University of British Columbia
Let’s Talk Science
Partnership Program
Annual Report
July 2002
Submitted By:
Beth Simpson
Carl Scott
UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Table of Contents
Structure/Administration of Program
Volunteers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Volunteer Highlights. . . . . . .
Teachers/Schools. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Communication. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Activities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Financial Statement. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Structure/Administration of Program
Established in September 1996, the Let’s Talk Science (LTS) Partnership Program at
the University of British Columbia (UBC) has now completed its sixth year of operation.
Two individuals coordinate the program; in 2001-2002, these were Carl Scott (Ph.D.
student, Chemistry) and Beth Simpson (Ph.D. student, Human Nutrition) and for 20022003, the coordinators will be Beth Simpson (Ph.D. student, Human Nutrition) and
Nicole Klenk (Ph.D. student, Forest Resources Management).
The work was split evenly between the two coordinators. This year, the work was
divided as follows:
1.
2.
Finance, Records Management, Activity Reports, Receiving Phone
Calls/Faxes, Mailings, Volunteer & Teacher Coordination Issues
Public Relations, E-Newsletter, Resource Books/Activity Supplies, Updating
Training Manual
Other tasks, such as fundraising, training session, and communication with volunteers
and teachers, were shared between the two coordinators depending on their research
and teaching schedules. In addition, UBC hosted the First Annual LTS Partnership
Program Regional Conference (West Coast) in February 2002 and the work involved in
running this conference was shared equally between the two coordinators.
The UBC Partnership Program does not currently have a dedicated LTS Partnership
Program Office, so supplies are stored in the labs/offices of the two coordinators.
Computer work was done at home or in the lab. The two coordinators communicated
via email on a regular basis to deal with any issues that arise and to decide who would
take on tasks that need to be completed.
Volunteers
Of the 56 volunteers who originally registered with the program, 27 were successfully
partnered with a teacher (i.e., have submitted visit reports to the LTS Partnership
Program coordinators). This does not include those volunteers who participated in visits
but did not submit a visit evaluation form to the coordinators. There are a number of
volunteers who did not submit visit evaluation forms and thus are not counted as part of
the 27 “successfully partnered” volunteers.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Volunteers came from seven faculties and twenty departments:
Of the 56 volunteers this year, 9 (16%) were returning volunteers from last year. The
remaining 47 volunteers were new recruits.
Of the 27 volunteers who were successfully partnered (where “successful” is defined as
a completed visit evaluation form (see Appendix I) received by Partnership Program
coordinators) with a teacher:
 16 worked in partnership with another volunteer
 13 completed more than one visit with their teacher partner
 5 completed one visit with their teacher partner
Fifteen volunteers were involved in single-event activities (e.g., judging at a science
fair). For 7 volunteers, the single-event was their only reported activity, while the
remaining 8 volunteers were also involved in a successful teacher partnership.
In total, there were 42 visits, reaching 1719 students (1066 students if each student is
only counted on their first contact with LTS Partnership Program volunteers).
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Volunteer Highlights of the Past Year
UBC LTS Partnership Program volunteers have been very successful this year.
Highlights include:





Volunteer and past coordinator, Phil Webster won an honourable mention in the first
Partnership Program National Volunteer Award competition.
Twelve Partnership Program volunteers judged at the Greater Vancouver Regional
Science Fair, held at UBC in April 2002
A poster entitled The Let’s Talk Science Partnership Program – Bringing Science to
Elementary and Secondary School Classrooms was presented in the Chemical
Education Division at the 85th Canadian Society for Chemistry Conference and
Exhibition (see abstract in Appendix J)
One of the coordinators appeared on CTV Breakfast
Three Partnership Program volunteers participated in UBC Connect, a four-day
conference for high school students held annually at UBC
Teachers/Schools
Of the 37 teachers who originally registered for the Partnership Program, 19 teachers
were successfully partnered (again, “successful” is defined as completed visit evaluation
form (see Appendix I) received by the Partnership Program coordinators) with a
volunteer or a pair of volunteers. There were 16 partnerships established at elementary
schools and 2 partnerships established at secondary schools. Partnerships were made
at 14 different schools. At the beginning of the year all of the teachers (24 schools: 22
elementary, 2 secondary) were paired with a volunteer or volunteers. Some teachers
ceased their participation with the Partnership Program due to job action by the BC
Teachers Federation.
