Discovery:
The Educational Initiative

There is no fee required to volunteer for or participate in Discovery.

Each year, our volunteer team of graduate and undergraduate mentors form University of Toronto collaborate with Toronto District School Board teachers to develop educational experiences that allow high school students to explore aspects of physics, biology, and chemistry in new and creative ways beyond what's possible in a traditional classroom. Participating high school students complete inquiry-based projects in U of T laboratory spaces while being guided and mentored by Discovery members during multiple visits to campus throughout the semester. Members of the Discovery program have a unique opportunity to gain pedagogical experience and foster the next generation of scientists and engineers within the community.

During programming, high school students complete their Discovery project over the course of three visits to U of T lab spaces with their mentors. Each visit is typically 2-3 weeks apart, with a culminating end-of-term poster Symposium to provide the opportunity for students to present their projects to their peers, mentors, teachers, and faculty.

Discovery runs during the Fall and Spring semesters to align with the high school semester schedule. To get updates about upcoming programming dates, please sign up for our mailing list here.

Discovery mentoring is open to graduate students and upper year undergraduate students enrolled at the University of Toronto. Discovery mentors must also undergo relevant lab safety training prior to the first program date. First and second year undergraduate students may volunteer for Discovery in other capacities, such as poster judging at our end-of-term Symposium.

Discovery mentors represent our vibrant community of graduate and undergraduate volunteers who engage with high school science classes during program dates. Mentors will have the opportunity to hone their mentorship and teaching skills, overseeing high school student work in University of Toronto lab spaces.

If you are interested in volunteering for Discovery as a mentor, we encourage you to sign up for our mailing list. We will be in touch with program dates and volunteering opportunities.

We are grateful for the generous support from our funding sources and sponsors that allows us to run programming year after year. Sponsoring Discovery directly supports the experience of our high school student participants in gaining exposure to and familiarity with STEM in a post-secondary environment. You would also be supporting our graduate and undergraduate mentors in developing their pedagogical skills. If you are interested in sponsoring Discovery, please email us at discovery@utoronto.ca.

Discovery offers hands-on, open-ended projects that are integrated into your senior science classes with associated deliverables over the semester. Your classes will have the opportunity to come to University of Toronto St. George campus several times during the semester to design and execute experiments related to their given Discovery project, gain hands-on skills in undergraduate lab spaces, and hear from our diverse graduate and undergraduate mentors about their post-secondary journeys. We have also published papers highlighting the benefits of integrating the Discovery learning model into the classroom. If your school is interested in partnering with Discovery, please email us at discovery@utoronto.ca.

Discovery partners with specific high schools within the TDSB to bring semester-long programming to whole Grade 11/12 science classes. Individual high school students who are not enrolled in a partner school cannot participate in Discovery.