From using drones to transport goods to remote communities to machine-learning powered elevated trams to encouraging the shift from gas-powered vehicles to EVs, teens involved in the Shad Canada program showcased their ideas at Laurentian University July 21. 

The local university is one of 25 host university campuses in Canada to participate in the three-week-long summer program for high-achieving Grade 10 and 11 students, something LU has been doing since 2021.

Shad provides immersive, hands-on experiences in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) and entrepreneurship.

The 62 “Shads” from across Canada taking part in the Laurentian program teamed up to provide sustainable transportation solutions, as did students at other Shad campuses across the country.

One of the Laurentian groups had a project called “A Shift from Gas to Green,” in which they’d add a tax on gas and provide government grants to encourage people to purchase electric vehicles, and, controversially, remove the tax on Chinese EVs.

“We know that people love driving, the feeling of driving, it’s hard to make people switch from driving to going using public transportation every single day,” said Donya Izady, a student from North York in the GTA.

“So we tried to incorporate that in our project by having people drive cars that are better for the environment.”