Ten months ago, I got an email stating that applications have opened for the Shad program. Eagerly, I opened it and began the intense process of getting reference letters and answering several short essay questions.
Back then, when asked what I was applying for I recited what was on the website, “Shad is a month-long STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) and entrepreneurship program hosted at different universities across Canada.” Though in all honesty, I could tell people what Shad was but I hadn’t a clue what I was getting myself into. After finally clicking the submit button on my application I anxiously awaited an acceptance (or rejection) letter.
For two months, I waited. My time was spent daydreaming about what it would be like if I got in, what my summer would look like, the new people I would meet. Then finally on Monday, February 5, I got my answer”
“Dear Alex,
Congratulations! On behalf of Shad Canada, we would like to offer you a spot in our 2024 ShadOnCampus program.”
I was ecstatic about the offer! In another email, I found out I was placed at the Dalhousie University campus in Halifax, Nova Scotia. My friend, fellow Manitoulin Islander and robotics teammate, Xavier Mara, who had also been accepted into Shad was placed at the McMaster University Campus in Hamilton. In the following weeks we packed our bags, made arrangements to get to our respective campuses and prepared to leave for the next month.
Finally, it was Sunday, June 29 and before I knew it I was saying goodbye to Manitoulin Island and getting on a plane to the East Coast. Up until this point, I had been nothing but excited, but sitting on the plane, I felt scared. My family and friends were in a completely different province! What did I sign up for??
Week 1
Typical to Nova Scotia, it was raining when I got there. I had never been to a Maritime province before but this was exactly like I imagined it.
After unpacking the contents of my suitcase into my dorm room, I made my way to the common area where I met the people with whom I would spend the next month. The following couple of hours were full of shy introductions to 53 other STEAM-minded students. With a week of icebreakers lined up, the first friendships began to form.
The next morning we took a walk down to Point Pleasant Park in the pouring rain. Here we learned about marine shore wildlife through a scavenger hunt around the walking trail. A wildlife expert joined us on our walk and showed us the small differences between different kinds of crustaceans, the best places to find salamanders, and told us about where we could see seals.
Later that day, we got put into our house groups. House groups are very important at all Shad campuses because this is the team students will work with for the next month to complete a design challenge. At the end of each month the design challenge is presented to a group of experts and judged. This year our challenge was to find a solution to distribute green energy to communities across Canada, Xavier, along with every Shad participant across the country got the same message. To complete the challenge we had to start with a “how might we” statement. This narrowed down which communities we would be helping and how. My group’s statement was “how might we provide reliable green energy to rural, agricultural communities?” Surprisingly, Xavier’s statement ended up being similar, despite us working at different campuses. For the next three weeks we created a solution, business plan, prototype, and mock-company to address our “how might we” statement.
Of course, that’s not the only thing I did! In the first week I attended lectures about leadership and team-building, went to Dalhousie’s engineering building, exploring how different gear mechanisms worked and spent a whole day exploring downtown Halifax. This field trip included Citadel Hill, where an old fort is located, and Pier 21, the Immigration Museum. Meanwhile, Xavier was rafting and learning about sales and business strategy.
Week 2
By the second week, I had settled into my routine. Balancing living in a dorm, eating at a meal hall, getting myself to lectures and activities, doing laundry, and spending time with my new-found friends.
One of the highlights from this week was the dentistry workshop. We spoke to several different dentists, dentistry students, and dental researchers. After, we got to practice filling a fake tooth, and making moulds of our thumbs using the materials they use to make moulds for mouths.
On Wednesday, July 10, all the participants got onto a bus and traveled to Dalhousie’s Agricultural campus. Seeing the fusion between a farm and a university was quite interesting. In the morning, we learned about sustainable farming and food practices. We then had half an hour to come up with our own food sustainability solution and give a short presentation on it. After lunch, we broke into groups and did several different workshops from shark physiology, farm engineering and animal ultrasounding. My favourite workshop was the last one because they took us to see the facility’s calves after learning about ultrasounds.
Another highlight of that week was learning about neonatal ICU procedures. This means emergency operations on newborn babies. In this specific workshop we learned about a condition where the lungs of premature babies can have an air leak, restricting breathing. We were shown a medical procedure to solve this issue and were able to practice on a grocery-store chicken.
Week 3
Halfway through the Shad program, we visited one of the National Research Centre Of Canada’s buildings as well as COVE, a marine biology research facility in Dartmouth. We also visited the CORES (Centralized Operation of Research Equipment & Supports) building. A lot of the workshops we did here included medical research. From seeing live cancer cells under a microscope, to genetic research on fish, to learning how dye is used for microscopic research (fluorescence microscopy). While we were at the CORES building we visited the Maritime Brain Tissue Bank. Here, I got to see and hold a dolphin brain, a spinal cord and a human brain. The realization that this small mass once contained an entire person’s consciousness was humbling and inspiring. This was also something that Xavier did at the McMaster campus, and we both agreed it was an indescribable experience.
That weekend, we traveled to Prince Edward Island to go camping. PEI was full of beautiful beaches and stunning views that reminded me a great deal of Manitoulin Island. We even visited a farm while we were there, so I felt right at home.
It wouldn’t be a trip to the East Coast if I didn’t eat any lobster! This was my first time eating lobster and to be honest, I am not used to my food still having eyes.
Week 4
After what seemed like no time at all, it was the final week of Shad and it was time to present the design projects we were introduced to in Week 1. Xavier at McMaster, along with all the other Shad campuses, were presenting their project at the same time.
My house group and I spent several hours piecing together a presentation to display our solution and it was finally time to be judged. My hands were shaking when I had to present in front of all of my peers and the experts. I shouldn’t have been nervous, though, because I knew the people I had spent the last four weeks making memories with were all there to support me, not criticize me. After the projects were done, the last few days we spent at different chemistry, physics, and marine biology labs.
On the last day, parents were invited to see the work we had put into the program. We had displays of the engineering challenges we worked on, prototypes from our house groups, and pictures taken throughout the month. At the end of the night, there was a talent show. With the confidence I had built throughout the program I sang in my first public performance!
The Shad program was far more than either Xavier or myself had ever imagined; it challenged us, provided us with opportunities to learn, and helped us form unforgettable connections with people all across Canada. From the nerves of stepping onto a plane by myself to the tearful goodbyes with the friends I had made, the Shad program fostered personal growth in ways we never anticipated and left us with memories and skills that will shape who we are for years to come.
The Shad program is open to applicants in Grades 10 and 11. More information can be found at www.shad.ca.
by Alexandra
Wilson-Zegil
