Alberta’s plants and animals showcased by Schulich researchers at Calgary Zoo

A new attraction at the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo is capturing the attention of many passing by. And it’s not a new animal.

Deep inside the Canadian Wilds section of the zoo, the Wild Alberta Hub is an opportunity for all visitors to look into Alberta’s rich biodiversity.

This year, the zoo has partnered with the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering, the Faculty of Science and Sustainable Calgary for The Chickadee Challenge.

The goal is to bring together environmental education, nature connection, and community engagement in fun ways like colouring books, postcards, stickers, and on-site activities.

“This is a great opportunity to look at and learn about Alberta species,” says Dr. Marjan Eggermont, BA’91, BFA’86, MFA’98, PhD’18, a professor in Sustainable Systems Engineering. “We have some really unique species here like a wood frog that, in the winter, basically has antifreeze in its blood to stay alive.”

The hope is that visitors will stop to appreciate the wildlife, whether it be animals or plants, in their own communities.

In our own backyards

Running for six weeks every July and August, the Wild Alberta Hub is a summer engagement program aimed at showcasing different natural regions within the province: Grasslands; Wetlands and Aquatic Ecosystems; and Boreal Forests and the Rocky Mountains.

“The hub is designed to do more than just showcase Alberta’s wildlife — it aims to deepen understanding, spark curiosity, and inspire action,” says Jessee Wise, BA’14, BEd’18, the zoo’s conservation education program co-ordinator. 

“Through hands-on activities, interactive displays, and real conservation stories, visitors learn about the diverse natural regions found in Alberta and the unique animal species that call each one home.”

Eggermont says she and her team started developing the materials for what would become the Chickadee Challenge — named after Calgary’s official bird, the black-capped chickadee — in the fall of 2022 to celebrate and raise awareness of local biodiversity.

When the opportunity arose to bring the nature-inspired design tool kit to the Calgary Zoo, she says it was a natural fit.

Stop and smell the roses

The Wild Alberta Hub has also been a learning experience for Schulich students involved in delivering the program this summer

Recent grad Semi Adeyinka, BSc (Eng)’25, is now a research assistant and says taking one of Eggermont’s biomimicry classes inspired her to find ways to bring nature and engineering together.

She says spending the summer outside imparting her knowledge to the next generation of scientists and engineers has been a lot of fun.

“In nature, there’s a lot we can learn from what’s around us, a lot more than you would actually think,” says Adeyinka. “I’d encourage everyone to go outside, look around and take it all in.”

Taking the materials beyond the zoo, Eggermont says pilot programs have also been launched at three K-12 schools in Calgary.

“We’re hoping to get younger kids to look around and think about what they can learn from the organisms around us,” she says.

The Chickadee Challenge at the Wild Alberta Hub will be on display in the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo’s Canadian Wilds every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday until Aug. 22.