Of the 19 teachers who were successfully partnered with a volunteer or volunteers:
 14 had more than one visit from their volunteer(s) partner(s)
 5 had one visit with their teacher partner
Of the 37 of this year’s teachers, 14 (38%) were returning teachers from last year. The
remaining 23 teachers were new recruits.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Communication
Volunteers were recruited in a number of ways, including:




An email was sent to graduate student secretaries in all departments granting
degrees in the science-related faculties (see Appendix A), which they then sent to
graduate students in the department.
Additionally, an abbreviated version of the email was also included in the Graduate
Student Society (GSS) Notes, a weekly e-newsletter sent to graduate students by
the UBC Graduate Student Society.
Articles about the UBC LTS Partnership Program were published in the GSS’s
monthly magazine, The Graduate (see Appendix B); the biweekly UBC newspaper,
ubc reports (see Appendix C), and the weekly UBC student newspaper, the Ubyssey
(Appendix D).
A number of volunteers were recruited by word-of-mouth.
Teachers were also recruited in a number of ways, including:
 A fax was sent to all of the teachers who were involved with the program last year
(see Appendix E).
 Letters were sent out to all secondary schools in the Vancouver School Board to
recruit new secondary school teachers (see Appendix F).
 One of the coordinators made an appearance on CTV Breakfast.
 Teachers were also recruited by word-of-mouth.
Once recruited, volunteers and teachers were required to complete an information form
(see Appendices G and H, respectively) with their contact information and area(s) of
interest. This information was then entered into the LTS Partnership Program Access
database.
The main form of communication used with volunteers was email. An e-newsletter was
sent to all volunteers on a monthly basis. In addition, correspondence with volunteers
by email and by phone occurred whenever volunteers had questions or concerns.
The main form of communication used with teachers was phone or fax, although some
teachers did use email. The teacher information form (see Appendix H) included a
question regarding best method of communication, and the coordinators used
whichever method of communication was most convenient for the teacher.
Communication with teachers occurred at the beginning of the year to establish the
partnership and at the end of the year to request an evaluation of the partnership. In
addition, the coordinators communicated with teachers whenever a volunteer requested
help contacting their teacher partner.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
The UBC LTS Partnership Program is promoted within the university in a number of
ways, including:
 Letters sent to the Faculty Deans during our annual fundraising campaign.
 Articles in The Graduate magazine (Appendix B), the ubc reports (Appendix C) and
the Ubyssey (Appendix D)
 Letters sent to Department Heads and Faculty Deans listing graduate students from
their departments/faculties who volunteered with the Partnership Program and
asking them to include letters of recognition in each student’s file
 Fundraising packages sent to the President’s Office, the Alumni Association and the
Alma Mater Society, requesting funding for the First Annual LTS Partnership
Program Regional Conference (West Coast)
 The UBC LTS Partnership Program website, hosted by the Graduate Student
Society, also helped to promote our program
 Three volunteers presented sessions at UBC Connect, a conference in which high
school students spend four-days attending sessions at UBC
 LTS Partnership Program poster was presented at the Canadian Society for
Chemistry National Conference held at UBC, June 2002 (see abstract in Appendix J)
Activities
Some of the classroom activities that have worked well this year include:
 Magnets and Motors: This activity introduced the concepts of magnetism and
electromagnets to students. Electromagnets were made using a battery, copper
wire and a nail. The students then make a simple electromagnetic motor using a
battery, magnet, copper wire, elastic band and two paper clips.
