How many programs can say that it takes at-risk kids and prepares them for real-world experiences in a STEM field while focusing on sustainability and the impact on the student's environment all at the same time? My guess is probably not too many. But at Bronx Guild High School, they have an educational program titled GreenFab, and it is exactly that type of program.
GreenFab is different from other educational programs in other ways as well. The students experience STEM subjects by real people who are doing STEM jobs. "They help our kids connect academic subject matter to real-life applications, experiment and create things, and solve problems that directly impact them, especially environmental justice issues," said Codirector Jeff Palladino.
The curriculum for GreenFab includes these four themes:
To learn more about GreenFab, please read the following article or visit their Web site.
At Pitsco, we focus a great deal of our attention on current students and teachers and aiding in their success, but we also are very interested in tomorrow's engineers, scientists, and mathematicians and how we can help them get there.
Professors at Michigan State University conducted research that looked at what influences students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, math, and medicine (STEMM). According to Jon Miller, MSU Hannah Professor of Integrative Studies, "the pathway to a STEMM career begins at home". The research also confirmed how mathematics plays a critical role in the course of a STEMM career.
To read more about Miller's findings check out http://news.msu.edu/story/7489/.
To read the full published study from MSU check out http://news.msu.edu/media/documents/2010/02/79874644-d2cb-4def-a17f-e67cc27b929d.pdf
TETRIXTM by Pitsco has been making a big impression on students and teachers since its introduction in January 2009 - so big, in fact, that we have developed a Web site for this robotic building system.
The Web site features four areas that include:
To learn more information about TETRIX, check out the new Web site at www.tetrixrobotics.com.
New green kits, engineering curriculum lead in 2010 Pitsco Big Book
The future is bright for engineering and for science and technology that support sustainability. Pitsco Education’s 2010 Big Book catalog reflects this vision with new activities and curricula for students to explore these fields.
Three kits priced from just $4 to $8 enable students to learn about renewable energy with projects they can build and take home. The Solar H2O Heater demonstrates how to use the Sun to heat water, while the Solar Oven Kit lets students create treats while learning about solar energy principles. The Eco-Wind Generator is the newest way for students to tap into wind energy. Another new green project is the H2O Turbine, which illustrates the power of water.
Following the recent development of a high school Engineering Academy, Pitsco created the STEM Academy for middle schools. The program uses engineering projects to teach STEM content and is composed of units that can be delivered individually or together to create a quarter-, semester-, or year-long course. Units such as Green Future, Medieval Machines, and Air Rockets ensure there is a topic to pique almost any interest.
To add engineering incrementally, look to several new books including three hands-on project books by engineer Harry Roman; Children’s Engineering: A Handbook for Elementary Educators; and Roller Coaster, TETRIX™ R/C Robotics, and TETRIX Autonomous Robotics Engineering teacher’s guides. Joining the TETRIX building system are the Omni-Wheel, which moves forward and laterally; Sprocket and Chain; Chain with Links; Chain Breaker Tool; and Sprocket Packs.
The Pitsco catalog includes thousands of items for Dragsters, Aerospace, Sustainable Energy, Structures, Physical Science, Engineering, and Math. To request a free copy of the 2010 Big Book catalog, visit us online or call 800-835-0686.
Check out other news from Pitsco Education at our online newsroom.
If you had to guess what students between the ages of 12 and 17 think about STEM, what do you think they would say? According to the Lemelson-MIT Invention Index survey, 77% of the students involved in the survey said that they were excited about those subjects and were considering a STEM career.
If that news wasn't good enough, 66% of the students, whether individually or in a group, said they enjoyed hands-on projects most. Do you know what this means? We have students who want to use their hands, getting involved in the lesson and understanding what they are being taught. It also means that hands-on activities in the classroom could lead to tinkering, which could lead to inventing and engineering.
The survey found that in addition to hands-on learning students were interested in nontraditional settings. The survey also showed that students wished they knew more about STEM and that teachers' being excited about STEM would help them to get excited about it too.
With programs such as the Lemelson-MIT program (which encourages inventors and innovators) and the presidential campaign Educate to Innovate (which aims to increase the student's involvement in science, technology, engineering, and math) in our corner, next year's survey results may be even higher.
To read more about the survey results, check out http://mit.edu/invent/n-pressreleases/n-press-10index.html.
Check out some of our best-seller hands-on kits:
T-Bot II
R2K Bottle Rocket
SunEzoon Car