At Science Rendezvous Kingston, you will get to do fun STEM activities, experiments, and chat with lots of scientists! To learn more about our booths, explore the following list:
Indoor arena
(main bowl)
Visitors to our STEM & Robotics Centre booth will explore hands-on robotics and technology, including LEGO SPIKE Prime, Dash robots, Bee-Bots, and 3D printing. Through quick, interactive challenges and demonstrations, families will learn how coding, engineering, and creative problem-solving come together to build real-world STEM skills in fun and accessible ways for all ages.
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Check out the Human Body in Motion Demonstrations, including an interactive demonstration of how muscles move limbs and how changes in mechanical advantage of the muscles affect them. Try to arrange 3D printed models of the human bones correctly, interact with our motion capture system, and delve deeper into understanding the intricate mechanics of your body's movement!
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Join us for an interactive exploration of biomechanics, the science of how forces, energy, and muscles interact to produce human motion. This booth introduces visitors to how scientists study movement in sport, exercise, and everyday activities using real research tools. Through hands-on activities and interactive challenges, attendees will learn how forces are measured, motion is analyzed, and how biomechanics can improve performance.
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Welcome to the world of metals â from big to small to tiny! Explore how metals corrode with a hands-on steel wool experiment and discover how we can prevent corrosion in large metal structures. Try building a LEGO model of a microprocessor to learn how chips are made and how we can improve their fabrication. See how tiny metal particles glow under UV light and how this helps us understand and heal the human body. Youâll be amazed by what youâll learn about the science and technology of metal coatings and how they benefit society, from transportation and construction to microelectronics and cancer treatment!
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Get excited about chemistry with small elephant toothpastes, colour changing chemical indicators, dry ice bottle rockets, and periodic table stickers. Youâll learn about chemistry and scientific principles in a fun and interactive way!
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Research Casting International (RCI), located in Trenton, Ontario, is one of the world's largest providers of Museum Technical Services and is dedicated to the restoration and preservation of the world's most valuable paleontological specimens and artifacts. RCI conservators are experienced in handling, preparing, and preserving skeletal elements from existing armature, plaster jackets, matrix, or plaques. They are knowledgeable in preventive conservation measures and have collaborated with museums on an international level.
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Explore the amazing connection between dinosaurs and birds through engaging visuals, fun activities, and hands-on learning! Get creative with bird-themed coloring pages, discover fascinating facts, and see how modern birds carry on the legacy of their prehistoric ancestors.
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Visitors will be able to look at bacteria under microscopes, explore the ways bacteria help plants grow, and learn about plastic-eating bacteria.
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Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at the future of surgical robotics! Our booth introduces young minds to the exciting intersection of computer science, engineering, and medicine. Through hands-on demos, we make STEM fields feel accessible and engaging, inspiring curiosity in surgical robotics and computer-integrated surgery. Interactive experiences include:
- Phantom Model: A jelly mold of a body part used in surgical robot development
- Surgical Tool Registration Demo: Learn how computers âseeâ surgical tools using a model human skull
- Surgical Guidance Robot: A safe, small-scale robot demonstrating computer-integrated surgery in action
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This interactive booth will have three main activities that showcase methods and concepts in Psychological Science:
- âHungry Catâ is an interactive way to demonstrate how psychologists study cognitive development in younger children. Our youngest visitors will appreciate the opportunity to figure out what the cat likes to eat (and what makes his eyes light up!), making inferences about causality in the process.
- The âShow Us Your Emotionsâ activity showcases some cutting-edge technology used by affective scientists to measure aspects of facial emotional expression. Visitors of all ages can give their best acting performance and see what the underlying machine-learning algorithm thinks they were intended to express (e.g., happiness, anger, etc.).
- The âMagic and Illusionsâ activity highlights fun demonstrations of perceptual phenomena that lead to visual illusions and sleight-of-hand magic tricks. This activity explains how our brain and eyes âfill in the blanksâ when processing information in the environment around us, titrating our demonstration to the ages and interests of our visitors.
- Younger visitors will be able to work on colouring pages filled with psychology-related images, like brain anatomy and emotional expressions.
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Our team will guide you through real neuroscience tools, brain models, brain-themed crafts, and kid-friendly experiments that make brain science exciting, accessible, and unforgettable. Come flex your neurons and uncover the incredible world inside your head!
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Our booth will highlight how the heart and lungs work â separately and together â to support our bodies during rest, sleep, and exercise. The booth will be hosted by faculty and trainees from the Departments of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences and Medicine and will contain displays, demos, and games.
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Learn how a CT-scanner works and use our mini CT-scanner to see inside of Dr. Squeakâs (our mascot!) Learn where organs live inside your body and how they keep you alive with working models. Use real microscopes to see how different all the cells of your body are and learn why they are all different shapes and sizes. Become a gene sequencer and solve a puzzle! Learn how to align DNA sequences to a reference genome.
