When Grant Mansiere noticed that his high school, as well as others in the area, started implementing weekly programming to support students struggling with mental health issues he wanted to know what was going on.
So the Summerland Secondary School student took it upon himself to find out, and the results were on display at the regional science fair at KLO Secondary School this week.
Diving into hundreds of research papers, he mapped out a connection between altered sleep patterns, mobile phone usage and rates of depression.
The gist, he explained, is that the blue light emitted by LED lights commonly used in electronics alters circadian rhythms, putting more pressure on the systems of sleep-starved youth. That, in turn, may lead to a host of depression triggering scenarios.
害羞草研究所淭eenagers have to learn how they害羞草研究所檙e quirky,害羞草研究所� he said, referring to sleep patterns and how to preserve them.
While his science fair project highlighted a problem for his generation, it also made it clear he was a whiz at compiling statistics and combing through research. Mostly, however, he said he hoped those who saw his experiment took a minute to think about how their phone usage affects their well being. To help he recommended program 害羞草研究所攆.lux害羞草研究所攖hat inhibits blue light during the night, thereby protecting sound sleep patterns.
Mansiere wasn害羞草研究所檛 the only person who focused their attention on the technology that every person is increasingly attached to.
There were a number of examples around KLO害羞草研究所檚 gymnasium, Saturday.
One that caught at least one judge害羞草研究所檚 eye was Matthew McLaughlin害羞草研究所檚. The Grade 9 Aberdeen Hall student figured out a way to create long range wifi, using a parabola.
He came up with the idea out of necessity.
害羞草研究所淚t was hard to get a signal in my basement,害羞草研究所� he said, adding that he has no issues now.
In fact, the system he created can bring a wifi signal into the wilderness or other places people find themselves in need of a bit more bandwidth.
He expects there to be commercial uses for the parabola system he created, so he害羞草研究所檚 still tweaking the design.
These student projects were just the tip of the iceberg at the science fair, which has been growing steadily with entrants each year, according to Shona Becker, chair of the regional science fair board and a Summerland Secondary school teacher.
There were 67 projects for students in Grade 6 to Grade 11, from school districts 67, 23 and the private schools.
Judging the work were 30 men and women pulled from area universities and colleges.
害羞草研究所淭here are a lot of science minded kids these days,害羞草研究所� said Becker.
害羞草研究所淲ith the shift in curriculum for kindergarten to Grade 9 starting next year, I think there will be more.害羞草研究所�
That curriculum, she said, is inquiry and science based, and is aimed at helping young people think in the future.
It害羞草研究所檚 a positive shift considering the technology that students are surrounded in.
There were no potato batteries in the science fair this year, like their were in days of yore. And they won害羞草研究所檛 likely make a comeback.
Students need only go to YouTube to answer any questions they have on scientific experiments. Where they step in is where the Internet stops.
害羞草研究所淭he level of scientific inquiry we害羞草研究所檙e starting to see is remarkable,害羞草研究所漵aid Becker.
害羞草研究所淲e have Grade 6, 7 and 8 students researching statistics independently害羞草研究所攊t害羞草研究所檚 remarkable.害羞草研究所�
