The NSF-funded, Arecibo Remote Command Center, located on the campus of the University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College, is another program designed to involve students in astronomical research. Read more in this NSF news release. Credit: Andy Miller, courtesy of Gladys Porter High School
"WolfQuest," "Project IT Girl" and "LunarQuest" are NSF-funded computer games and projects that can engage students in science and mathematics. Learn more in this NSF news release and view the WolfQuest video.
Credit: Minnesota Zoo and eduweb
"If you really want kids to learn science, you teach them not with facts and figures, but by doing," says Laura Bottomley, an engineering professor at North Carolina State University who, along with colleague Elizabeth Parry, teamed engineering graduate students with teachers to make science more palatable to kids. Read more in this Discovery.
Credit: Laura Bottomley
A humpback whale breach in Massachusetts Bay. WhaleNet uses marine mammals as "hooks" to engage students in classroom science activities that involve critical thinking, mathematics, geography, and research. Read more in this Discovery.
Credit: J. Michael Williamson Photo, WhaleNet
The ITEST program responds to current concerns and projections about the growing demand for professionals and information technology workers in the U.S. and seeks solutions to help ensure the breadth and depth of the STEM workforce.
This diverse collection of lessons and Web resources provides teaching and learning tools for classroom teachers, their students and students' families.
September 28, 2009
There Are No Limits in This "Universe Quest"
Universe Quest opens new worlds for young explorers
They moved from classroom to observatory to beach, learning about astronomy, video games and digital photography.
Twenty-one sixth- through tenth-grade girls from the San Francisco Bay area spent a week at "Universe Quest" Summer Academy, a camp promoting scientific exploration. Some of the girls have always been hooked on math and science, but for others, it's a brand new adventure.
"It's hands on, it's not textbook, and it's not a teacher lecturing you about something. It's more, you get to do what you want to do and experience it your own way," said one of the students, during a field trip to the Chabot Space and Science Center.
"I think in elementary school from grades K-5, boys and girls are really interested in science, but I think something happens in the middle school," said
Sharon Parker, co-founder of ASA Academy and Community Science Center in Oakland, Calif.
The classroom portion of the Universe Quest camp, July 13-17, 2009, took place at ASA Academy. Parker said the "all-girl" summer camp builds confidence.
"In the middle school, girls get a really different sense of themselves," continued Parker. "So, if they really like science or math, that really gets tilted. Because the boys come in and so, sometimes, they lose a lot of confidence. So programs like this allow the girls to just be with a group of girls to really ask questions."
Astrophysicist Carl Pennypacker from the University of California, Berkeley is principal investigator of Universe Quest. The long-time educator said he loves to see the many "aha" moments from these young participants. He also sees value in the all-girl environment.
"Boys are at a different developmental stage. Boys come jumping up there and take center stage, and don't leave much space for girls to blossom," explained Pennypacker. "We are creating a safe, fertile ground for them to discourse, to dialogue, to see the things that really matter to them. Eventually they will have to interact with boys, of course, but they will be coming from a position of strength and confidence at that point."
Taking time to explore
Universe Quest is a National Science Foundation- (NSF) funded program. It is one of more than 140 NSF projects supported by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program. The program includes research studies and strategies for K-12 students and teachers. ITEST focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Another ITEST goal is to encourage careers in information technology.
The Girl Scouts of Northern California is also a partner in Universe Quest.
Science is second nature to scouts--who knew? Way back in 1920, Girl Scouts could earn badges for electrician, naturalist and stargazer.
Jean Fahy is program director for the Girl Scouts of Northern California's "Girls Go Tech" initiative.
"We encourage them in science. But, deeper than that is the encouragement to explore a variety of different options and gain confidence in science and technology, engineering and math," said Fahy. "So that they can go out and do whatever they feel is important to them as a career, whether or not it's in science and tech or something else."
During one morning of camp, the girls took part in a Skype video conference with Dara Norman, an astronomer at the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) in Tucson, Ariz. She explained how a career filled with the study of black holes and dark matter can be exotic, challenging and a great way to bring math and science to life.
"The most interesting thing to me about the science is that, every time you do a project or get involved in science, it always leads to more questions, so you are always chasing the ideas that you suddenly discovered you don't know," Norman told the girls.
Not just for future astronomers
Facilities like Chabot Space and Science Center and programs like Universe Quest can go beyond the often limited time and resources of classroom science teachers.
"If you really want students to learn, and to stretch their imagination about something, then you really need to take the time to have them spend more time exploring and developing their own questions," said Stan Fukunaga, education manager at Chabot. "That's the key. Because when you give them an already designed experiment, there aren't that many questions that could come out of that."
Many of these young women already have scientific plans for the future, from marine biologist to engineer to pediatrician.
Pennypacker thinks that's terrific. "Not that we want to produce a million astronomers, but if we can produce a million kids who love science, technology, engineering of the future, I think that would be a really good thing for the world," he said.