On January 19th and April 20th, Twenty-six sixth grade students from Williamsburg-James City recently participated in the STEM Education Alliance’s inaugural RealScience Fest.  The RealScience Fest provides STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) activities that engage students in real, rigorous scientific research.

Students who attended the RealScience Fest became paleontologists for a day by participating in the Mastodon Matrix Project.  The remains of a mastodon were discovered in Hyde Park New York in 2000, when the homeowners drained a backyard pond.  After the initial excavators’ major findings and preliminary dig were complete, volunteers led by the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI) removed 22,000 pounds of soil from the dig site.  The soil continues to be processed through a program designed by the PRI research team, aptly called the Mastodon Matrix Project.  The Project allows amateur researchers to examine the soil, discovering and cataloging shells, sticks, rocks, and perhaps even bone fragments.  During RealScience Fest, sixth grade students received instructions from PRI and spent a day sifting, sorting and identifying materials found in the soil.  Remains were carefully recorded, labeled and bagged.  These finding were then returned to PRI where information about the sixth graders’ finds will contribute to the paleontologists’ research.

In addition to cataloging materials from the mastodon project, the students learned about STEM careers through discussions with experienced scientists.  Students learned what a typical day at work is like for a scientist, as well as how STEM careers play a part in products used every day.

Want to follow the PRI Mastodon Matrix Project?

View other articles from this event featured in the Williamsburg - Yorktown Daily and on William & Mary's website.

King George Middle School has been implementing the Virginia Demonstration Project (VDP) Curriculum since the program's beginning in 2006.  Last year King George Middle took a different approach to implementation.  For twelve academic days, seventh grade students completed robotics lessons in their life science class. What was different?  Males and females participated in same sex groups. The females were paired with a female science teacher and female engineer and the males were paired with the two male science teachers and a male engineer.  Jessica Drinks , the female science teacher that has been with the VDP since 2006, noticed many pros in the same sex approach and many differences in behaviors and actions.  When Drinks explained the success of the implementation she was really charged by the experience.  While observing her students Drinks said she was overwhelmed with the the understanding of why she became a teacher in the first place. After hearing Drinks explain her student's experiences during the implementation, the Stem Education Alliance team began the process of evaluating King George's homogeneous grouping of students.

The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) and four Hampton Roads Naval Commands, in collaboration with The College of William and Mary' STEM Education Alliance teamed up to hold the Second Annual Hampton Roads STEM Summer Academy.  The event was held at Norview High School in Norfolk on July 16 - 20, 2012.  The event was a collaborative effort among four southside school divisions: Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake and Portsmouth, and four Hampton Roads Naval Commands:  the Combat Direction Systems Activity-Dam Neck, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock Division Detachment Norfolk, Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command- Systems Center Atlantic, and the Norfolk Naval Ship Yard.  The academy invited 100 middle school students from the Hampton Roads area to engage in an action packed camp experience infusing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).  The STEM Academy is designed to develop team work, problem solving skills in math and science, and increase career awareness in STEM related fields.  Each student team was partnered with a teacher and a scientist or engineer from one of the naval commands.  Together they competed in the Tower Build Challenge, Water Rocket Challenge, Buoyancy Challenge and numerous Robotics Challenges.

Click here to view Wavy TV 10's story of the Academy's activities

The National Defense Education Program (NDEP) and the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, in collaboration with the STEM Education Alliance, teamed up to hold the Fifth Annual STEM Summer Academy on June 25-29, 2012.  The academy invited 100 middle school students from four near by school divisions: King George, Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, and the Department of Defense School at Dahlgren.  The STEM Academy is designed to develop teamwork, problem solving skills and increased knowledge in math and science and engineering, as well as increase career awareness in STEM related fields.  Each student team was partnered with a teacher and a scientist or engineer from the Naval Surface Warfare Center.  Together they  competed in a tower build challenge, water rocket challenge, life science activity, human systems integration activity, and nine robotics challenges.

"For students, the scientists are the ultimate study aid, providing both guidance and a concrete example of what a career in science, technology, engineering or math might look like. For scientists, students are the possible future of their career fields.  Thanks to a National Defense Educational Program contract awarded to William & Mary’s STEM Education Alliance, the project pairs middle school teachers with professional engineers and scientists, creating an opportunity for them to mentor both teachers and students."

Click Here, to read the full article by Erin Zagursky.

One of the Virginia Demonstration Project's (VDP) Steering Committee Members, Jean Young an administrator in Spotsylvania County Public Schools , taught EDU 323:  Teaching of Science at Mary Washington the 2011 fall semester.  The students enrolled in this class ended up all females, all  by chance.  For a section of the course, Young introduced the students to the VDP Curriculum Scenarios.  These scenarios were originally designed for middle school implementation, but the college students were completely absorbed.  Young initially intended to use the VDP curriculum as an exercise, but the students wanted to see the scenarios through to completion.  Young commented that she was tickled that the students were so charged by the exercise that she took it one step further.  Young used her contacts to have an Engineer come speak to the class.  The exercise was a huge hit and Young believes the the young ladies came away with a great  experience.

The Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching (PAEMST) are the Nation's highest honors for teachers of mathematics and science. Awardees serve as models for their colleagues, inspiration to their communities, and leaders in the improvement of mathematics and science education.  Since 1983, more than 4,100 teachers have been recognized for their contributions in the classroom and to their profession.

Dianne Clowes was one of the first Virginia Demonstration Project (VDP) teachers and has credited NSTAR/VDP with impacting how she teaches. Clowes is one of three finalists in Virginia for the President’s Award for Excellence in Math & Science Teaching.  The 2011 award results are expected shortly.