Back to the Fair: Future Energy Systems at K-Days 2024

Energy Explorer Parsa Bohrani explains his research demo to a K-Days guest

Another successful Energy Explorers event in the books!

Over the weekend of July 26, 2024, researchers and staff from Future Energy Systems (FES) shared their work with the Edmonton public at K-Days, Edmonton’s longest-running summer fair. First hosted by the city in 1879, K-Days has become one of Edmonton’s most anticipated events of the summer. This year’s program ranged from from music, arts, and culture, to sporting events and showcases of science, technology and innovation. 

The final three days of the Innovation Zone were focused on sustainability. Members from the University of Alberta student club iGem and staff from the Alberta Land Institute joined FES staff and researchers in showcasing their work over the weekend. 

“We showcased over ten active research projects and interacted with around a few thousand people by the end of the weekend. And we were fortunate to be joined by the iGem and ALI teams,” explains Elyse Dzenick, Research Communications Coordinator for FES. 

“We talked to so many people in a short time,” recalls Maryssa Iacobelli, Energy Explorer and master’s student. “We’re used to primarily engaging with kids and younger audiences through Energy Explorers programming, so it was a fun challenge to push myself and explain my research to other audiences with lots of different educational backgrounds.”

“I was proud to see every volunteer making an effort to connect with the K-Days attendees and finding ways to inspire excitement around their energy research,” adds Elyse. “Some graduate researchers, like Jingya Pang and Jingyi Liu even practiced communicating their research in two languages—English and Mandarin.”

The popular educational children’s book series The Energy Adventures of Tommy and Remi (now available for sale on the University of Alberta’s marketplace) was a special feature over the weekend. Twelve “golden tickets” were hidden around the fairgrounds and kids who found them received one copy to take home. 

“One thing we want people to take away is that even with serious topics like the energy transition, there are still ways to have fun learning,” Elyse says. “That’s why we added a scavenger hunt and were giving away informational trading cards that feature characters from The Mystery of the Glowing Light and The Case of the Shiny Roof.”

Take a look at some moments from FES, Energy Explorers, and iGem team from the K-Days Innovation Zone 2024!

To purchase a copy of The Energy Adventures of Tommy and Remi, head to the University of Alberta Marketplace. 

K-Days 2024