Geneskool will be returning to Prince George, offering a unique and immersive science experience. Photo courtesy Genome British Columbia

By Tommy Osborne

Science camp

Unique immersive science camp returning to Prince George

Jul 13, 2024 | 2:49 PM

PRINCE GEORGE – An immersive summercamp for highschoolers in Prince George is being held at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) this August.

Organized and run by Genome BC, “Geneskool” will once again be held in Prince George. From August 12-16, students will be put into an immersive experience that took inspiration from one of the most well regarded pieces of media in recent years: The Last of Us.

“The whole premise of that show is this fungal infection. And when people are infected by that fungus, they become zombies. (…) We thought: what would that situation look like before it becomes apocalyptic and more of a patient zero situation. So can we cure this person of that fungal infection before everything goes very wrong?” explained Geneskool’s Senior Education Manager Alex Chattwood when discussing the premise of Geneskool’s upcoming camp.

With The Last of Us being as popular as it is, Chattwood is looking forward to this immersive science experience for students, as he says it’s a great way for science enthusiasts to not only have a fun week of living in this situation, but also a fantastic opportunity to learn and get some hands on experience with equipment.

“The kids get to use all the equipment that a scientist might use in their career, and they’ll get to solve the kinds of problems through the mystery and the story element that a real scientist might try and answer through scientific methods and things like that,” Chattwood said.

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While the chance to use the type of equipment most highschoolers wouldn’t use is quite exciting on its own, Chattwood added it also has a practical element of showing students what pursuing science beyond highschool could look like.

“What we want to do with this program and this experience over the summer is to kind of peel the layers back on what a career in science might look like, what an undergraduate degree or advanced training in science might look like,” he said.

The program is aimed at students between grades 9-12, and if you’re interested you can learn more and sign up at genomebc.ca. The program will run from August 12-16 at UNBC and the price is $350, although Chattwood added there is a bursary program to help with the cost in the event someone is interested in participating but the cost is a barrier.

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