LSAMP program to teach elementary students about STEM fields
The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program on Tuesday (Nov. 30) will teach 100 fifth- and sixth-grade students from Williams Elementary School in Gary about the importance of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Purdue students who are part of the Fall 2010 LSAMP Undergraduate Research Program are hosting the event. The Fall 2010 cohort members are Isaiah Butler, David Eaton, Shree Frazier, Ariel Garcia, Joshua Liddell, Suzette Miller, Aamir Williams, Deyu Kong, M. Rhea Lusk, Venecia Wilson, John Franklin Jr. and Gabriel Rangel.
Through a series on hands-on activities, the Purdue students will help the participants understand the importance of STEM fields in their everyday lives, show that higher education is within their reach, and illustrate how STEM fields are fun and exciting areas to explore.
The elementary students will tour a wind farm, build a terrarium to learn how plants use photosynthesis to make energy, and build a bridge with toothpicks and gumdrops to learn how bridges may be classified by how tension, compression, bending, torsion and shear are distributed through their structure.
The Fall 2010 LSAMP Undergraduate Research Program cohort applied for and received the Office of Engagement's Service Learning Grant to fund the event.
The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation program is aimed at increasing the quality and quantity of students successfully completing science, technology, engineering and mathematics baccalaureate degree programs. LSAMP’s goal is to broaden the participation of students (K-12, postsecondary and graduate) in STEM disciplines.
