The Mentoring System for the Hydro-Québec Science Fair Program
If you need valuable advice or special equipment while working on your project, mentoring could be the solution.
The role of a mentor is to help you complete your science fair project. This experienced person will be able to answer your questions and guide and support you as you learn the scientific process, without doing your project for you.
That’s why S.O.S. Mentor, Hydro-Québec’s Science Fair mentoring program, connects specialists with mentees free of charge.
Crédit photo : SDI Production.
Specifically, a mentor can:
• Give you advice on the feasibility of your project;
• Inform you about the techniques available to carry out your experiment;
• Guide you on how to perform data analysis;
• Give you access to a laboratory and specialized equipment;
• Guide you on the ethical rules to follow;
• Supervise you or perform certain tasks (for safety or regulatory reasons);
• Encourage you and keep you on track;
• Tell you about their studies and work.
To find out if mentoring is right for you, ask yourself the following questions:
• Do you want to clarify the process that will enable you to answer your initial question?
• Do you want to validate your experimental protocol?
• Do you need access to a laboratory and equipment with restricted access?
• Do you need to meet the requirements of the Science Fair regulations, which, depending on the project, may require the participation of a mentor?
• Are you planning certain procedures that must be performed by a professional in order to comply with science fair regulations?
• Would you like to learn more about science studies and careers?
If you answered “yes” to one or more of these questions, S.O.S. Mentor is for you!
HOW TO FIND A MENTOR
Do you have a project idea and need a specialist to guide you? To benefit from mentoring, you must be registered for this year’s Hydro-Québec Science Fair, prepare information about your project, and submit a registration request using the S.O.S. Mentor form.
Go to the Technoscience Network portal and click on “S.O.S. Mentor” to access the mentoring application form.
Are you registered for the Hydro-Québec Science Fair and ready to apply? Let’s get started!
WHAT IF I CAN’T FIND A MENTOR WHO SUITS ME?
If you are not matched with a specialist who meets your needs, you can also look beyond our network and ask someone else to mentor you. You can invite them to join our network. (See below)
Share your expertise by becoming a mentor
Make a difference by supporting young people in their scientific journey. As a mentor, you will be a source of inspiration and a valuable guide to help them succeed.
A mentor is someone who is an expert in a scientific field and who wishes to volunteer their time to:
- help stimulate the mentee’s interest in science;
- support the mentee in their scientific endeavors during the completion of their science fair project;
- serve as a role model (honesty, rigor, patience, openness, etc.);
- guide them to useful sources of information;
- share knowledge;
- provide information about science education and career options.
You decide how involved you want to be as a mentor, whether it’s how you want to communicate with your mentee(s), the number of hours you invest, or the number of young people you choose to help.
By clicking on the button below, you can register in our mentor database so that you will be visible to young people who have needs related to the information provided in the form.
To better understand your role and discover practical tips, consult our mentor guide.
In collaboration with
The Association francophone pour le savoir – Acfas is proud to be the media partner of S.O.S. Mentor.