Careers in Science

Opening the Door

Opening the Door is a unique networking event for students in Grades 10–12 who are interested in pursuing a career in science, technology, engineering or mathematics. This is a valuable opportunity for students to meet with professional scientists, engineers, technologists and technicians who work in a variety of fields.

The student participants are given the unique opportunity to:

• Engage in a panel discussion with professionals and gain an insightful look into possible careers in science
• Develop potential career contacts
• Learn and practice networking skills through meeting and talking with mentors, fellow students and teachers
• Contribute four hours of credit toward the work exploration component of the Career and Personal Planning (CAPP) program under the BC school system if their district chooses to give this credit.

If you would like more information about this program, or on how you can become involved in your community as a mentor, please email otd@scienceworld.ca.

For more information on careers in science and technology, visit our Teen Zone.

 

Thank You for Opening the Door!

The Opening the Door program has finished for the 2010-11 school year. There were over 1,600 students, 70 teachers, and 190 professionals with careers in science and technology who participated in 11 Opening the Door events across British Columbia during the Year of Science!

Students in Grades 10-12 had the opportunity to network with these professionals and learn more about the diverse types of careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics available to them across BC.

Thanks to the 11 communities that we visited across the province for opening their doors to the program and for the enthusiastic participation by everyone during the 2010-11 school year.

Please check back in the early fall for the latest news on Opening the Door and for dates and locations of the program in 2011-12.

 

Past Events

Opening the Door in Prince George

Kelly Road Secondary School hosted the final Opening the Door program during the Year of Science in British Columbia. On Wednesday, May 4th, over 125 students from KRSS networked with 22 professionals with careers in science and technology. These careers were in diverse fields such as archaeology, pharmacy, veterinary medicine, civil and geotechnical engineering, computer science, psychology, environmental science and natural resource management, chemistry, forestry, and mental health, among others!

Here is what people were saying about the program:

- "Now that I am aware of the many career opportunities, I'm more motivated to choose science courses. I have learned about the process of forging a career path." – Student, Grade 12

- "It showed me many different choices." – Student, Grade 10

- "I am quite fascinated by archaeology and being able to learn about the profession really helped to cement this as a career choice." – Student, Grade 11

- "Excellent event for our students." – Teacher, Grades 8 – 12

- "It was fun, thank you!" – Student, Grade 11

Thank you to the students, teachers, and Mentors who helped to make the Opening the Door in Prince George a great event!

View pictures from the event: 

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Opening the Door in Nanaimo

Over 100 students from John Barsby and Cedar Community Secondary Schools attended an Opening the Door event in Nanaimo on Thursday, April 14th. Hosted by Cedar, 26 science professionals participated in the event. Students in Grades 8 – 12 had the opportunity to network with professionals in a wide range of careers, including computer science, audiology, chemistry, engineering, veterinary medicine, wildlife and marine biology, forestry and natural resource operations, as well as physiotherapy, medical diagnostics, and naturopathic medicine.

Here is what was said about the event from those in attendance:

- "I know more about science and technology options." – Student, Grade 10

- "It was very fun and it gave me a lot of ideas about my future." – Student, Grade 9

- "Learning about more fields opens my options... I know that there are more jobs than I originally thought." – Student, Grade 9

- "Very interesting fields were present and there were a wide variety of careers." – Teacher, Grades 8 - 12

- "I enjoyed the show... It was interesting and interactive!" – Student, Grade 12

The Opening the Door program was successful thanks to the wonderful students, teachers, and community members in Nanaimo!

View pictures of the event:

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Opening the Door in Nelson

Over 225 students networked with science professionals from the Nelson area at the Opening the Door on March 31st. L.V. Rogers Secondary hosted 25 professionals, and students were able to learn more about career opportunities in various fields in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, including physics, healthcare, engineering, architecture, biology and ecology, psychology, forestry, and natural resource management.

Here is what those in attendance had to say about the Opening the Door:

- I have always wanted to go into the sciences. It was a great presentation to realize more opportunities in the science field. – Student, Grade 12

- “I’m far more interested in science now.” – Student, Grade 11

- “It helped me learn more about what is out there for careers.” – Student, Grade 11

- “Students asked some really relevant questions and I think really listened to the answers.” – Mentor

- “I hoped that students would see how diverse careers in science are. I think hearing this from actual community members really showed this.” – Teacher, Grade 11

Thank you to all the students, teachers and mentors who helped to make Opening the Door in Nelson such a great success!

