CORNWALL, Ontario – Science and Technology Day at Ontario Power Generation (OPG) on Saturday, July 14 featured 3D printing, virtual reality demonstrations, a Van de Graaff generator and other activities for the whole family.
Eric Belanger, a developmental summer student, organized the first ever OPG Science and Technology Day. He was happy with the amount of people who attended the event. Belanger believes that impactful advances in technology should be recognized and understood by children and adults.
“Especially in today’s world, everything is tech oriented and heading towards the future; everything is related to technology,” said Belanger. “Like 3D printing and virtual reality, I think it’s going to be a very large part of our future, and everything is going to revolve around that sort of technology. I think it’s also very fascinating for everyone to learn about. It’s things that aren’t available, like at home, and things that are too expensive to try out…it’s up and coming, and I think it’s good to know.”
Joseph Boyer, Owner and Operator of Midnight Makers 3D Printing, provided a live demonstration of printing products at the event. His business, which started as a hobby after an injury, branched into a new storefront on Montreal road about two months ago. He currently makes products, holds workshops and rents out his printers.
Colony VR from Ottawa was also present, providing different games and different landscapes to explore, like Google Earth. The St. Lawrence River Institute also had a display at OPG, with microscopes and educational games.
Belanger demonstrated how electricity works through the use of a Van de Graaff generator which left visitors with wild hairstyles.
“Our visitors centre not only tells the story of our generating station, but a lot of people don’t understand how we generate power itself,” said Belanger. “So across OPG we have all kinds of innovative things. I think there’s a lot of room for learning for kids and adults.”
OPG will be holding Family Fun Day on July 28.