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Step into the world of early photography! Discover how sunlight, chemistry, and creativity come together in the cyanotype process â one of the oldest photographic techniques. Enjoy live demonstrations, view stunning blue-and-white prints under a microscope, and learn how artists and scientists have used this process to observe, document, and engage with the world around them.
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Art Conservation Program, Department of Art History & Art Conservation
Explore the marvels of nuclear energy and how it can be used to make electricity! Visit us for an immersive experience in the fascinating world of nuclear power. Build your own 3D atom model and witness live experiments on radiation, heat conduction and corrosion. Our booth also showcases interactive and informative exhibits on how a nuclear power plant works and the cool careers in materials and mechanical engineering.
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Experience the wonder of physics with our engaging interactive activities. From a vacuum powered ping pong ball cannon to crating art using a chaotic pendulum, come explore the world of physics!
*This group will also have a booth outdoors.
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ŸĆĐăֱȄ Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy
Step right up to The Coding Arcade, where YOU get to play awesome video games made by high school students! Can you beat the high score of the day? Curious about how the magic happens? Take a peek at the code behind the games and see how these digital worlds come to life. Play, learn, and level up!
*This group has a satellite booth in the sensory friendly zone.
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The Cardiovascular Imaging Network at Queenâs University (CINQ) is excited to be back at Science Rendezvous and ignite your curiosity about the heart! Come see what truly keeps us alive â the beating heart â using real ultrasound machines and learn how healthcare professionals look inside the body to study the heart and blood flow. You can also explore heart models and join in fun hands-on activities, such as origami and face painting, and discover how to keep your heart healthy and strong. Come spark your love for science and human anatomy one heartbeat at a time!
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Learn about soft and bioinspired robotics, participate in an interactive soft pneumatic inchworm race, and watch live robot demos with salp/jellyfish robots.
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and MRX lab
Ingenuity Labs invites you to meet our robots, including a robotic dog, and then learn about virtual reality while "feeling" virtual objects using haptic technology. Not sure what "haptic technology" is? Visit us to find out!
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Learn all about the heart! Build a heart, help a heart beat, and see how we research the heart. Listen to your own heart and see how fast it beats! Make sure to stop by for live demonstrations of a heart ultrasound. Test your knowledge on heart health for a chance to win a prize! Need a break? Stop by the colouring & craft station to make some heart art.
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Join us for an interactive demonstration about how airplanes fly! You are invited to design your own paper airplane, test how it performs in our portable wind generator, and delve deeper into understanding how lift forces can be generated by airflows.
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Fluids Research Alliance at Queenâs (, , and )
Concourse
Archives hold the records of so many different people, places, and events that there is always something new to learn (or something old to discover!) within our vaults. Come check out our booth to ignite your curiosity and examine archival documents, photographs, and artifacts.
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Visitors to the booth will be treated to a variety of different engineering wonders and interactive activities to explore.
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Visit our booth to engage in story time read alouds that pair science themed stories and kits. Touch replica fossils and bones, play with Ozobot robots, or create something out of blocks. Come see what we have, and sign up for a library card of your own today.
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Join the Rangers! Learn to track invaders, protect sensitive ecosystems, and help stop the tick takeover. Discover how invasive plants spread, how weeds evolve herbicide resistance, and how ticks transmit pathogens that affect people and pets. At our booth, you can practice tick-checking skills and learn why it matters, explore plant evolution by building your own âsuperweed", and see interactive demos about species on the move. Complete all activities to earn your Range Expansion Ranger badge and discover how weâre all part of natureâs changing story.
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Although there are no volcanoes in Ontario today, the entire province, including Kingston had active volcanoes during the Precambrian, over a billion years ago. These massive structures left their mark everywhere and evidence of their activity is still preserved in the rock in northern Ontario and even close to Kingston! At the Geology Rocks! booth, you will learn what the land around Kingston looked like during these lava-ly times and what rocks and formations we look for today to study Ontario's ancient volcanoes.
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Explore the exciting work of young minds! This booth features innovative projects created by students in Grades 5 to 12 for this year's Frontenac, Lennox & Addington Science Fair. Visitors can interact with the student scientists, try out hands-on demonstrations, and discover the creativity and curiosity behind their ideas. Our goal is to inspire others to jump in, get curious, and imagine their own projects â because anyone can do this. See how students just like you are using science to make a real impact, and get inspired to create something of your own!
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Letâs explore electricity in Health Care! Did you know electricity helps doctors save lives every day? At our booth, you can discover how static and current electricity made amazing inventions possible like the x-ray, the pacemaker, and the Electroencephalography (EEG). None of these would work without electricity! At our booth you can:
- Make your own x-ray craft and light up real historic x-ray equipment.
