Hendrix Students Teach Kids About Science
CONWAY, Ark. (June 8, 2007)
The Hendrix Odyssey program has inspired Hendrix students to learn through their personal experiences. Some of those students are taking it a step further this summer – They are helping the children of Faulkner County learn about science, the fun way.
Hendrix College science students Paul Anderson, Patrick Huddleston, Travis Kaufmann and Erica Siebrasse initiated a special project for local students, incorporating interesting aspects of science into fun science lab experiences. The project, “Ridin’ Dirty with Science,” was a free two-day camp for students in grades 4-7.
The Hendrix students teamed up with the Faulkner County Boys and Girls Club for the project. The students hope to foster an interest in science in elementary and middle school students, according to Hendrix associate chemistry professor Dr. Liz Gron, the project sponsor.
The camp included three main lab experiments. The first was “The Invisible: What grows on water fountains, doorknobs, and telephones?” The second experiment was “Caught Dirty Handed: Are your hands clean after washing them?” The final experiment was “Cleaning with Oranges: How to make cleaning products from orange peels and dry ice.”
Siebrasse, a biochemistry/molecular biology major from Parsons, Kan., said “the hands-on experience showed the students that science is fun and not impossible.” According to Siebrasse, the three experiments were adapted from experiments done in Hendrix science classes as well as from a science camp she attended.
Camp participants learned about a variety of things, including solvents. “They learned about things they had seen and played with, but didn’t know how they worked,” said Gron.
According to Gron, most of the participants had never seen a science lab before. Anderson, who is a business major/biology minor from Memphis, Tenn., said the kids enjoyed the hands-on experience they got in the lab.
“They got a chance to be scientists,” added Kaufmann, a biochemistry major from Mountain Home. He was amazed as he watched the participants develop an inquiring nature over the course of the sessions.
Faulkner County Boys and Girls Club program director, Marie Abrams, believes this is a great opportunity for the kids to learn. “Most of the children now want to be scientists after ‘Ridin’ Dirty with Science.’”
“I wish I had done something like this when I was a kid,” said Huddleston, a biology major from Dallas. “These kids are handling concepts I just learned last year.”
Camp participants aren’t the only ones who learned from this project. “The Hendrix students organizing this activity learned about translating science to other students, how to organize and manage a large project and how to network with the larger Conway community,” said Gron.
“The camp was completely initiated by the students,” said Gron. The students have been working on this project for about eight months. They were responsible for planning every aspect of the project, from when and where the camp would be held to designing the t-shirts to choosing and testing the experiments. They applied for and received an Odyssey grant to cover the costs associated with the camp.
“Your Hendrix Odyssey: Engaging in Active Learning” is a major component to the Hendrix curriculum. The philosophy is, “You learn more when you do more.” Each student is required to complete three Odyssey experiences selected from six categories. Those categories include: artistic creativity, global awareness, professional and leadership development, service to the world, undergraduate research, and special projects.
The Odyssey Program awarded grants totaling $136,391 to 35 projects in February.
The two-day camp consisted of two sessions. The first was held June 4-6 and the second June 7-8. The camp took place on the Hendrix College campus.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college that emphasizes experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, visit www.hendrix.edu.
