Recap: NASA’s Space Apps Toronto Youth Program
Running annually since 2012, the International Space Apps Challenge brings coders, designers, entrepreneurs and makers together from across the globe to take on a series of challenges developed by NASA in a weekend long hackathon. This year's challenge took place on the weekend of April 28 – 30.
Partnering with Toronto Space Apps Challenge organizers, the library hosted an event for children and families at the Toronto Reference Library on Saturday, April 29. The afternoon exhibition offered fun opportunities in STEM learning (science, technology, engineering, and math) through activities led by local organizations.
Exhibitors included STEM Kids Rock, Kids Learning Code, AstroNuts, Center for Planetary Science and Exploration, Canadian Association for Girls in Science, Ontario Society of Professional Engineers, Hot Pop Robot, Maker Tech School, Train Like an Astronaut, Royal Ontario Museum, MetaVRse, and STEAM Labs.
Participants learned about gravity and drag by constructing their own parachutes, created impact craters in slow motion, watched a rover in action, and even got to touch a piece of the Moon and Mars!
All the activities were out of this world but a couple of my favourites were Astronomy in Action's homemade dry ice comet and the friendly Dash and Dot robot army commanded by LOGICS Academy.
The library provided virtual reality and 3D printing demos led by our Pop-Up Learning Lab staff.
Reflecting on the event, lead organizer James Costa commented, "We had over 200 people come by to learn about the impact technology can have on earth and in space through activities ranging from robotics and virtual reality to science experiments and 3D printing. Together, we made space and Earth more accessible, visual and fun to explore!”
A galaxy-sized thank you from the library to all the organizers, volunteers, and exhibitors for an inspiring afternoon of science, learning, and rockets!
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