 Tide pool Exploration: This activity introduced students to tides, the intertidal
zone, and the animals that live in this zone. The class then went on a field trip to
view an intertidal zone at low tide where a scavenger hunt was conducted.
 Bacteria Cultures: A number of volunteers discussed bacteria with their classes.
Various samples were taken from the students and areas around the school. The
students were able to observe the samples after culturing.
 Animal Habitats: Kindergarten students were introduced to animal habitats and how
different animals require different environments to survive. Students then discussed
what types of habitats were required for coyotes and frogs, two species found in the
local area that they had expressed interest in learning more about. The activity
ended with the students creating 3-D models of the habitats using play dough, glue,
twigs, leaves and plants.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
The majority of activities (19) conducted by UBC LTS Partnership Program volunteers
were the result of volunteers developing their own activities, while the remainder of the
activities (9) resulted from the use of pre-packaged activities. Five of the activities
involved field trips to the UBC campus or other areas in Vancouver.
Issues or concerns raised by volunteers or teachers include:
 A lack of secondary school teachers with whom to partner was a concern raised by a
number of students. The coordinators are currently looking for additional ways to
recruit secondary school teachers to the Partnership Program. Ideas discussed at
the First Annual LTS Partnership Program Regional Conference (West Coast) in
February 2002, such as revising the letters used for recruiting secondary school
teachers, are going to be implementing in next year’s recruitment drive.
The majority of requests for outreach, both from interested teachers and from interested
graduate student volunteers, reach the Partnership Program by phone or email after the
individual hears about the program through one of the recruiting methods.
In addition to the regular volunteer-teacher partnerships, the UBC LTS Partnership
Program received requests for outreach activities from other programs/departments
within the university and the community, including:
 The Student Recruitment Office (looking for presenters for UBC Connect)
 The Trek Volunteer Program at the UBC Learning Exchange (looking for volunteers
to partner with inner-city schools in Vancouver)
 A faculty member who is putting together a website to co-ordinate the various
Science-based outreach and volunteer efforts that come out of UBC, in collaboration
with the Vancouver School Board (asking if we would be interested in participating in
their website)
 Science World (looking for judges for the Greater Vancouver Regional Science Fair)
Financial Statement
Financial support for the UBC LTS Partnership Program for 2001-2002 was received
from:





Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
Faculty of Forestry
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Science
Alma Mater Society Innovative Projects Fund
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
In-kind support was received from:
 The Department of Chemistry (fax, phone and computer usage; accounting services)
 The Department of Food, Nutrition & Health (office space; computer usage)
 The Graduate Students Society (web space; email address)
In addition, support for the First Annual LTS Partnership Program Regional Conference
(West Coast) was received from:






The UBC President’s Office
The UBC Alma Mater Society Innovative Projects Fund
The UBC Alumni Association Walter Gage Memorial Fund
The Simon Fraser University Faculty of Science
The UBC Graduate Students’ Society (in-kind)
The UBC LTS Partnership Program (in-kind and financial)
UBC LTS Partnership Program accounts have been handled by Bev Evans
(Department of Chemistry Finance) at no cost.
The financial stipend for the coordinators is based solely on the amount of funding that
the coordinators are able to raise and is initially targeted at $20/h for 3.75 hours of work
per week (averaged over a ten-month period).
The rest of the money raised is used to fund materials for volunteer visits, to refund
volunteers for the materials they purchased to perform their own experiments during
classroom visits, office expenses (supplies, stationary, postage), refreshments for the
training session, a ‘volunteer day’ recognition event and the end of the year BBQ.