- See static electricity in action with a fun experiment.
- Explore how electricity helps keep us healthy.
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Join University Hospitals Kingston for a meet and mingle with our mascot, Asher the Wolf!
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For over 100 years, the world ran on piston-driven steam engines. See working models of engines used to power factories, steam tractors, and railway locomotives. Also, see a demonstration of how these machines are made using sand casting, lathe, and mill. Finally, there will be a continuously running video showing outdoor train operations at the club's Battersea track site.
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Have you ever wondered how the sluice locks work on the Rideau Canal? Why sailboats and sails are shaped the way they are? How pulley systems aid in construction? How water gets into your bathtub and out of your sink? Or why heavy boats can float on water? Queenâs Engineering students are here to give you a chance to learn about simple machines, buoyancy, plumbing systems, and water flow using interactive models that they constructed especially for Science Rendezvous Kingston.
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ŸĆĐăֱȄ APPSCI103 Students
Learn about the science of colour, lasers and light waves! Use our spectrometer to measure light waves of different colours, and use our diffraction gratings to split white light into a rainbow! Use our interactive Colour Builder to create new colours out of three simple flashlights.
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Can't see radiation? Think again!! With our cloud chamber display, you can easily see radiation with the naked eye. Find out how we detect this unknown hazard at ŸĆĐăֱȄ and in your home!
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See the importance of wearing a helmet by testing an egg drop with and without a properly fitted helmet. Learn more about how the brain controls the body and how damage to the brain and spinal cord can lead to complications. Feel the texture of a brain.
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Learn how to read a topography map! By shaping real sand by hand, visitors can learn about land surveying by creating topography models which are then augmented in real time by an elevation color map, topographic contour lines, and simulated water.
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Ever stopped to think about whatâs hiding in the water that swirls down your sink? The Contaminants of Emerging Concern â Research Excellence Network (CEC-REN) at Queenâs University is back to reveal the hidden world of water! Jump into our interactive, hands-on exhibit to uncover what sneaky contaminants (âyucky stuffâ) are flowing through our environment â from everyday products to mysterious âforever chemicals.â Discover how these tiny contaminants can have a BIG impact on our planet and health. Watch our live water cleanup demo, explore eye-opening displays about contaminants, and try your hand at being a mini environmental scientist. Join us to learn how researchers are developing smart, sustainable solutions to protect Canadaâs water for the future and how you can also be a protector of our environment!
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The Contaminants of Emerging Concern - Research Excellence Network
Discover nature up close! Explore natural objects with magnifying glasses, build towers from sticks and rocks, and create leaf rubbings. Learn about plants, engineering, and the outdoors through fun, hands-on activities!
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Get ready to see, hear, and feel science like never before! Join us at the Spark, Snow, and Sound booth for a high-energy journey through the world of molecules and waves. We are "igniting" curiosity with three hands-on zones designed for scientists of all ages:
- See the Sound: Watch in amazement as "Dancing Oobleck" comes to life! Choose a frequency and see how sound waves transform a non-Newtonian fluid into a pulsing, rhythmic masterpiece.
- The Diaper Dissection: Become a polymer engineer! Go behind the scenes of everyday materials to extract super-absorbent polymers. Youâll witness a tiny pinch of powder "ignite" into a mountain of instant snow that you can take home with you.
- The Hydrogen Power Plant: Witness the power of electrochemistry! Witness a custom battery that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen fuel. The finale? Weâll use that energy to "ignite" our massive Boom Tube, creating a sound that proves just how much energy is hidden inside a single drop of water.
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The Tragically Hip Way
(outdoor space)
Relectric's new project, our ground-up high-performance electric go-kart! Come see how we created our kart for our 51 lap race!
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An interactive STEM adventure where visitors of all ages can choose their own path of discovery. This station features hands-on experiments and engaging demonstrations designed to ignite curiosity and inspire a love of science. From exploring fascinating reactions to testing the physics of motion and uncovering the hidden forces that shape our world, each activity is part of a bigger quest. Stop by to explore, experiment, and spark your next science adventure!
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Experiment with solar telescopes set up to view the Sun (using safe solar filters) and any visible planets. RASC Kingston members will be on hand to answer questions about Astronomy, show how to use the on hand Planisphere handouts, and interpret posters about the Sun, the Night Sky, and the effects of Light Pollution. Other activities include quiz cards with âstellarâ questions about outer space, astronomy crossword puzzles, mazes, colouring pages, stickers, starfinders, and light pollution assessment protocols.
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Say "Hello" to our living, local bees in their observation hives and learn why bees are important for the environment and food systems.
