As a child, Jessica Tinholt never had any interest in science but fast-forward to high school and the Cochranite now proudly holds the title as gold medalist for the Calgary Youth Science Fair.
“It was definitely exciting,” the 18 year old said.
“It was really fun to present something I was passionate about and being involved (with the science fair) was really inspiring and exciting.”
It started eight years ago, as a way to bond with her grandfather. Tinholt began studying blue birds and building nest boxes in Cochrane and the surrounding area and doing weekly check ins on the eggs inside.
“In 2009 a family friend passed away and we took over the boxes from his wife,” Tinholt explained.
With the 33-35 nest boxes, Tinholt used the data – that she also submits to the Calgary Nest Box Association – and complied a science project for the city fair looking at how bluebirds interact with other birds, the invasive species and how it interferes with bluebird population, what the birds give back to the environment and why their eggs are blue.
“Egg shell can be an indicator of strength for the female – the more blue they are the healthier the birds are,” Tinholt explained.
The teen explained that she started getting interested in science when she entered high school biology, with inspiration from her teacher Travis Cummings.
“He was the one who really inspired me to get into science and ask ‘why’,” Tinholt said.
In addition to winning gold for her ‘Rocky Mountain Bluebird’ project on April 22, Tinholt also won the City of Calgary BiodiverCity Senior award at the Fair.
The award is given to students who demonstrate or advance positive action towards biodiversity conservation and/or protection.
“It’s exciting to see something come out of what was initially a hobby,” Tinholt said.
Graduating from St. Timothy High School this year, the teen said she will be working at the Blue Bronna Wilderness Camp throughout the summer and attend the University of Victoria for biology in the fall.
The Calgary Youth Science Fair is open to students in Grade 5 – 12 in southern Alberta, hosted for more than 50 years in Calgary.