Comparison of Budget with Actual Expenses
Projected Budget
$3,000.00
$300/month
(September – June)
$50.00
$15.00
in kind
in kind
$35.00
$250.00
Coordinators’ Stipend
3.75 hr/week at $20/hr (Split between two
coordinators)
Communications
 Postage
 Telephone
 Fax
 Long Distance Charges
Equipment
 Books & Reusable supplies
8
Actual
$3,000.00
$23.75
$23.75
in kind
in kind
$0.00
$173.81
UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Advertising
 Photography
 Publicity
Photocopy
Secretarial
General Facilities
 Office Space
 Administration
Supplies
Official Business
Volunteer Events
 Volunteer Training
 Year-End BBQ
Website/E-Mail
Promotional Material
from LTS National Office
Volunteer Resource Development Project
(VRD)
Regional Conference
TOTAL
$100.00
$22.11
$200.00
$200.00
$100.00
$0 (declined)
in kind
in kind
$1,700.00
85 classes @ $20
$100.00
$400.00
$307.05
in kind
in kind
in kind
in kind
$2,000.00
(to be spent in entirety by
03/03)
$3,250.00
$11,250.00
$0.00
Funding 2001-2002
Amount
Donor
Alma Mater Society Innovative Projects Fund
(Volunteer Resource Development)
Let’s Talk Science National Office
UBC President’s Office (regional conference)
UBC Faculty of Medicine
UBC Faculty of Science
Alma Mater Society Innovative Projects Fund
(regional conference)
UBC Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
UBC Faculty of Forestry
Walter H. Gage Memorial Fund (regional
conference)
SFU Faculty of Science (regional conference)
TOTAL
$2,000
$1,500
$1,250
$1,000
$1,000
$1,000
$500
$500
$500
$500
$9,750
Account Summary
2000-2001 Carryover
Income
Expenditures
Balance (2001-2002 carryover)
$1,075.16
$9,750.00
($7,185.16)
$3,640.00
9
$0.00
$178.30
$3,380.14
$7,185.16
UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix A
Email Sent To Graduate Secretaries In All Departments Granting Graduate
Degrees In The Science-Related Faculties
***An Invitation to Graduate Students***
Ever wanted to go back to school knowing what you know now? Well now you can!
UBC graduate students from the faculties of Agricultural Sciences,
Applied Science, Forestry, Medicine, and Science have done just that.
They are part of an award-winning national organization called:
*** Lets Talk Science ***
The Lets Talk Science Partnership Program, now in its fifth year at UBC, establishes
individual, yearlong partnerships between graduate student volunteers and
elementary/secondary school teachers. The volunteers visit their classes two or three
times during the school year with the goal of creating enthusiasm for science in younger
students, and dispelling the negative stereotypes surrounding the people who work in
science. Topics of the classroom visits are broad and include discussions from how to
become a scientist to the investigation of movement in biological systems. Did you
know that a sperm whale surfaces and dives in the wild all due to the relative buoyancy
of oil, wax, and water?
Everyone involved benefits. Graduate students share ideas with young students,
gaining experience in conveying their knowledge to the public. Teachers enjoy having
personal, enthusiastic links to the scientific community. Students find positive role
models and new confidence in their scientific skills. All of these benefits come with
minimal demands upon any one individual and no graduate student spends more that
20 hours per year on the program.
To get involved, or for more information, please email us at lts@gss.ubc.ca.
Thanks for your attention. We look forward to hearing from you.
Carl Scott & Beth Simpson
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix B
Text Of The Article Submitted to The Graduate magazine
(An edited version ran in the September 2001 issue)
Ever wanted to go back to school knowing what you now know? For the past four
years, that is exactly what graduate students from the Faculties of Agricultural Sciences,
Applied Science, Forestry, Medicine and Science have been doing as members of the
Let’s Talk Science (LTS) Partnership Program.
The LTS Partnership Program pairs teachers in elementary and secondary schools with
graduate student volunteers. Together, they work to make Science accessible and
exciting for public school students. The goals of the program are:
 to promote enthusiasm for learning Science
 to introduce young people to graduate students studying Science
 to develop ideas with teachers for explaining and demonstrating
scientific concepts
 to provide a context for the study of Science with real-world examples
 to dispel stereotypes about scientists
In addition to partnerships, graduate student volunteers also attend one-time events,
such as Science Festivals and Science Fairs, to promote Science.
