For the next school year, we intend to expand our initiative, rebranding it as the 2025 MFC Games. The 2025 MFC Games will have 4 sub-programs: “full” MFC Olympics, Mini MFC Olympics, MFC Play, and MFC Coaching. Our objective for the 2024-2025 school year is to have 500+ students in Calgary and Red Deer schools participate in the “full” MFC Olympics and Mini MFC Olympics. To support this expansion, we will engage University of Calgary students as workshop facilitators. We are also partnering with Dr. Marc Strous from the University of Calgary and Dr. Irene Herremans from Nature’s Ride in the rollout of the program next year.
MFC Olympics and Mini MFC Olympics
These 2 sub-program begin with an immersive introduction to microbes and MFC fundamentals, including reviewing the Scientific Method. Working in small teams, students build MFCs with soil from their backyard and experiment with different variables to amplify the electricity produced. Within weeks, it will produce adequate electricity to power a blinking LED.
Recognizing the value of engagement through friendly competition, power measurements are published on the MFC Games website weekly. During this period, students conduct individual self-directed research, then select and test their team’s best research ideas.
The initiative concludes with a “Cell”-a-bration, with food and games. Teams will also present their learnings to a judging panel and parents. Each school will also have the option to keep one working MFC post-challenge to inspire other students. To reduce environmental impact, we recover the surplus equipment for reuse in future events.
The MFC Coaching program supports student leaders involved in previous MFC Olympics or Mini MFC Olympics to lead their own MFC workshops. Working in groups of three, they would impact about 25 other students. Besides guidance from our experienced workshop facilitators, they have access to our workshop teaching materials and the MFC kits. They will also be given a scholarship to purchase other workshop supplies.
The MFC Play will be performed by grade school students participating in the full MFC Olympics, improving the storytelling aspect. “The Adventures of Shewy, the Electric Microbe!” is a backstage pass to the electrifying world of microbes, revealing the epic saga of how these tiny wonders crank up the voltage in the MFC!
If you are interested in rolling out this initiative at your school in the 2024-2025 school year, please contact us at: [email protected].