WWEST is excited to announce that we are part of the NSERC Promoscience Grant for $70,680 over three years for a STEM Outreach Program for Rural BC received by Simon Fraser University (SFU) Faculty of Applied Sciences. WWEST is creating a free open-source desktop application (app) with three modules which will enable outreach groups to engage youth in computing science activities regardless of their access to internet and up-to-date computers. Over three years, Science AL!VE and Let’s Talk Science at SFU will support the delivery of outreach programs with this new app to 15,000 Aboriginal, remote, and at-risk youth. In addition, WWEST will develop a teacher’s toolkit with lesson plans to support BC’s new computer science curriculum and deliver workshops to teachers across BC to share this toolkit for use in classrooms.

The first module of this app is called “Tune Twister” and is currently in beta testing for public release later in 2017. The app provides an opportunity for children in grades 4-8 to learn about the science of sound engineering by manipulating music tracks. With its dynamic interface, the app demonstrates how acoustics are affected depending on the digital effects that are applied to music. Kids will learn about electronic audio filters, waveforms, frequency, pitch and how speed impacts sound.

We'd like to thank NSERC for their investment in this project and our partners, Science AL!VE and Let's Talk Science, for collaborating to make this project even better! To find out when Tune Twister is publicly released, and a whole lot more, please subscribe to the WWEST newsletter.