The Partnership Program benefits everyone involved: graduate student have the
opportunity to improve their skills in communicating scientific information to a broad
audience, to become a role model for students, and to hone their teaching skills; the
teacher is able to enhance their Science classes with expertise from graduate level
scientists and the elementary and secondary school student to meet and learn from real
scientists. And most important of all, everyone has a lot of fun. As graduate student
Kristen Hannam commented about her classroom visit, the best part was “seeing how
quickly [the students] learned what I had told them and applied it elsewhere.”
The amount of time graduate students spend volunteering is not excessive. The
partnerships generally involved two or three visits, which may only take a few hours in
total, over the course of the year. Some graduate students use their visits to conduct a
series of activities. Possibilities for interactive activities with the students are endless.
While in-class demonstrations with hands-on activities for the student are the most
common, other options include laboratory tours, assisting teachers with developing and
updating Science resources for the classroom, and mentoring student Science projects.
Volunteers are by no means on their own. The Let’s Talk Science is a national
charitable organization that provides resources to assist the running of the Partnership
Program. The UBC LTS Partnership Program coordinators, Carl Scott from Chemistry
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
and Beth Simpson from Human Nutrition, are always available to support the volunteers
and teachers.
Financial support for the program is provided by Petro-Canada, the National Partnership
Program sponsor, and the Faculties of Agricultural Sciences, Applied Science, Forestry,
Medicine, and Science, and the Graduate Student Society, the Department of
Chemistry, IT Services and the President’s Office.
In a time when class sizes are getting bigger and one-on-one interactions between
teachers and students are becoming a rarity, it is important, now more than ever, to
cultivate the imaginations of young people and to show them the wonders of Science.
Inspiring the scientists of tomorrow is what makes involvement with the Let’s Talk
Science Partnership Program so worthwhile for all those involved with the program.
For more information, or to join the LTS Partnership Program, check out our website at
http://www.gss.ubc.ca/LTS or email the coordinators at lts@gss.ubc.ca
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix C
Text Of The Article on the LTS Partnership Program From The October 4, 2001
Issue Of The ubc reports
Student volunteers nurture science in growing minds
Program opens children’s eyes to science, says teacher
by Don Wells, staff writer
More B.C. youngsters are thinking and talking about science, thanks to the efforts of
UBC graduate students like Beth Simpson.
Simpson, a PhD student in Human Nutrition, is a volunteer in the Let's Talk Science
(LTS) Partnership Program, a nationwide volunteer program that creates partnerships between
elementary and secondary school teachers and graduate students in the sciences.
The aim is to enrich science education and provide young people with a better
understanding of the goals and methods of scientific research.
"It's great to dispel the myth that scientists are all males in lab coats," says Simpson,
who first volunteered for the program while doing a Master's degree at the University of Guelph.
"Little girls begin to see that science can be a viable career option for them."
In an ongoing partnership, graduate students and teachers typically discuss ideas once
a month. The student makes special presentations in the teacher’s classrooms two or three
times a year.
"As a teacher, I am always looking for ways to show students the possibilities for
pursuing their interests," says Hugh Blackman, a teacher at Bayview Community School.
Simpson and program co-coordinator Carl Scott did a presentation in one of Blackman's
elementary classes to help explain the scientific principles of motion picture film.
"The UBC students made it interesting for the kids and the science came alive," says
Blackman.
"Important scientific policy decisions are often made by non-scientists, so there is a
growing need to communicate with the public about science," Simpson says. "I think it’s
important to start with little kids.”
Simpson and Scott are recruiting volunteers and teachers for the upcoming year,
determined to grow the program beyond the 38 graduate students who volunteered last year.
"What impresses me is that the program has been student-driven since its inception,"
says Science Dean Maria Klawe. "Nobody has a coordinating role except for them, and they
have done an incredible job."
