to delve deeper into these ideas, but to showcase them to the public.  And in this episode of Let’s Innovate we’re going to hear from the winners from th...

Stephan Leafriver is a nêhiyaw (Cree) Métis-Scottish, 2-Spirit artist, Land Steward, and filmmaker working at the intersections of story, sound, and stewardship. Living and creating on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations, Stephan’s practice bridges Indigenous sovereignty and governance, climate adaptation, and community economies. They were the 2025 valedi...

Pranav Menon is the adjunct professor at UBC in Applied Science and Engineering. He is also Program Director at The Knowledge Society (TKS), a 10-month global innovation program for ambitious high school students ages 13-17 which they advertise as the world’s top global accelerator for teens. Pranav says in his bio that he trains nerds to solve big problems, so that sounds like the perfect guest f...

Dr. Will Primrose is the Program Manager for Future Science Leaders at Science World in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Future Science Leaders (FSL) program at Science World is a 26-week after-school program for secondary school students that provides hands-on experience and mentorship in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art & design, and math) fields. He obtained his Bachelor of Scie...

 Dr. Gerry Poulton is a retired Chemistry professor from the University of Victoria, whose decades of mentorship and leadership have helped shape science fairs in th the Greater Victoria Regional Science Fair. From guiding countless students to national and international competitions, to championing the transformative power of inquiry-based learning, Dr. Poulton’s contributions have left a lasting...

Here at the Science Fair Foundation we mostly are focussed and supporting a variety of initiatives around science fairs, which is not surprising. You have school fairs, local fairs, regional fairs, and the youth innovation showcase. All amazing opportunities for youth to delve into their curiosity and express themselves with their ideas, and projects. Over the past couple of years i’ve gotten to k...

As Science Fair season starts to wrap up with the culmination of the 2025 Canada Wide Science, Michael Unger chats with an alumni that competed at four straight Canada Wide Science Fairs from 2013-2016. Meaghan MacKenzie is now a Environmental Engineer-In-Training with Tetra Tech Canada Inc., and she shares her insights into what skills she really took away from competing in science fairs, and how...

Continuing our celebration of these inspirational young scientists, in this episode our host Michael Unger gets into it with our 2024 YIS winners Jora Singh Nahal & Inbal Tzafrir. Join them as they discuss why they felt compelled to develop apps that help to navigate the struggles which disabled individuals face, what skills they have taken away from YIS, and what is that special something tha...

It’s the end of 2024, and for us here at the Foundation, it’s also the end of the Youth Innovation Showcase. So for the next few episodes, we are going to recap an amazing showcase. In this episode i brought in two of the judges from the Youth Innovation Showcase to hear their thoughts their conversations with all of the amazing youth this year, but also their perspective on mentorship and the ben...

Marco is an accessibility consultant who has battled through a lot of adversity to get to where he is as now a leading thinker and inspirational speaker in this space. We talked about so many things including imposter syndrome, anxiety, and techniques that Marco has developed into teachable tools. He even did a full one hour Zoom workshop Energy, Empathy, and Diversity which you can watch here  ba...

In this episode of Let's Innovate, our host Michael Unger dives into the exciting world of artificial intelligence and its role in science fairs. Joining the conversation are Gerry Gourlay, Program & Volunteer Manager at Science Fair Foundation BC as well as a professor in the biological sciences, and Charley Cai, a medical student leveraging AI in his research. Together, they explore how...

 In this episode of Let's Innovate, we welcome Asher Trim-Gaskin and Mansita M. Njie from Imhotep's Academy, an organization dedicated to supporting students of African descent in the STEM fields. They share their experiences and strategies for making science fairs more accessible and inclusive. Discover how Imhotep's Academy is helping to inspire and empower the next generation of...

On this episode of Let's Innovate, we're joined by science coordinators Emily Gubski Greater Regional Vancouver  Science Fair Chair and Aidan Leach Renfrew County Regional Science Fair Coordinator in Ontario to discuss how to make science fairs more accessible for students in remote regions. From limited access to labs and libraries to the challenges of participating from far-flung areas...

Join us for a special live on-location episode with our host Michael Unger as he interviews some of the bright young minds at the Yukon-Stikine Regional Science Fair. Check out the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair results: https://www.sciencefairs.ca/news/2023/cwsf-finalists/ Learn more about the Science Fair Foundation of BC on our website: https://www.sciencefairs.ca/ For more information go to sci...

On this special episode of Let's Innovate, our host Michael Unger talks about the Science Fair Foundation BC's goal to transform science fairs to be more accessible and more inclusive for youth. Michael shares some personal stories, dives into barriers, and offers solutions on how he and SFFBC plan on making everlasting change. You won't want to miss it! For more information go to s...

On this special episode of Let's Innovate, Michael sits down with the winners of the 2023 Youth Innovation Showcase, Keanu Chan and Jora Singh Nahal! Keanu Chan's project: https://www.sciencefairs.ca/participate/yis/finalists/keanu-project/ Jora Singh Nahal: https://www.sciencefairs.ca/participate/yis/finalists/jora-project/ For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any que...

Today we have have a special episode of Let's Innovate as we have two guests! We're joined by Paul Tiege and Breanna Crompvoets, two judges for this year's Youth Innovation Showcase. You won't want to miss it! For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any questions or comments you can email Michael Unger at munger@sciencefairs.ca Follow us on Instagram, and Linken...

On this episode of Let's Innovate, Ziad Sahid all the way out in Yukon joins the show! Ziad works at Tech Yukon, a non-profit organization in Whitehorse focused on building a local tech sector out in the Yukon. You won't want to miss it! For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any questions or comments you can email Michael Unger at munger@sciencefairs.ca Follow us on Ins...

On this episode, Michael sits down with the Science Fair Foundation's new Program & Volunteer Manager, Gerry Gourlay! For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any questions or comments you can email Michael Unger at munger@sciencefairs.ca Follow us on Instagram, and LinkenIn  @sciencefairs, and @michaeljohnunger.

We're back with another episode of Let's Innovate! Today we're joined by Andrei Marti, a Platinum Award winner at the 2023 Canada-Wide Science Fair in Edmonton. You won't want to miss it! For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any questions or comments you can email Michael Unger at munger@sciencefairs.ca Follow us on Instagram, and LinkenIn  @sciencefairs, and...

On the fourth season's opener of the Let's Innovate podcast, we're joined by Leonard Foster! Leonard is the Chief Judge of the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair as well as a Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia. You won't want to miss this episode! For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you have any questions or com...

On this special episode of Let's Innovate! we're please to be joined by both Leah Cross & Peter Scott! Leah is the President and Co-Founder of Build a Biz Kids and Peter is an Elementary School Principal in Grand Forks, BC. The conversation dives into topics such as preparing kids for real life scenarios and teaching them how to be resilient in tough situations. You won't want t...

Today on Let's Innovate, we're joined by Chair of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UNBC, and Chair of the organizing committee for the Central Interior Science Exhibition, Dr. Todd Whitecombe. Todd talks to Michael about the science fair experience, teaching students to follow their interests and the concept of science magic with Dr. Zonk. For more information go to sciencefairs.ca. If you...