Darrell Greer
Northern News Services

Arviat (Mar 18/02) - Close to 35 students will be take part in the Kivalliq Regional Science Fair in Arviat next month.

The fair is being hosted by Qitiqliq high school for the first time since 1996.

Bill Cooper, a Northern Canada development officer for the Youth Science Foundation, which runs the Canada-wide Science Fair, says the foundation is trying to have March proclaimed Youth Science Festival month in Canada, as there are 100 regional fairs held across the country.

"The purpose of the fairs is to promote and raise the public's awareness of the nation's young scientists," says Cooper.

"In our case, we try to create an awareness of culture and traditional knowledge and blend that with western science."

Cooper says there are more than 500,000 young Canadians involved in science fairs across Canada this month.

"If you were to count all the kids involved at the grassroots level in the science program, you'd be looking at roughly the same number registered to play hockey or soccer in Canada."

"When you think of our young kids, who are going to be contributing to Nunavut's growth in the near future, we need more public support for our next generation of innovators."

Cooper says parents and teachers help young students across the Kivalliq learn how to create and discover.

Organizers would like to include even more students in the annual fair, but that would mean more and better funding

Still, says Cooper, that doesn't mean the regional science fair can't grow.

"You can't ignore the fact the science fair is a competition," he says.

"While we have 30-plus at our regional competition, we have literally hundreds of students involved in our seven communities leading up to the Kivalliq Regional Science Fair."

Four students will go to the Canada-wide Science Fair in Saskatoon, Sask., May 13 to 17.