Interested graduate students looking for more information can e-mail lts@gss.ubc.ca or
visit www.gss.ubc.ca/LTS.
LTS is supported by the President's Office, and the Faculties of Science, Agricultural
Sciences, Medicine, and Applied Science as well as the Graduate Student Society.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix D
Text of the Article on the LTS Partnership Program From the February 26, 2002
(vol. 83, issue. 39, p. 3) Issue Of The Ubyssey
UBC grad students talk science to kids
by Kathleen Deering
By uniting graduate students in Science with kids in grade school, the Let’s Talk
Science Partnership Program at UBC aims to promote science as fun, rather than as a
chore.
About 50 UBC graduate students regularly volunteer at elementary and high
schools throughout Vancouver. Volunteers create a partnership with teachers and
usually visit the same class more than once during the school year, organising
experiments and activities designed to stimulate student interest in science.
Bobby Yanagawa, a cardiovascular pathology grad student, helps kids dissect
pig hearts each year, an activity students are enthusiastic about, he said.
“The best thing is when they’re asking a lot of questions. They seem really
excited about cutting up a heart and learning more about themselves,” he said.
Yanagawa said he feels a responsibility to share his knowledge in science and
research with BC high school students because of the province’s exploding
biotechnology field. Many BC jobs are being filled from people from outside the
province and Canada, he said.
Beth Simpson, one of the two program organisers, said Let’s Talk Science tries
to dispel stereotypes about science.
“We like to introduce kids to scientists and show them that scientists are just like
anyone else,” she said.
Often the best way to get kids interested in illustrating principles of science is to
create hands-on activities.
“One thing that we do with the little kids is make ‘slime,’” said Simpson. “We mix
cornstarch and water and it makes a polymer so they get to make this goopy stuff and
get their hands dirty – and then you can talk about chemistry and polymers.”
Amanda Zimmerman, who is in UBC’s animal welfare graduate program,
volunteers at a Vancouver kindergarten class. The last time she was there, the kids
built 3-D models of habitats for coyotes and frogs using twigs and pieces of ferns. She
said she wants students to gain an interest in the natural world.
“By the end of the day they had made some really good models. They were
quite anxious to show their parents. I think they like having a visitor, someone new and
unusual,” she said.
Volunteer Nicole Klenk, a graduate student in Forestry, believes that it is
important that kids see women scientists, and enjoys being able to provide that
representation.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
“In my particular class there’s only four girls and 16 boys and I’m hoping that my
being a graduate student and a woman gives them a model, maybe the idea that a
woman can actually do these things.”
Simpson said she is surprised this gender stereotype still exists in classrooms
today.
“I always get comments from the teachers afterwards that there’s someone in the
class, some little girl saying ‘Wow! There’s a female scientist! I didn’t know girls could
do that.’ I just can’t believe it. I just didn’t expect that kids would think that girls can’t be
scientists.”
University Hill Secondary School teacher Jennifer Kinakin had a volunteer visit
her Grade 12 biology classroom a few weeks ago. She thinks that the program is
valuable for her students because they gain a more thorough understanding of a
particular subject from a grad student than they could from a regular teacher.
“They like to have someone new who is a specialist – one who they can ask
higher level questions of,” she said. “And there isn’t an age gap. I think students can
relate to them better.”
Simpson said that volunteers benefit from the program as well as the children.
“Partly what we want to do is not just educate the kids, we want to help the
graduate students be better educators.”
Klenk agreed.
“Communicating at the kids’ level is refreshing,” she said. “It makes me reflect
on what I’m doing and how to bring it back down to the basics. I really love seeing
sparks in kids’ eyes when they look up and say, ‘Wow. I never knew that.’”
Presently, graduate student volunteers outnumber teacher participants in
Vancouver. Simpson said that she hopes to raise awareness about the program
through its website.
UBC has run the Let’s Talk Science program for the past five years. The idea of
a University of Western Ontario graduate student, the program exists in universities
across Canada.
