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(Narrator) Can science and mathematics be fun,
entertaining and interesting?
Yes!
Stephen F. Austin State University's STEM Center and
area GEAR-UP schools joined together to prove it.
Middle school students participated in the iMAS Academy.
The weeklong camp, iMAS,
which stands for investigations in Math and Science,
presented four real-life situations to students, emphasizng
that math and science exists all around us every day.
The students investigated different scenarios.
The STEM investigations included; 'Surface Matters,'
where students explored how increased surface area increases
rates of reaction using a sugar cube model.
'Indiana Jack,' students programmed
robots pick up treasure and navigate it to another area.
'Zombie Nails,' students used familiar phenomena to better
understand abstract mathematical relationships and
in the fourth module, 'Ground Water Contamination,' students
developed ways to understand and solve the impact of
a contaminate spill on the environment.
Why is this so important to increase student's
interest in STEM disciplines?
(Dr. Childs) 'We know that as a nation, America is a nation at risk.
We have yet to capture the attention of our students in
sciences and mathematics.
(Narrator) The STEM initiative, 'Educate to Innovate' was launched
by the White House and President Obama in an effort to
strengthen America's role as the world's engine of scientific
discovery and technological innovation by prioritizing and
funding STEM education across the nation.
iMAS Academy teachers and faculty are on board with
improving student interest and attention in STEM disciplines;
science, technology, engineering and mathematics by pioneering
ways to make a positive impact on STEM education in East Texas.
(Sandifer) Once you give the kids the ability to see something in action
they can raise to that level of education immediately.
(Narrator) The iMAS Academy's goal is to take a proactive stance
to provide cross-disciplinary and innovative methods to teach
science and math early.
(Fry) We know that going forward,
the jobs that are going to be available in ten years, or even today,
the jobs are going to be dependent upon people having a sound
math and science background and we also know
that as a country we are not meeting that need.
(Narrator) To help accomplish this, the iMAS Academy's content was
carefully designed by middle school STEM teachers and
SFA STEM faculty members to produce highly engaging,
real-life science activities, which incorporated algebraic concepts,
trigonometry and geometry with biology and chemistry.
The students participated in developing their own understanding
of science and mathematics to better prepare them
for high school and beyond.
(Fry) It has to be fun. The kids have to enjoy it.
We design it so they have fun so that we have fun, for me
that is the biggest criteria, from there you work in the math
and work in the science.
(Student 1) We were shown different ways of doing mathematics.
(Student 2) We did proportions, geometry, trigonometry.
(Student 3) Science is like, you use math in it, (you)
had to do formulas for the chemicals.
(Sandifer) They were able to learn chemistry concepts,
but in a fun different way. We thought toenails were pretty gross.
So we said, ok, what about zombie toenails. Well that was perfect.
(Student 4) Zombie toenails was gross, but fun! (laugh)
(Student 5) The thing that I like the most was that,
it was fun to build it and see if it worked or not.
(Student 6) What I liked the best about iMAS was
we got hands-on activities.
(Narrator) An intended outcome of this project is to begin a process
that will positively affect our nation's security, increase our
international status in the STEM disciplines and continue
America's influence as a world leader in innovation and economics.
It is our belief that this cross-disciplinary approach to teaching
STEM content will grow exponentially across our great nation!
(Sandifer) It was wonderful to see how we could apply the math
to the science, how engaged the kids were and how much I learned
from those two teachers as well. It changed my philosophy of
teaching mathematics in a lot ways, because I was able to glean
things in the science classroom and make it applicable in
my math classroom it was really a natural marriage between the two,
math and science.
The kids were able to see how you could apply math in a fun way too.
(Narrator) For master teachers and university faculty, iMAS Academy's
lateral collaboration between educators, thus strengthens skill sets
and fosters the development of upgraded classroom materials
to further enhance the learning process.
(Fry) I had forgot some terminology about math.
I relearned that from the master math teacher.
The tenths place, the hundredths place, the thousandths place,
instead of me saying point seven, she would say seven-tenths,
then it makes more sense in a mathematical deal. Little things like that
(Narrator) Our research supports that the iMAS Academy's
student-involved activities improve the students' understanding
of science and mathematics concepts in relation to their daily lives.
After attending iMAS Academy the students say they use
these new STEM concepts to think differently.
(Student 7) One of the things iMAS camp gave me, it makes me
look at the things we have at home are not things people
just come up with, they have to use math and science,
they have to experiment with it to see if it works.
(Student 8) I learned math is used in science. They go hang-in-hand.
(Student 9) I learned things I can use anywhere.
(Student 10) Before I went to iMAS camp, I thought math was boring.
It wasn't worth all the time I had to spend in class, but now I think it is fun.
(Narrator) Additionally, the students are better prepared for high school,
college and career readiness.
(Student 11) If I had not gone to iMAS, high school would be harder.
(Narrator) An added benefit is that students are able to visualize new
and varied future career paths in STEM professions.
(Students) I would like to be, a wildlife biologist, CSI investigator,
phlebotomist, disease researcher, medical examiner, civil engineer.
Now I'm thinking about going to college.
(Narrator) The continuation of the iMAS Academy and its research
is designed to track the progress of these students, increase the
master teacher's effectiveness in the classroom, increase the
college professor's expectations of incoming students and
provide a practical, working example for other
educational entities to emulate.
(Sandifer) My intention, I thought, was to reach those students,
but we were also reaching teachers too. So when we're meeting again
we're talking about how do we meet those teachers needs as well,
because you can touch a student once, but you can touch
multiple students when you touch a teacher.
(Narrator) Science and mathematics is fun!
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are all inter-connected;
you cant have one without the other.
(Music)