4-H Canada youth blaze trail to the Canada-Wide Science Fair

Two finalists from the 4-H Canada Science Fair — Mark Norregaard of Balzac, AB, and Nia Smith from Brandon, MB — have earned their way to the prestigious 2024 Canada-Wide Science Fair (CWSF).

Following an initial virtual round in January 2024, the second round of the 4-H Canada Science Fair was hosted by Olds College of Agriculture and Technology in Olds, AB from Feb. 28 to March 3. Eight participants presented their projects in the hopes of moving on to the CWSF, which is the country’s largest annual youth science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) event.

“I’d like to extend sincere congratulations to Mark and Nia on advancing to the CWSF,” said 4-H Canada Interim CEO, Hugh Maynard. “It’s always exciting to see the innovation and creativity youth apply to real-life challenges in the world of STEM, and we’re very proud to offer opportunities where our 4-H youth leaders can effect positive change in the world around them. Thank you to Olds College for hosting, and to our partner and longstanding supporter of the 4-H Canada Science Fair, Bayer CropScience Canada.”

“It was a true honour to be a judge at this year’s 4H Canada National Science Fair Competition at Olds College,” says Ashley Smith, Market Manager – Crop Protection at Bayer Crop Science Canada. “Both Mark and Nia demonstrated tremendous leadership and innovation for the future of food production. Through STEM opportunities like this, we get a first-hand glimpse into the next generation of scientists, policy contributors, engineers, and visionary catalysts in agriculture!”

Mark Norregaard

Norregaard, 17, is no stranger to the 4-H Canada Science Fair – with 2024 marking his fifth time as a finalist. This year, he focused on comparing the response between vaccinated and non-vaccinated calves prior to grass and weaning time. His project was inspired by the desire to help decrease outbreaks of Bovine Respiratory Disease in calf populations.

Nia Smith

Making her debut at the 4-H Canada Science Fair, Smith, 14, was driven to help improve the success of home hydroponic systems. Her project compared four different mediums for starting seeds, and provided findings on which medium works best for a hydroponic system to achieve the highest germination rate.