UA STEM Outreach Reveals the Wonder of It All
When the students talked about how “it is all around us,” they were not speaking of the unusually heavy rain that drenched the southwest last week. They were talking about science, technology, engineering and math.
In no way did the soaking dampen the enthusiasm of the nearly 160 Mansfeld Middle School students who were on the University of Arizona campus Nov. 22, 2013 for the annual SHPE/UA Science Day, sponsored by Honeywell.
Students spent the day practicing their teamwork skills as they mixed, stirred, filtered, poured and spooled for a chance to observe fruit DNA; puzzled, arranged and connected their way to the creation of an electric circuit; and figured, balanced and constructed en route to completing a number of engineering and science experiments, including one that featured a bowling ball pendulum!
The UA student chapter of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers, which hosted the STEM outreach program, not only brought science to life for the students, but also members passed on a bit of wisdom about the academic and professional life awaiting the world’s future engineers.
“Science Day is one of the outreach events we hold throughout the year that give us a chance to share our knowledge about the importance of STEM and inspire kids to pursue academic degrees and careers in engineering fields,” said Leah Herlihy, SHPE/UA Science Day vice president and a senior in materials science and engineering. “From experience, we can tell these kids, ‘You can do this; you can succeed.’ ”
