A provincial government effort to encourage the region's youth to pursue careers in the sciences turned the Prince George Civic Centre into a hive of activity for two days this week.
Over the course of a "science expo" held Tuesday and Wednesday, more than 1,400 students were to have taken in presentations and demonstrations about such fields as chemistry, geography, biology and ecology.
"It was really cool how something like this can come to northern B.C.," said Prince George Secondary School (PGSS) Grade 10 student Chantelle Jimenez. "You can see all the different jobs that are available to us."
Jimenez wants to be a forensic pathologist and a model of the human brain caught her eye.
Most of the booths were manned by the departments at the University of Northern British Columbia but representatives from the associations for engineers and technologists were there as was at least one private company, Deltech, which manufactures bio-mass fuel systems.
The sites made Ashley Bradley, also in Grade 10 at PGSS, at least have second thoughts about a career as a translator saying she also likes studying natural resources.
"I really liked the idea of talking to the experts," Bradley said, adding she learned about some new avenues in forestry.
Student took in presentations on the genetics of beetles, sources of "green" energy, searching for groundwater and the behaviour of glaciers. One on using genomics to help honey bees fight off disease was particularly intriguing for Jarrett Vizza, in Grade 12 at McBride Secondary School.
"That one was really neat, actually," he said, although he's still more interested in becoming a teacher.
"I'm at the other end of this one, I guess," Vizza said.
But the event may have had some influence of Eline Koomans van den Deris, a exchange student from the Netherlands, who is taking Grade 12 at McBride Secondary School. She had been thinking seriously about a career in biology but is now wavering following a visit to the booth manned by the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of B.C.
"To me, it seemed much more interesting," she said.
At the end of a presentation on how advances in computer technology have improved the ability to predict the growth of forests, Jim Goudie had some advice for those thinking of a career in science.
It's the right field for someone who likes to figure things out.
"Do you like to just drive the car or do you like to dive into the mechanics?" Goudie asked.
Curiosity, competence -- if not excellence -- in math, ability to write, discipline, self-motivation and patience were some of the other attributed Goudie listed. Other than those who "hit on something marketable" most scientists won't become rich, he warned, but will have fun.
"I love to go to work most days," he said. "Meetings can be a bit of a problem sometimes."
