ROBOTS AND ROCKETS GO RURAL!
BEAKERHEAD TO EXPAND RENOWNED STEM EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO REACH SMALL TOWN ALBERTA SCHOOLS
Beakerhead, a Calgary-based science and arts outreach organization, is ramping up its unique school programs offerings to students in rural Alberta - thanks to a new partnership with Axia FibreNet. Teachers across Alberta, in all of the k-12 schools that Axia supports through its operation of the SuperNet, can now sign-up to express their interest in Beakerhead in-class and virtual programs set to take place in fall 2018.

Calgary, AB – They’ve built a human-sized hamster wheel, presented rock n’ roll robot bands, rolled out fire-breathing mechanical creatures, and sang along with famed former astronaut Chris Hatfield… And now Beakerhead, a Calgary-based science and arts outreach organization, is ramping up its unique school program offerings for students in rural Alberta - thanks to a new partnership with Axia FibreNet.
Now teachers across Alberta, in all of the k-12 schools that Axia supports through its operation of the SuperNet, can sign-up to express their interest in Beakerhead’s in-class and virtual programs set to take place in the fall of 2018.
Since launching in 2013, Beakerhead’s education programs have engaged more than 100,000 students in surprise classroom engineering challenges, field trips, school visits, and virtual leadership programs where remarkable inventors, scientists, engineers, artists, and entrepreneurs connect with students to share stories, facilitate workshops, answer questions and provide guidance.
With Axia’s involvement, these programs can now also be offered more directly to schools further away from the Calgary area.
Past Beakerhead education presenters have included Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, British inventor/artist Dominic Wilcox, and flight surgeon Dr. Doug Hamilton.
“At Axia, we believe Alberta is well positioned to be the most successful digital economy in the world.” Says Robert Price, VP Services for Axia FibreNet. “And to achieve that we need not only reliable fibre connectivity across the province – but access to programs and expertise to help develop the creative and technical skills youth need to lead rural communities into the future. We’re excited to help bring the potential of Beakerhead to the small-town classroom and communities we serve.”
This new partnership is a step in the right direction to close the digital divide of offerings and experiences accessible to communities and their youth if they don’t live in a major metropolitan area.
Teachers across Alberta can now sign-up for the following 2018 education programs:
- Bolt of Ingenuity: a virtual education program that streams exciting experts into classrooms worldwide (link)
- Classroom Ingenuity Challenge: top secret materials will be dropped off at your school with a inventive, engineering challenge posed. Will your school take the top spot?
“The ingenuity across the province in rural areas is striking and delightful so we are extremely pleased to partner with Axia to get these communities engaged in Beakerhead!” says Jay Ingram, co-founder of Beakerhead.
Axia also hopes to expand on this partnership with Beakerhead to support more community-led Beakerhead and STEM / STEAM initiatives in its FibreTowns.
If you're interested in learning more about Beakerhead, visit their website. To learn more about Axia's commitment to STEAM / STEM, visit our website.