Future Scientists

By Julie M. Hughes

Nurturing future scientists and engineers depends on reaching out to students in middle school – because that’s when their interest tends to plunge, says Susan Brown, director of the Institute for Math and Science Education Outreach in the New Mexico State University College of Education.

For six years, Brown has led a team of NMSU scholars from the colleges of Education and Engineering who have developed and operated the primarily NASA-funded Southern New Mexico Science, Engineering, Mathematics and Aerospace Academy (SNM SEMAA). The academy provides historically under-represented students in grades PreK-12 with academic enrichment and career awareness programs emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields.

Today, SNM SEMAA is partnering with community organizations and businesses to develop an Academy for Young Scientists focused specifically on reaching out to fifth-graders and their families. Funded by a three-year, $800,000 National Science Foundation grant, the Southern New Mexico Academy for Young Scientists will engage the students and their families in 150 hours of out-of-school STEM-related activities.

“We really want this program to address the nose dive in middle-school students’ interest in math and science,” Brown said. “Building on the curriculum we have developed in the SNM SEMAA program, we will focus on adaptation to the environment as a theme for the new academy.”

The academy launched in March with a Family Festival. “Student participation grows when families are involved,” Brown said. It is expected that 500 fifth-graders and their parents from southern New Mexico will participate in the academy during the next three years.

“We plan to intensely track the progress of these students,” Brown said. “We want to find out if their interest in STEM fields grows and if their math and science grades and test scores improve.”

The academy’s curriculum is inquirybased and includes hands-on activities intended to keep the students constantly moving. Some additions to the curriculum will include New Mexico history and study of the desert environment at the Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park, which has partnered with the university on the project.

“The Chihuahuan Desert Nature Park is dedicated to increasing scientific literacy by fostering an understanding of the Chihuahuan Desert. This project fits perfectly with our mission,” said Stephanie Bestelmeyer, executive director of the park. “The beauty of this theme is that it encompasses so many different areas of science. Students will have opportunities to learn about everything from archaeology to biology to astronomy. It is a wonderful way to expose students to a variety of ideas under a common theme.”

Bestelmeyer said the technology-driven world requires that students learn basic science and math concepts.

“Learning the process of science is all about learning critical thinking skills and how to learn,” she said. “Students today will be grappling with technologies and issues in the future that we cannot even anticipate today. However, if they know how to think critically, they can accomplish anything.”

Professional development of teachers is another important focus of the new academy.

“The College of Education is dedicated to training teachers to be the best they can be in their classrooms,” Brown said. “These programs help teachers learn the best way to engage students.”

Jennifer Martin, a teacher who has been participating in the SNM SEMAA program for five years at Alameda Elementary in Las Cruces, said the program improves students’ knowledge of STEM subjects and allows them to be in charge of their learning.

“SEMAA students have more knowledge when these subjects are taught in the traditional classroom,” said Martin, a fifth-grade teacher who will now serve as a coordinator for the new academy at Alameda.

Liz Gutierrez, a fifth-grade SEMAA student at Alameda, said she is excited about the new program.

“Science and math can sometimes be scary, but I like learning about it and I hope to learn more about the human body in the new program,” said Gutierrez, who wants to be a pediatrician when she grows up.

Martin said Gutierrez’s feelings are shared by many of her students.

http://semaa.nmsu.edu/