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Mark Norregaard, a 17-year-old student at George McDougall High School and a resident of Balzac, has once again proven his scientific prowess by being named one of the winners of this year's 4-H Canada Science Fair.
This year is Norregaard's second win at the 4-H Canada Science Fair, having won last year as well as the Calgary Youth Science Fair.
Norregaard's experiment was an evolution of his previous work. In 2022, he tested the effectiveness of sweet potato skins as a corrosion inhibitor.
This year, he expanded his research to include tomato skins and borax as an inexpensive, renewable, environmentally friendly, non-toxic inhibitor of corrosion.
“I tested those on two different types of metal, mild steel and galvanized steel and in two different types of corrosive solutions,” he said.
Norregaard’s experiments involved testing the effectiveness of the corrosion inhibitors over 25 and 50-day timeframes, with the level of corrosion being determined by the appearance and weight of the metal samples.
Living on a farm about 15 kilometres east of CrossIron Mills has given Norregaard a unique perspective on the scientific aspects of agriculture.
“I would like to continue doing science stuff and try to incorporate my love for agriculture into it to make a job [out of it],” he said.
Although the Grade 11 student was thrilled to be named a winner once again, Norregaard's favourite part of the experience was seeing the ideas of his peers in person.
“My favourite part was definitely being in-person, after the last few years being online,” he said. “I enjoy doing this type of science fair to meet new people and learn about other people’s projects. And this year was just really nice to see people I haven’t seen in three or more years.”
As a silver medalist at last year's Canada-wide Science Fair, Norregaard eagerly awaits this year's event at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, which starts on May 14. When asked about his reaction to news he’d won, he expressed excitement about the opportunity to learn from his peers and explore new areas of science.
“I was very thankful to be chosen to move on to the Canada-wide science fair, it was really exciting,” he said.
The high-schooler's dedication and passion for science are a testament to the importance of nurturing young scientific talent.
“I’ve seen some projects that are about the cure to cancer, people helping individuals with Alzheimer or dementia… some of these projects are just amazing,” he said.
