Feb. 15, 2019
Student thinks outside the box with an ingenious escape room approach to STEM learning
O'Yeung at the awards ceremony with his parents, and the vice-president (university relations).
University Relations
His plan is to have them escape a single room, and by doing so, unlock a lifetime of passion.
For this, 19-year-old Schulich School of Engineering student Brennan O'Yeung is this year鈥檚 proud recipient of the Culbert Family Award for Philanthropy, given to him at the United Way鈥檚 Spirits of Gold Awards on Feb 12.
鈥淚n the summer of 2015, I experienced my first-ever escape room and instantly fell in love with the concept and most importantly, the challenge,鈥 explains O鈥橸eung.
鈥淚 enjoyed the experience so much, I created my own escape rooms in my basement for family and friends.鈥
Take that love of a good puzzle, and a drive to help others, and you get Escape with STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). That鈥檚 the vehicle through which O鈥橸eung hopes to attract more Indigenous youth to fields like engineering and science, by using STEM-based 鈥渆scape room/locked room鈥 puzzles and experiences to inspire students to explore STEM related education and career opportunities.
The kids get locked in a room, and through hands-on deduction and team puzzle solving, they earn clues to help them escape 鈥 an accomplishment that鈥檚 both fun and educational.
Escape with STEM was hatched when O鈥橸eung started at the 91快色. He noticed that while gender and ethnicity were well represented among students, there was a clear need to attract more Indigenous students to engineering.
鈥淭hat was the defining moment for Escape with STEM,鈥 says O鈥橸eung.
鈥淲hen I brainstormed opportunities to increase Indigenous representation in STEM-related learning, I decided to think outside the box and look for something interesting and original. I put my passion for logic puzzles into good use and Escape with STEM was born.鈥
And it鈥檚 working. Already, O鈥橸eung has taken his escape rooms to elementary students at 91快色鈥檚 Piitoayis School and to Indigenous youth at the Boys and Girls Club of 91快色, receiving enthusiastic response from participants, administration and club officials.
Through United Way鈥檚 Spirit of Gold, which recognizes young professionals shaping the future via work and charity, O鈥橸eung now has an extra $2,000 to develop his concept, which has until now relied heavily on personal savings and donations.