Northern Manitoba students explore science beyond the classroom
April 15, 2026
For groups of students from across northern Manitoba, science recently moved beyond textbooks and into a real research lab. On March 4, 2026, students visited the Youth BIOlab Jeunesse as part of Frontier School Division’s annual science fair in Winnipeg, marking four years of collaboration to help students succeed in science.
Thanks to donor support and funding from the Manitoba Métis Federation, students from remote communities travel to Winnipeg each year to learn at the Youth BIOlab Jeunesse, a biomedical teaching lab in St. B’s Albrechtsen Research Centre.
The visit gave the young Manitobans a chance to explore science hands-on at the Youth BIOlab. Through experiments, interactive lessons, and real scientific exploration, the lab inspires students to see themselves in science and health-related careers as they present their own work at the Frontier School Division science fair.
Students are selected through science fairs held at their schools, and donors support travel for all participants. This year’s participants came from communities including Grand Rapids, Falcon Lake, Dauphin River, Leaf Rapids, Gillam, and many others across the province.
For Kristyn da Mata, an educational assistant at Falcon Beach School, the trip offers students an experience that extends far beyond the classroom.
“It’s a unique opportunity for the students to see how science works outside of a classroom,” she said. “It’s also a chance for us to meet other kids who are passionate about science and have a genuine interest in learning.”
While Falcon Beach is relatively close to Winnipeg compared to some other participating schools, da Mata said the trip is still special for the students who attend.
“We live relatively close to Winnipeg, so our access is significantly easier than some of the other schools,” she said. “But it’s a fun opportunity that not everyone from our school gets. Every year we can send up to six kids, but this year we only have two.”
For others, the journey to Winnipeg can take nearly a full day.
Students from Leaf Rapids travelled by road to reach the city, accompanied by Emelio Campbell, a bus driver and greenhouse technician at Leaf Rapids Education Centre.
“The trip here was long and bumpy,” Campbell said. “We have mostly dirt roads, so it was about a 12-hour drive.”
But the opportunity that was waiting at the end of their travel made the trip worthwhile.
“My kids are more northern, so they’re a bit more closed-off from things,” he said. “In our science program we’ve worked with single-cell organisms and algae research. Being here and doing this kind of work in a real lab is great.”
Hands-on learning beats videos
Inside the lab, students explored the kinds of tools and techniques used by researchers every day. For many, it’s their first time seeing this kind of environment up close.
Teachers said the experience helps students see science in a new way.
“We can show them videos, but nothing compares to them coming here and getting hands-on learning,” said Carlos Martin, a math and physics teacher at Grand Rapids School.
Martin said excitement builds even before the students leave their communities.
“Before we left, the kids who had already been to St. B kept talking about how big and exciting the Research Centre is,” he said. “They were getting the other kids excited to see it.”
Once students arrived, excitement quickly turned into curiosity as they explored the lab and interacted with the equipment and activities.
“Because of this experience, they have more interest in science,” Martin said.
For students from remote communities, opportunities to visit such research facilities are rare. Donors support the Youth BIOlab year-round, opening its doors to students from across Manitoba. Whether they are just a short trip away or travel for many hours, students have the chance to step into a real research environment and engage in hands-on experiments.