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Supplied by the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre…
Sault Ste. Marie (April 26, 2017): On Thursday, April 27, the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre (SSMIC) and YouLaunch, in partnership with the Sault Ste. Marie Science Festival, is hosting the 10th annual ARTIE (Advanced Research Technology & Innovation Expo) at Algoma University.

ARTIE will be held over the course of one day, with groups of students grades 1 through 8 from the Huron Catholic District School Board and the Algoma District School Board attending either morning or afternoon sessions. ARTIE provides students with an opportunity to discover science and technology in fun and interactive ways, and hear about the vast careers in these sectors from local experts. Throughout the day, students will visit with four of the 13 exhibitors displayed throughout a variety of classrooms on the Algoma University Campus.

“ARTIE provides a fun and exciting opportunity for elementary school students to learn, explore and understand science and technology,” said Don MacLennan, Acting Executive Director, Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre. “We started ARTIE ten years ago with the hope of sparking youth’s interest and curiosity in these fields, and engage with our community to foster the next generation of science and technology leaders. It’s now become a staple youth event in our community, and we look forward to another great event this year and many more to come!”

This year SSMIC is happy to announce we are celebrating ARTIE’s tenth birthday! Everyone is encouraged to come out to the Science Carnival on Saturday, April 29 to meet ARTIE and help celebrate his birthday. A variety of fun and interactive activities will be available to participate in.  The Science Carnival will host most of the ARTIE exhibitors and many more.

This year will be the third consecutive year that ARTIE is a part of the award-winning Science Festival in collaboration with Science North and many other community partners. ARTIE was started by the Sault Ste. Marie Innovation Centre in 2008 to take place during the National Science and Technology Week in October. At that time, ARTIE was open to elementary school students and the public; however, once the Science Festival came to be, it was an opportunity to integrate the existing event into the Festival at the end of April in an effort to promote science and technology in Sault Ste. Marie with many local science and technology partners.

ARTIE is one of the largest science and technology innovation expos for elementary school students of its kind in Canada. The inaugural ARTIE in 2008 saw a total of 400 students, which increased year over year, including over 1,600 students at last year’s event. More than 5000 students have participated in ARTIE throughout the 10 years of its existence.

This year’s exhibitors include Science North, Sault Ste. Marie Police Services, the Innovation Centre’s Energy Innovation Hub and Rural Agri-Innovation Network (RAIN), Algoma University’s Computer Science Program, The Art Gallery of Algoma, Entomica, Fire Services, Algoma Dairy Educator (with RAIN), The Sault Ste. Marie Public Library, White Pines Robotics, The Invasive Species Centre, Sault College’s Fish and Wildlife Program, and Clean North.

“The support from local exhibitors and our community partners is incredible. Exhibitors are an essential part of the day, providing hands-on experience in areas such as computer game technology, fire services, forensics, solar energy, insects, local agriculture, robotics and more,” added MacLennan. “We are thankful for the dedicated staff who plan for months leading up to this event, and the volunteers who help make the day possible to ensure a safe and fun experience for all.”

There is no cost to register for ARTIE, however attendance is by invitation only and schools have registered in advance to be able to participate. Registration is now closed and ARTIE is at maximum attendance, having opened on March 27 with an invitation sent to all schools in the Algoma District School Board and Huron Superior Catholic District School Board.

For more information about ARTIE and the Science Festival, please visit: www.sciencenorth.ca/ssmscifest and on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ScienceFestivalSSM/.