EYE ON ACADIA
Discovery quest Living the environmental lesson
Now in its eighth year, Discovery Quest continues to support high school students in gaining a deeper understanding of themselves and their world. By Oonagh Holmes (’93) In June, 40 Grade 11 students from the Maritimes and northeastern United States travelled to Acadia University for a week at Discovery Quest. This experience-based learning program, launched in 2003 in partnership with Irving Oil Ltd., introduces youth to environmental stewardship, entrepreneurship, and a host of skills that help them prepare for future careers. The focus of the week is reducing over-consumption and wasteful practices. Anita Knopov, from Brookline High School in Massachusetts, wasn’t sure what to expect. “I had never been to Nova Scotia, and would probably not have been able to find it on a map prior to this,” she said. “When we got to Acadia, right away all my fears were gone. “I had always laughed at the people who said that one week was a ‘life changing experience,’ but now I actually truly understand that this is possible,” said Knopov.
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ACADIA BULLETIN FALL 2010
During their stay on the Acadia campus, Discovery Quest participants experience campus life and interact with academic and business leaders. But their focus is to track their rates of consumption. They use high-tech equipment to monitor the daily water and power supplied to their rooms in Whitman House. They weigh food waste, record shower times and temperatures, and do an inventory of their garbage and recycling. Instead of flying to Nova Scotia, participants travelled on the same bus. In short, they actually live what they learn.
the hope of instilling long-term habitual change both at Acadia and throughout the region.”
Dr. Paul Arnold of the Ivan Curry School of Engineering at Acadia is responsible for the Discovery Quest program. He’s also a chemical engineer with research interests in municipal waste, recycling and composting systems. He said this first-hand experience is the heart of Discovery Quest.
Irving Oil awards each winning team member a $1000 scholarship to any university. Should the winners decide to attend Acadia, the University provides a matching $1000 grant. This year’s top team consisted of Kate Bulger (Phillips Academy Andover, MA), Nevin Varghese (Bloomfield High School, NJ), Kaitlyn Carroll (Mercy High School, CT), Nadya Karpova (Brookline High School, MA).
“Over the years, the program has evolved into a living, dynamic, realworld exercise,” Arnold explained. “It offers the opportunity of reducing consumption practices short-term with
During the week, student teams are also challenged to develop innovative solutions to environmental issues. This year’s topic was ‘alternative energy.’ Equipped with notebook computers supplied by Acadia, participants created goals and implementation plans for their case project, culminating in a major presentation. A winning team is chosen on the last day.
To find out more about Discovery Quest, contact discoveryquest@acadiau.ca.