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix E
Fax Sent To Invite Teachers Who Had Previously Been Involved with the
Partnership Program to Participate Again
Dear [teacher],
I would like to invite you to participate again this year in the Let's Talk Science
Partnership Program. The program is starting up its fifth year at the University of British
Columbia and plans to be as successful as last year. If you would like to be involved,
please fill out the accompanying teacher response form and return it to us as soon as
possible. If you would prefer, an electronic version of the form can be obtained by
emailing us at lts@gss.ubc.ca.
Please note that the addresses listed on our web page are out of date and for some
reason we are unable to gain access to make changes. Our contact information is
listed on the side.
Regardless of how we promote the program our best advertisement will always be word
of mouth. Therefore, please feel free to share information about the Partnership
Program with other teachers, at you school or others, who you feel would be interested as long as we have volunteers available, we can continue pairing teachers.
Sincerely,
Carl Scott
UBC Let's Talk Science Partnership Program Coordinator
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix F
Letter Sent To Recruit New Secondary School Teachers
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Let's Talk Science (LTS) Partnership Program is a volunteer program that
creates partnerships between elementary/secondary school teachers and university
graduate students in the sciences. The aim is to enrich science education and
provide young people with a better understanding of the goals and methods of
scientific research
LTS at UBC will be entering its fifth year and we are looking to increase our
secondary school contacts. Over the past 4 years the majority of our teacher
partners have been from elementary schools, where our volunteers have been able
to perform some wonderful experiments and demonstrations which really grab the
interest of younger students.
We feel that it is vital to maintain interest in science throughout the secondary school
years, when students are beginning to consider university courses and careers. As
students gain knowledge of more complex scientific principles, it is valuable to bring
these ideas into context. A visiting graduate student performing interesting and
exciting experiments can often achieve this. For older students, the opportunity to
converse with a science graduate provides them with an insight into what a future in
science entails.
Please do not hesitate to contact us anytime. We would be more than happy to
come and talk with you in more detail about the LTS Partnership Program, with a
view to establishing new partnerships for the upcoming academic year.
Yours faithfully,
Phil Webster, BSc, PhD, PGCE
Beth Simpson, BSc, MSc
Ivy Yap, BSc
Carl Scott, BSc, MCIC
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix G
Volunteer Information Form
Name: ___________________________________ Gender:
Male
Female
Faculty:___________________________________ Department:____________________________
Building:__________________________________ Zone:__________________________________
Phone: office: _____________________ home:_________________ fax:______________________
E-mail address: ____________________________________________________________________
Current Research: __________________________________________________________________
Working on:  MSc.
PhD
Year: ____________
Languages Spoken: _________________________________________________________________
Which aspects of science could you share with students?
Biology
Engineering
Forestry
Chemistry
Environment
Medical Science
Earth Science
Food Science
Physics
Other: ___________________________
Other activities which interest you:
Science Fair Judging
Learning How to Present Science
Conducting a Tour of my Lab
Would you like to work with:
elementary school (grade K-8)
Technology
Zoology
Community Science Events
Mentoring
Other: __________________
secondary school (grade 9-12)
Would you like to be partnered with another volunteer and visit as a pair?
Yes
No
Name of other volunteer: _________________________________
What aspects of science outreach interest you? ___________________________
Which school district would you like to work with?
Vancouver
North Shore
Richmond
Other:
___________________
I would be willing to help other LTS volunteers with their classroom activities by:
helping with activity ideas
helping them in the classroom
Yes
No: This information may be quoted in a directory for the UBC LTS volunteers.
Please complete this form and return it by email or fax to:
UBC Let's Talk Science Partnership Program
c/o Department of Chemistry
2036 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC
V6T 1Z1
email: lts@gss.ubc.ca
phone: 604-822-3311
fax: 604-822-2847
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UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix H
Teacher Information Form
Name: ________________________________________________________________
School: ________________________________________________________________
Grade Level(s): ___________________________
Class Size(s) (#): _________________
Phone Number: ___________________________
Fax Number: _____________________
Email: _________________________________________________________________
Best time to contact you: _______________________________
Best way to contact you:
How might a graduate student - in partnership with you - enrich your science class?
