If you’ve walked the path from Brentwood train station to campus lately, you may have noticed it’s looking a little brighter. That’s thanks to SciWalks, a grassroots public art initiative that began as a simple conversation between two lab partners in the Dr. Cameron Semper lab at the University of Calgary.
“We were working in a microbiology lab and talking about how we both like art,” said Hannah Cheung, a third-year neuroscience student. “That same day, we came up with the idea to do a mural.”
Cheung and Sherri Huynh, a fourth-year biological sciences honours student, co-founded SciWalks, a student-led initiative that combines their love of science to create accessible, educational public art.
“Science can be intimidating to a lot of people,” Huynh said. “We wanted to make it more approachable, and show that even basic things like cells or kinetics can be really interesting when you present them through art.”
Their first project came together in a matter of months. Within a single day of brainstorming in June, they had applied for a permit through the City of Calgary’s Paint the Pavement program. “We submitted the permit the same day we thought of the idea,” Huynh said.
Approval wasn’t quick. They had to follow up with 311, navigate securing insurance, and work to get the approval of the surrounding buildings. But after getting support from both the university and the city, including UCalgary instructor Andrew Sedor and Activate YYC, the project began to take shape.
Funding came through from the University of Calgary’s IDEAS Fund, while paint and supplies were purchased through Cloverdale Paint.
“They gave us a discount and even four free paint buckets,” Cheung said. “The staff were so excited to see what we were working on.”
Over the course of three days in August, Huynh and Cheung, alongside a team of seven volunteers, brought the mural to life.
“It was a lot of teamwork, and we got help from so many people we didn’t expect,” Huynh said. “On the day we started, I told Hannah, there’s no way we’re actually doing this. But we did.”
Looking ahead, the initiative plans to continue. Cheung and Huynh are already brainstorming future projects.
“We’d like to see more murals in seniors’ homes, hospitals or places for young children,” Cheung said.
“Especially in areas that need more colour and where kids could have a more positive outlook on their neighbourhood.” Huynh continued.
Students interested in volunteering can find SciWalks on their Instagram.
“We reply really fast,” Huynh said. “We’re also working on LinkedIn and QR codes, so when people see our art, they can scan it and follow us.”
For both founders, the project is as much about community as creativity.
“Working together in the lab built our bond, but SciWalks has been a chance to share that outside,” Huynh said. “It’s been amazing to see what started as a small idea turn into something that brings people together.”
Learn more about SciWalks here.