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Showcasing demonstrations of biomedical devices for visitors to explore, including vascular grafts (artificial blood vessels), hip implants, and ophthalmic devices. We will also highlight how hydrogels can be used to address medical challenges through interactive alginate microsphere demonstrations, along with displays related to various eye diseases.
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and Kingston Chapter Biomaterials Society
Visitors will be able to observe, interact with and operate our Mars rover used in an international university competition including seeing the technical evolution of the rover equipment. Visitors will also get close and personal with our teams cube satellite used in competitions. Through these opportunities, we hope to spark interest in aerospace engineering for the next generation of scientists and engineers.
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Experience the wonder of physics with our engaging interactive activities. From a vacuum-powered ping pong ball cannon to crafting art using a chaotic pendulum, come explore the world of physics!
*This research group will have booths indoors
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Department of Physics, Engineering Physics & Astronomy
The ŸĆĐăֱȄ Observatory
Ever wondered what it takes to create a robot for team competitions? Check out the Machine Mavericks 2026 competition robot, and see what it can do!
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A showcase of projectile launching robots designed for the Advanced Robotics Competition. Come by to learn about the advanced hardware and software of these impressive robots!
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Come play with our student-built 125-pound 2026 competition robot, and watch it do it's thing!
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Sensory Friendly Science Zone
(Level 300)
Children of all ages can build Lego Robots, drive and play with VEXIQ robots, and colour or draw their own Lego robots.
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Comet Tech Lancers - LCVI/Calvin Parks PS/Limestone District School Board
Visitors will be able to play video games made from scratch by local high school students. They can also have a look at the code behind the games, and talk to the creators about how it all came together. Last year, we had games based around Minecraft, Duck Hunt, Space Invaders, Flappy Bird and more! Come see what we've been up to this year!!!
* This group also has a booth in the main bowl.
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Dive into the world of bees and discover why these tiny pollinators are a big deal! Explore a honey-themed sensory bin, âbuild a beeâ while identifying insect parts, add your name to a garden art display, and spin wooden flowers to reveal how bees help usâand how we can help them. Starting in April 2026, visit the âBEES!â exhibition at the PumpHouse Museum to learn more about these un-bee-lieveable insects. This exhibit will be visiting from the Museum of Surrey, which created it in partnership with the Honeybee Centre.
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Hands-on activities for youth of all ages to participate in and learn about science! Everything your child needs to colour individual works of art, solve mathemagical puzzles, make a coded bracelet, write a secret message using invisible ink, and other fun activities.
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View life-like turtle models of common species in Kingston, learn about the impacts of fishing on local wildlife, practice wildlife rehabilitation on stuffies, and view x-rays of patients at SPWC.
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Wetlands are wondrous places full of fascinating plants and animals! View samples of water under the microscope to learn about plankton, the tiny plants and animals that form the basis of the aquatic food chain. Use magnifiers to go hunting for aquatic invertebrates in our portable pond. Work together to create a food web of plants and animals that live in the wetland, and much more!
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At this interactive booth, kids can explore the science of DNA, the immune system, and cancer treatments through hands-on activities. They can build a DNA bracelet, using colored beads to represent DNA letters and see how small changes in the genetic code can affect how cells behave. In the immune cell bean bag toss, participants learn how immune cells recognize and attack cancer cells by tossing bean bags at targets. The immunotherapy dartboard lets kids âtreatâ different genes or cancer types by throwing safe darts, demonstrating how targeted therapies find the right cells. Younger visitors can also enjoy coloring sheets that reinforce these scientific concepts in a fun, creative way.
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We are the Aristizabal laboratory at ŸĆĐăֱȄ university, a group of molecular biologists interested in understanding how organisms respond to challenges. Come to see how we create small fires in the lab to learn about our latest work aimed at understanding how organisms respond to wildfire smoke. Visitors will have the opportunity to look at fruit flies (or test subjects) under the microscope, learn how we extract DNA from living things, and build models of how DNA is organized inside our cells.
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We will simulate a lab kitchen to talk about the results of our studies in Nutritional Psychiatry, inviting the audicence to become a scientist and a chef at the same time. We will show the harmful effect of ultraprocessed foods in the brain and will propose to the audience to create meals for mental health using different foods as elements.
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See and touch rocks, fossils, and fossil casts from the entirety of the Earthâs 6.5 billion year history. Walk through time on a giant geological time scale and learn what life looked like hundreds of millions of years in the past, including the fossils you can find in the Kingston area!
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We are plant biologists who will examine plants and teach you how and why plants get sick! You can also try fun, hands-on activities and take a plant home to keep exploring plant science after the event.
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Learn how your brain works, do a hands on experiment or activity, listen to a book reading by the author, and put a brain back together while learning about the parts!
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Attendees can watch waves travel in a clear flume and break on an artificial beach. Props are used to educate on coastal processes and their effect on nearshore habitats and coastal infrastructure.
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