View pictures from the event:

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Opening the Door in 100 Mile House

Peter Skene Ogden Secondary in 100 Mile House was host to the eighth Opening the Door event of the Year of Science in BC. Over 130 students had the opportunity to learn more about careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in the Cariboo region. Students were also able to network with 10 professionals from 100 Mile House and Williams Lake who have careers in geology, veterinary medicine, dietetics, land survey, environmental science, pharmacy, nursing, physiotherapy, and environmental health.

Participants of the Opening the Door program had the following to say:

“It reinforced my interest in science… I liked the variety of careers found there” – Student, Grade 10

“Loved it. This was really cool.” – Student, Grade 10

“It definitely made me think more about what I want to do.” – Student, Grade 11

“Makes me realize how important [science] is; it makes me want to learn more.” – Student, Grade 10

“I think that my post-secondary education choices will definitely lean more towards sciences now.” – Student, Grade 12

The Opening the Door program would not have been successful without the enthusiastic participation of students, teachers, and mentors in 100 Mile House. Thank you!

View pictures from the event: 

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Opening the Door in Port Alberni

225 students at Alberni District Secondary School in Port Alberni attended the Opening the Door program on February 16th. Students in Grades 10 to 12 had the opportunity to network with 20 science professionals from Vancouver Island, representing diverse careers in environmental science, engineering, forestry, education, biology, and optometry, to name a few!

Here is what participants had to say about the program:

"I found lots of new opportunities." - Student, Grade 10

"The best part was having "the chance to speak with lots of local scientists." – Student

"I thoroughly enjoyed the networking time the students had with the mentors to ask questions about their career fields." – Mentor

"It was a lot of fun! Thank you for coming!" – Student, Grade 11

Opening the Door was successful thanks to the wonderful students, teachers, and community members in Port Alberni!

View pictures from the event! 

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Opening the Door in Golden

The Opening the Door program visited nearly 250 students at Golden Secondary on February 3rd. Students in Grades 10 to 12 had the opportunity to network with science professionals from the Golden community who had careers in engineering, healthcare, forestry, environmental science and biology, massage therapy, geomatics, education, physiotherapy, nursing, exercise science, and technology.

Here is what the participants of the program had to say:

"It explained different careers and showed me what courses I need to take." - Student, Grade 11

"It was a great experience!" - Student, Grade 11

"I want to learn more about science!" - Student, Grade 11

"[It] helped me discover more opportunities" - Student, Grade 11

Thank you to the students, teachers, and Mentors who helped to make the Opening the Door in Golden a great event!

View pictures from the event:

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Opening the Door in Invermere

David Thompson Secondary School hosted 17 Mentors from Invermere on February 2nd. Nearly 200 students in Grades 10-12 had the opportunity to learn more about diverse careers in medicine, engineering and land survey, wildlife ecology, technology, exercise science, and health care-related fields such as pharmacy, laboratory technology, physiotherapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, and diagnostic imaging.

Participants said the following about the Opening the Door event at DTSS:

"I believe the students are more aware of the diversity of applications of science in the community" – Mentor

"I enjoyed it!" – Student, Grade 11

"It gave direction and options" - Student, Grade 12

The best part was getting to... "Meet people who have entered fields similar to my speculated career." - Student

Thank you to the Invermere community for hosting such a successful Opening the Door event!

View pictures from the event:

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Opening the Door in Abbotsford

Students in the Fraser Valley had the opportunity to explore science-related career options at the University of the Fraser Valley in Abbotsford on January 19. UFV worked together with Science World to open its doors to students from Abbotsford, Chilliwack, Mission, Langley, Maple Ridge, and the UFV, giving them the opportunity to meet and network with 11 mentors in a variety of filed in science and technology. Mentors at this event represented a cross-section of science-related careers, including environmental science, computers and technology, research and molecular biology, education, physics, agrology, and small business and management.

Participants in the event had the following to say about the Opening the Door event at UFV:

"It opened my eyes to different career choices in science." – Student, Grade 11

"It helped me get an idea of what classes I want to take in Grade 12 and in university." – Student, Grade 11

"I learned about different career paths from real people in those careers, not from a book or the internet." – Student, Grade 11

"I think this was a great experience!" – Student, Grade 11

"It's a wonderful opportunity for students of all ages!" – Career Advisor, Chilliwack

"I think it provided good advice for young prospective scientists." – Mentor

Thank you to all of the students and mentors for your enthusiastic participation, and thank you to the University of the Fraser Valley for opening your doors to Science World's Opening the Door!

View pictures from the event:

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