The Family Science Experience

 



Elizabeth Danka (2nd from left) and Erica Siebrasse
(far right) are pictured with volunteers and students

On July 14^th and 15^th, the Young Scientist Program hosted the first ever Family Science Experience at Washington University.  A camp-style event, it allowed 15 middle-school students from the Youth Learning Center in the Central West End neighborhood to perform hands-on science experiments with Washington University volunteers in small, interactive groups.  Some of the various activities that filled the two days include "Dinner Theatre CSI," in which participants performed fingerprinting and blood typing to identify the culprit of a crime, as well as a lesson on environmental science, where students tested for chemicals in various water samples and collected outdoor specimens to observe under a microscope.  The parents and guardians were also brought in for the second night to participate in the "Dinner Theatre CSI" and even did the experiments with the kids.  As all but one of the activities were written by the organizers, there was a lot of work and dedication put into this event.  The organizers, Erica Siebrasse and Elizabeth Danka, were very happy with how the Family Science Experience turned out and believe that the volunteers, parents, and especially the kids all had fun and gained a lot from this experience.  "We just wanted to get the kids interested in science and show them that science is very variable," Erica says.  Elizabeth adds that it was important to her to show the kids that science "can be fun and hands-on."  Although the "controlled chaos" atmosphere was perhaps a bit unexpected for Elizabeth, it is this exact environment consisting of 100% hands-on activities and constant interaction with volunteers and other students that leaves a lasting and positive impression on the kids.  In fact, surveys were conducted that asked the kids whether they hate, like, or love science before and after the event.  Students who indicated they hated or only liked science before participating all wrote afterwards that their opinions of science increased to liking or loving it.  It is currently unknown whether the Family Science Experience will continue next year, who might take the initiative to organize it, or whether it might evolve into a weekly event during the school year, but based on the positive feedback, it is clear that many people hope it will keep going.



A Chat with YSP Student Director, Kate Chiappinelli



            Kate Chiappinelli



Kate Chiappinelli graduated from Haverford College in 2007 and is currently a fourth year student in the Developmental    Biology   Program  at  Washington University  in  St.  Louis.   Kate has also taken on the duties  of  Student  Director  of  the  Young  Scientist Program (YSP) since August 2010 and recently spoke with us about what she does for YSP, volunteering in general, and the YSP-MIDSCI partnership.

Peggy Ni: As the YSP student director, could you describe what you do?

Kate Chiappinelli: I run the monthly Steering Committee Meetings and the Community Advisory Board Meetings, which we hold twice a year. The Steering Committee is made up of Washington University student volunteers involved in YSP and each month we review changes, suggestions, and feedback from specific programs and events. The Community Advisory Board is made up of YSP volunteers as well as Washington University faculty, St. Louis Public School teachers and administrators, and other community members. I present a "semester-in-review" to this group and we receive helpful advice and feedback.

 
I also oversee the various YSP Programs and am involved directly in several. This year I started a Funding Committee to explore both federal and corporate support for YSP. In addition, I am working on a publication on assessment of YSP's Summer Focus program [which has high school students working with Washington University graduate students in the lab] with two other YSP volunteers and our faculty advisor, Dr. Tom Woolsey. Lastly, I am the Co-Head of our Summer Focus (SF) program for 2011.

PN: Why did you become involved with YSP in the first place?

KC: I became involved with YSP the summer after my first year of graduate school. I volunteered to help with the Writing Course [for the SF students] and spoke to groups of students about their Summer Focus projects every week. I was very impressed by the positive attitude and talent of the students and realized that this was a program that could get students excited about doing real scientific research. I then co-taught the Writing Course in 2009 and 2010 and really enjoyed interacting with students and teaching them how to communicate science and craft their research papers. I have been involved with Teaching Teams [where Washington University students perform demos in middle schools and high schools in St. Louis], interviewing SF students, science fairs, and now administration of the program. I love teaching students about science, whether in a long-term interaction such as a summer project or a shorter one-hour Teaching Team Demo. It is gratifying to see the students' enthusiasm and confidence in themselves grow after they have done scientific experiments themselves.

  

PN: Do you think that enough students volunteer to promote science in the community? 

KC: I am very grateful for our fabulous YSP volunteers, but on the whole I do not think enough students volunteer for YSP activities. I believe that a crucial part of doing a Ph. D. in science is being able to explain difficult scientific concepts to others who may not have the same scientific background. I also believe that, as "experts" in our chosen fields, Ph. D. and M.D. students have an obligation to show younger students how fun and exciting science can be. Many of the schools we work with are under-resourced and do not have the time or money to do involved biology laboratories. Thus, we as graduate students can supplement the high school science curriculum with hands-on science experiences. For high school students, reading about biology in a textbook and memorizing vocabulary words is much more boring than actually isolating DNA from bananas with our Genetics Teaching Team.

 
PN: MIDSCI is partnering with YSP to help with the effort to provide much needed lab supplies for teachers and students.  What do you think is the most important reason for a science company like MIDSCI to connect with the community?  With your extensive experience being in YSP, a university organization, in what ways can a company potentially be more effective than a university group in promoting science education? 

KC: We are thrilled to be working with MIDSCI. I think it is beneficial for any company to become a working partner in its community.  In this case MIDSCI can use its expertise to support a program that potentially recruits more bright young men and women to scientific research, possibly even to their own company. 

Companies in general have more disposable income than universities, and can make a very positive impact by donating supplies to the schools. In addition, they can give some perspective about what kind of worker is needed in a non-academic setting.

PN: What is the top goal you hope YSP will achieve while you are here?

KC: My main focus this year is on funding. Our five-year HHMI grant that covers 80% of our operating budget ends in 2012, so we are researching new avenues of funding. We have doubled the Endowment for Science Literacy, Benefiting the Young Scientist Program this year and look forward to seeing it grow more. In addition, the Funding Committee will be applying for NIH grants and exploring opportunities with corporations in the St. Louis Metropolitan Area.

Saturated Fatty Acids and SnoRNA? What a combination!

Who would have thought that Lipotoxicity and Small Nucleolar RNAs would be partners in crime? Check out this AMAZING paper by Dr. Carlos Michel in our customer's laboratory at Wash U: http://www.sciencedirect.com/s​cience/article/pii/S1550413111​002191

June backpack winner

Congratulations to our June backpack winner Laura Luecking! If you want to win a backpack, fill out and fax the survey you recieve in your orders and enter the monthly raffle :)