Tusculum University Science Club members shared the excitement of many disciplines within that field with a morning of active and experiential learning activities with students from a local elementary school.
Second graders from nearby Doak Elementary School visited the Meen Center Friday, Jan. 26, to take part in five, 20-minute sessions led by Science Club members and Tusculum faculty. Fourteen Tusculum students helped about 100 second graders better understand science and mathematics and discover how a career in them can be fulfilling and fun.
“There can be a connotation that it is weird or not cool to be a science major,” said Skylar Georges, the club’s president and a sophomore majoring in biology, with a pre-medical, dental and veterinary concentration. “It was interesting to be able to expose these students to the different majors and show them through hands-on activities that science can be really neat to learn. It’s not just sitting and listening to lectures. It’s hands-on – things such as building, engineering and the body.”
The Tusculum students taught students in the following subjects using these activities:
· Biology – building skeletons with the various bones of the body
· Chemistry – making elephant toothpaste using a process that would create a result similar to an overflowing volcano
· Environmental science – A taxonomy show-and-tell, where students were able to see preserved animal specimens, such as a bobcat.
· Mathematics/Physics – Making towers out of marshmallows and toothpicks
· Psychology – Playing with miracle berries, which make something sweet taste sour and the reverse
Trejen Fox-Birdwell, the club’s vice president and a senior also majoring in biology with a pre-medical, dental and veterinary concentration, developed the overall idea for the event and sought input on the ways it could run. He said the event aligned with principles of his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi.
“It came back to uplift and scholarship,” Fox-Birdwell said. “I thought it would be a good connection to work with kids, and I thought it would be good for all of us to conduct something with kids and see what they are learning. It demonstrates our being good citizens in the community.”
Caid Sanders, the club’s secretary and a junior majoring in biology with a pre-medical, dental and veterinary concentration, said the morning was successful. He said he had a great time.
“All of the kids seemed to be really engaged and interested in STEM and what we were bringing to the table today,” he said. “It’s good to get young kids interested in the field of STEM early so that way, we can continue having doctors, scientists and astronauts in the future so we can keep progressing as a society. It’s always good connecting with a younger kid and seeing their eyes light up when you are trying to teach them something.”
Dr. Heather Henson-Ramsey, dean of Tusculum’s College of Science, Technology and Mathematics, said the invitation of the second graders to visit the university was another example of the higher education institution’s commitment to civic engagement.
“We value our relationships with the community and our local schools, and I’m proud of our students for developing this idea and bringing it to fruition,” Dr. Henson-Ramsey said. “These students were wonderful ambassadors and enabled these second graders to have an enriching, hands-on experience, which is embedded in our mission. We are pleased to assist younger students by expanding their knowledge and giving them the opportunity to work one-on-one with our excellent students.”
More information about Tusculum’s science programs is available at www.tusculum.edu.
