Natural Sciences Students' Association - NSSA

07/01/2019

This year's Miss Virginia was crowned recently after breaking from tradition and performing a science experiment during the talent portion of the competition.Miss Dominion Camille Schrier, 23, was named Miss Virginia 2019 on June 22 after a week-long competition. She won more than $21,000 of $75,000...

05/23/2019

Hey Scientists!!

The Integrated Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) program has an exciting volunteer opportunity for you!

If you have a background in science, have previously done or currently do scientific research, and are interested in gaining experience in inclusive environments then we have an opportunity for you! The Integrated Post-Secondary Education (IPSE) program supports diverse learners in their university experience. This summer we are so excited to announce that we’re bringing back a science literacy initiative that was piloted last year.
Serious About Science and Summer (SASS) is about increasing science literacy and critical thinking skills among our students and graduates with developmental disabilities. As a SASS presenter, you have an opportunity participate in science outreach, volunteer on campus, and build mentoring relationships with diverse students. This summer we are looking for undergraduate and graduate presenters to share their passion for science and why their research is important to them.

Our weekly small group sessions feature a student researcher to discuss a variety of topics from astrophysics to microbiology. At their core, sessions focus on building critical thinking and problem solving skills. You can choose how to present your research interest but our IPSE facilitators are here to support you with creating a presentation that will include participants with diverse learning needs.

You could host a session that:
• Discusses current events as they relate to your research.
• Looks at common misconceptions about your research or field.
• Shows how elements from your research can be applied in day-to-day life.
• Demonstrates how your research solves a real-world problem.
• Shares your personal interest and passions that you bring to your study.

Sessions are formatted with the following guidelines:
• Presentations will be held on Tuesday afternoons at 12:30-2:30pm. You can select which week you would like to present in July or August.
• Your session should be in plain language and accessible for people with little background knowledge on your topic.
• The maximum length for a presentation is 2 hours. You are encouraged to incorporate a variety of activities, demonstrations and discussion within those 2 hours.
• IPSE can provide a computer and a projector for use during your presentation.
• IPSE will provide $20.00/week for supplies and IPSE students can bring objects from home.
• We will take care of booking a space. Feel free to be creative if you would like to plan your session outside of a classroom!
• You can use this opportunity to mentor IPSE students throughout the semester

If you are interested in this opportunity please fill out a quick online application. You can find the form here: SASS Presenter Application. If you have any questions about IPSE or SASS, please contact Bethany Whittal at [email protected] for more information.

03/27/2019

Hi NSSA members! We are working on some exciting plans for the upcoming year, but in the meantime, if you are looking to participate in a fun and important event come on down to the Climb for Wilderness on April 27, 2019! You get to climb the 1,204 stairs of the Bow while fundraising for Alberta's wilderness and enjoy some awesome views of the city! Bring your friends!

Link to the event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/353171728605708/

06/07/2018

Hey everyone! We have been asked to help recruit for an event coming up and I think of all of you would be perfect! We are looking for a BUNCH of volunteers so if you want to join us for a fun day of science and magic please consider signing up!

The Department of Chemistry at the University of Calgary in conjunction with the Kensington Fantasy Faire will be hosting the School of Magic on Sunday July 29th, 9am-6pm. This event will involved 7 + hands-on magical science activities for the public to interact with and we are looking for 100 volunteers to help run the event!

Volunteers will receive:
- Free food from Flippin Burgers
- A stylish volunteer shirt
- A signed "thank you" letter from the Department of Chemistry


You can sign-up as a volunteer here: https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=7KAJxuOlMUaWhhkigL2RUSkSK34HL7dNsV3ACY2yJrtUOVgwVVM1RVlNWklUU1dCMFFQV0NVUkpXWS4u

And you can also follow our outreach blog for other events: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2109680432579633/?ref=group_browse_new

10/30/2017

Hello everybody! Sorry for the hiatus, midterms have hit us all hard, including your execs. We have some big plans for the future though and we would love to gauge your interest levels. We would like to do a tour of the Interactions Lab on campus in mid November, as well as a visit to the Telus Spark on Adults Only Night at a discounted rate in December. If you are interested in either of these events, please let us know!

Vote on this poll.

10/07/2017

Buzzfeed actually did science right! Try it out!

In honor of National Nanotechnology Day on October 9, find out which nanomolecule you are!

09/22/2017

Thanks to everyone that came out tonight!! It was a real blast-and-a-half!!

09/20/2017

Come say hello at our clubs week booth (booth 31) until 5pm today and tomorrow!! One of our executives will be there at all times to answer any questions or pick up your membership for the year!

09/13/2017

Welcome Back Natural Scientists!

We hope you had a fantastic summer filled with fun, adventure and Vitamin D! If you haven’t had a break away from classes already, we hope you can catch one before the new semester begins. In the meantime, we would like to re-introduce ourselves: the Natural Sciences Students’ Association. This year the NSSA has some new and exciting things going on. Over the 2017/2018 academic year our goals will be focused on, but not limited to, consulting with the faculty of science to promote interdisciplinary opportunities for members, developing a social space for students to talk and collaborate with one another, as well as faculty, and reviewing what the program means to us Natural Sciences students to maybe make some changes for future students! We hope to broaden our community, give you all a better opportunity to network, and understand the program itself so we, as a community, can continue to promote it and all of you!
This is just a sample of our intentions for the NSSA in the new year.
We have other things planned for our members, including events such as bi-weekly games night for socializing, bake sales, symposiums, tours of campus labs, and many more to come.

We hope you are just as excited as we are! If you would like to renew your membership with us you can find us in our club room (Science A 126) or you can come see us at the NSSA booth during clubs week. If you have any questions about our club, or our plans for the year, please feel free to email us at [email protected] or come talk to us in person at the above mentioned locations.

If you would like to volunteer with us during clubs week, please fill out your availability at the following link: https://beta.doodle.com/poll/6mwhkmupqbaiakab

We look forward to seeing you all again!
P.S. Did we mention we have a new, and very diverse, executive team?
President: Brian Gilbert (BSc Natural Sciences in Chem/Bio and BEd in Science Education)
Vice President: Viviana Heather (BSc Honours in Biological Sciences)
VP Operations & Finance: Calvin Ng (BComm in Energy Management)
VP Communications: Heather Gilbert (BSc in Biological Sciences)
VP Events: Judy Tran (BSc in Kinesiology)

07/10/2017

In case you aren't checking your email this summer!:

Leadership and Student Engagement (LSE) is looking for science students who love science and love to talk about it. The LSE wants you to be an Orientation Leader this year.

You will help all those brand-new science students hit the ground running towards a successful start of their university experience.

Orientation week is Sept 5 – 8 this year, and I know that Orientation Leaders in the past have had such a great time that they want to come back year after year to assist first-year students in making that big transition.

So, apply today (or tomorrow - I’m not the boss of you) and start off the 2017-18 academic year with a great week of activities and fun with our incoming students.

Click here to Apply: https://www.ucalgary.ca/orientation/node/11743