Rocky View Schools student Mark Norregaard wins 2022 4H Canada Science Fair

Mark Norregaard from Balzac won the 2022 4-H Canada Science Fair for the third year in a row, qualifying him for the Canada-Wide Science fair in May.

The 4-H Canada Science Fair was held virtually from March 3 to 7, and four participants presented their best science work to a panel of judges. Students from grades 7 to 12 showcased their skills in STEM and explored personal passions through experimentation, innovation, and invention, according to the 4-H press release.

Sixteen year-old Norregaard’s project was titled “A Comparison of Natural Corrosion Inhibitors on Metals.”

“Corrosion is obviously a common occurrence in a wide variety of industries and a lot of these industries use corrosion inhibitors,” Norregaard explained, “But these inhibitors are commonly not organic and can sometimes be toxic or detrimental to the environment. And in my project, I took three natural corrosion inhibitors that could be grown in Canada.”

Creating an extract from dandelions, sweet potatoes, and ginger, the George McDougall High School student (who is participating in Rocky View Schools' The Farm program this year) tested each of these natural corrosion inhibitors on mild steel and galvanized steel in a salt-water solution and a vinegar solution.

Through his research, he noticed sweet potato extract was the best natural corrosion inhibitor.

The project included a short-term 14-day experiment and a long-term 46-day experiment. After all the experimenting, logging, computer work, and research, he said the project took close to three months to put together.

The panel of judges – who each have a background in the sciences – questioned contestants on their knowledge of the project and their research.

“There's always that nervousness that you get with anything, but I was very happy and very thankful that I got to move on and go to the big Canada-wide science fair,” Norregaard said. “It was a great experience and I was hoping this year would be in-person because the [public health] restrictions kind of relaxed.”

His first time participating in the 4-H Canada Science Fair was in 2020, just before COVID-19 hit and shut everything down.

He said finally attending the fair in-person allowed him to be exposed to different ideas and learn about other people’s projects.

“That was a great experience, especially being in person because you get to do fun things and you get to meet people in person and it's not over Zoom,” he said.

All other fairs he attended have been virtual. He said despite the virtual science fairs, it is still interesting to learn about other projects.

Aside from the 4-H Canada Science Fair and the upcoming Canada-Wide Science Fair, Norregaard also participated in the Calgary Youth Science Fair for the fourth time this year. Presenting the same project in Calgary, he received a gold medal.

“[They are] all great experiences and if anyone wanted to do a science fair, especially 4H, I'd recommend it a lot,” he said. “Even going there, you learn other people's projects and some of them are just mind-blowing. Some of the best science fair projects I've ever seen [were] at the big Canada-Wide level… There's cures to cancer, or glasses to help people who have partial blindness. There's just mind-blowing topics.”

Participating in science fairs is something Norregaard really looks forward to, and he said he hopes to pursue a career in agriculture sciences after graduating.

While he loves working on the farm and recognizes the appeal in becoming a veterinarian, he really enjoys the trial-and-error nature of animal sciences.

“Especially making drugs or health products to help animals and the idea that you've made something and people are using it across Canada or across the globe, anything like that is just a fun thing,” he said.

“I feel like science is everywhere in everyday life just because everything is made up from science or has been found from science. There is some sort of chemistry, or physics, or biology put into every little thing. It's hard to get away from, really.”

Lastly, he said he hopes other young people will feel encouraged to participate in a science fair and that it’s more about having fun and experimenting.

For more information on the Canada-Wide Science fair held from May 16 to 20 or how to get involved, go to youthscience.ca.