Interactive program makes science come alive for local
students
Investigating crime scenes, poking at a cow’s eyeball or
watching explosions aren’t the way a typical pre-teen spends
Saturday morning.
Interactive program makes science come alive for local students
Investigating crime scenes, poking at a cow’s eyeball or watching explosions aren’t the way a typical pre-teen spends Saturday morning.
Local students in grades 6-8, however, can do exactly that – and more – during the seventh annual “Science Alive!” conference Feb. 2.
“It’s really cool. It’s a hands-on program that really makes learning fun,” said Jan Bernstein-Chargin, Gavilan College’s director of public information. “It gives students a chance to experience so many things, from biology to creating robots to dissecting a cow’s eyeballs to building a car out of a mousetrap and some CDs.”
“Science Alive!” is open to all students in grades 6-8 in San Benito and Santa Clara counties as well as from around the bay area. The six-hour program, held at Gavilan College, includes workshops with hands-on science, math and computer enrichment activities, lunch, a free “goody” bag for each participant, a raffle, prizes and a keynote address called “Flames, Flares and Explosions” presented by staff from the Lawrence Hall of Science. Bus transportation will be available from Hollister, Bernstein-Chargin said.
For a $10 registration fee, students are allowed to participate in three separate workshops. Students can choose among 20 different workshops, whose topics cover a variety of subjects, such as crystal growing, making string art, monitoring rain, a first-aid course for kids, “CSI,” “The Secret Life of Strawberries” and “Slime Time.”
All of the workshops are extremely interactive, Bernstein-Chargin said. For example, in “The Secret Life of Strawberries,” students extract the fruit’s DNA by crushing the strawberries with a dish soap and salt water solution to break down the cell wall, causing the DNA to lose its structure. Next, students use ethanol to separate the DNA from the rest of the berry, forcing the DNA to float to the surface of a test tube. Another popular workshop is “Build a Racer,” where students make a race car using a mousetrap as an engine and CDs for wheels.
“Students get to pick which workshops they want to do, so they pick things that are exciting to them,” Bernstein-Chargin said. “So they tend to enjoy themselves while they learn. And the best part is that it’s hands-on. It’s not someone explaining engineering to you, it’s you making a hot air balloon view and flying it. It really does bring science alive.”
Attendance to “Science Alive!” continues to grow each year, Bernstein-Chargin said, with about 300 students attending last year.
“Teachers in the area seem to be very excited about the program,” she said. “It is great preparation for the upcoming science fairs held in each county and it’s a wonderful opportunity to view different aspects of science.”
Charles Oles, a teacher at San Andreas Continuation High School and the coordinator for the San Benito County Science Fair, says he feels “Science Alive!” is a great opportunity for local students to get an idea of what science is all about.
“It’s totally beneficial and a really great program.” Oles said. “It’s a very positive experience. It gets their creativity and curiosity going about nature and the world around them. Anything that gets kids motivated about science is a wonderful thing.”
The day will begin with check-in beginning at 7:30 a.m. at the Gavilan College Student Center. The first workshop begins at 9 a.m., followed by a second workshop at 10:10 a.m. After a short break, students will complete their final workshop, have lunch and at 1 p.m., listen to the keynote address presented by Lawrence Hall of Science. The last 30 minutes of the day will consist of prize giveaways and raffles, and students will be dismissed at 3:30 p.m.
One change to the program this year is the addition of parent workshops. Subjects for parents to choose from include financial aid, finding money for college, preparing children for high school and college, living with adolescents and helping children succeed in math and science. The parent workshops will be offered in both English and Spanish, Bernstein-Chargin said. Registration is $10 per person.
The workshops will be conducted by current and former Gavilan College Math Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) students as well as some of the college’s math and science instructors. Guest presenters include representatives from the Santa Clara Valley Water District, Schmahl Science Workshop, the Genome Bioinformatics Group from the University of California at Santa Cruz, the National Weather Service, Gilroy Veterinary Hospital, Gilroy Fire Department, Gilroy High School, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories and UCSC physics students.
Parents can register their students or themselves for the program online at http://www.gavilan.edu/sciencealive or by calling Hope Jukl at 408-846-4947. Due to the program’s increasing popularity, Bernstein-Chargin recommends advance registration rather than waiting to register the day of the event. There are also a limited number of need-based scholarships available; parents interested in obtaining a scholarship for their children should call Jukl prior to the event.
‘Science Alive!’
Feb. 2 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Gavilan College Student Center, 5055 Santa Teresa Blvd. in Gilroy. Student check-in begins at 7:30 a.m.
Open to all students – public, private and home schooled – in the Bay Area, including San Benito County.
Students participate in three workshops selected from 20 different topics
$10 per student registration fee includes three workshops, lunch and a “goody” bag.
Register online at http://www.gavilan.edu/sciencealive or by calling 408-846-4947. Pre-registration is recommended.
Bus transportation is available from Hollister. For information regarding busing, call 408-846-4947.
Presented by the Gavilan College Math Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA) program and the Gavilan College Educational Foundation.