Classroom Demonstrations
University Tours
Career Ideas
Discussion of Research
Long-term Projects
Field Trips
Science Fair
Providing Context for IRP or Assist in Labs
Other Ideas: ___________________________________
In which of the following areas are you interested in having a graduate student involved?
Biology
Environment
Technology
Chemistry
Forestry
Zoology
Earth Science
Medical Science
Engineering
Physics
Food Science
Other:
Were you involved in the Partnership Program last year?
If yes, would you like to have the same Partner this year?
Yes
Yes
Please return this form by E-mail or fax to:
Let's Talk Science Partnership Program
c/o Carl Scott
Department of Chemistry
2036 Main Mall
E-mail: lts@gss.ubc.ca
Vancouver, BC
Phone: 604-822-3311
V6T 1Z1
Fax: 604-822-2847
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No
No
UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix I
Visit Evaluation Form
UBC Let’s Talk Science Partnership Program
Volunteer(s):
Teacher:
School:
Grade(s):
# Students:
Date:
The Activity
Subject Area (check all that apply):
Type of Activity (check all that apply):
Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Hands-On Experiment
Demonstration
Lab Tour
Other:
Other:
Field Trip
Details of the Activity:
 If you conducted an experiment or demonstration, please use next page.
 Include support material (e.g., photocopies you handed out, references).
 Use additional pages if necessary.
Would you recommend this activity to other LTS Partnership Program volunteers:
What was your favorite part of the visit?
What was your least favorite part of the visit?
Did the kids seem to have a good time?
How could you tell?
Did the teacher enjoy the activity?
How could you tell?
Yes
No
Yes
No
What additional support would have been helpful for your visit?
Did you take pictures of the class?

Yes
No
Attach receipts for any supplies you purchased for the visit.
20
Yes
No
UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
LTS Partnership Program Visit Evaluation Form
page 2
Description of Experiment (use additional pages if necessary)
Title of Experiment:
Objectives:
Materials:
Diagram of Set-up:
How to Perform the Experiment:
Explanation of What’s Happening:
References (if applicable):
IRP objective met (if applicable):
Approximate Cost per Student:
Please return this by e-mail or fax to:
Carl Scott – LTS Partnership Program
Department of Chemistry
Fax: 604-822-2847
E-mail: lts@gss.ubc.ca
21
UBC LTS Partnership Program Annual Report 2001-2002
Appendix J
Abstract for the poster presented at the 85th Canadian Society for Chemistry
Conference and Exhibition
The Let’s Talk Science Partnership Program – Bringing Science to Elementary
and Secondary School Classrooms.
Ian Daweb Carl Scott*,a and Beth Simpsona, aUBC Let’s Talk Science Partnership
Program, Department of Chemistry, 2036 Main Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, bLet’s
Talk Science, Health Sciences Addition, The University of Western Ontario, London,
ON, N6A 5C1
Let’s Talk Science (LTS) is a national registered charitable organization striving to
improve science literacy through innovative educational programs, research and
advocacy. The Partnership Program, a flagship LTS program, pairs graduate student
volunteers with elementary and secondary school classrooms, forming year-long
partnerships. Through the use of demonstrations, hands-on activities, class projects,
discussions and field trips, volunteers help students gain an interest and understanding
of the science that affects their daily lives. In addition, the graduate student volunteers
gain teaching skills and provide young Canadians with positive scientific role models.
The program is hosted at 16 Canadian universities with the participation of over 400
volunteers. At UBC, over 50 volunteers from five faculties visit schools throughout
Vancouver, directly reaching nearly 1000 students. UBC Partnership Program
volunteers also participate in a variety of community science events throughout the
Lower Mainland.
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