Meetings

VT STEM K-12 Outreach Initiative
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
10:30 - 12:00, Room C, Graduate Life Center

  • Welcome 
  • VT STEM meetings continue on second Tuesdays, here at the GLC
    • March 13, 2007, 10:30-12
      • “needs” reports from pK-12 school systems (Montgomery, Roanoke City, SWVa)
    • April 10, 2007, 10:30-12 
  • Attendees, continuing and new brief updates, announcements

Mark Bernhard - OPD
Carol Brandt – Dept. T&L
Jean Brickey –Staff Association rep.
Ann Brown - CPE
Karen Cairns, environmental educator
Erin Dolan – Fralin Biotechnology Center
Whitney Edmister– Engineering Diversity
Susan Felker – Outreach Pubs
Julie Grady – Science Ed. Grad Student
Lea Hamblin – VBI
Melanie Hayden – CAEE
Kathleen Jamison - 4-H
Penny McCallum – Dir. of VT SW Center
Ed McPherson– VT STARS – IT
Josh Peebles – lab manager physics
Bobbie Potter – Ag & LS
Mike Rosenzweig – Biological Sciences - Science Outreach Program: ruppia@vt.edu
Llyn Sharp - Geosciences : llyn@vt.edu
Tom Wilson – UB/Talent Search
Mitzi Vernon – Arch.
Georgette Yakman – TE/STEM master’s student – STEM Outreach GA: gyak@vt.edu

  • Updates:
  • Ed McPheson with Ed Smith – animal science – Harris Foundation Grant – MS life sciences camp this summer – rising 6th graders – TBD - diversity requirements, from – Carrie Sutton – flying to Houston for more information next week

  • Micron technology meeting – (Ed) lab at VT with Material Sci. group – interested in K-12 for future workforce – Feb. 28th meeting w/ Arlington/Fairfax – Ed is going

  • VT STEM Strategic Plan and programs
  • 4H Curriculum Specialist
  • Background – SET – S-E-T (leaves out math element)
  • Guiding Principles: Belonging, Independence, Mastery, Generosity
  • Stay in grass roots – expand to national – make connections in hometown
  • Move knowledge from labs to community
  • Ground up – children can lead change in our environment – esp. adolescents
  • ‘DOING’ is fundamental to learning science
  • Helps University react to community/society shifts
  • Do not want a set of academic fields – want program to adapt to local community needs/wants & agents backgrounds
  • Once program is meaningful locally, the results are promoted back out nationally
  • Non-formal – not formal, not informal
  • VA - 190,000 kids, 107 agents (program assistants)
  • Approaches: prevention, education, youth development
  • Prevention:
  • focus: risk factors
  • Compliment STEM programs
  • Three types of outreach: clubs (high context, low content), after school camps (high context & content), school enrichment (high content, low context)
  • How SET and 4H link: cutting-edge, practical science, linked to U research, hands-on discovery & exploration, connected to social skill development
  • Rising Above the Gathering Storm reference...  young people not prepared to workforce in US
  • 5.7 million youth involved nationally
  • Areas of 4H concentration: animal sciences (41%), engineering/technology, plant science, agriculture, environmental science
  • Want to further this initiative – want help from STEM outreach
  • Strategy: provide hands-on learning – primarily in clubs
  • June 12-15 4H summit – in Nebraska
  • State level curriculum committees – various focuses
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  • Curriculum laboratory/work sessions – dream – not just for 4H but university wide – brainstorm, offer specialty views, collaborate, cover application and methods
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  • Ed wants to work to integrate the philosophy of 4H into his programs
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  • Wonderwise – female/Nebraska program
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  • 4H Congress – June 18th week – issues forum – 300 kids – this year, environmental issue – natural resources – 3 hr. session – 20-30 kids in each session
  • Cool Cities Initiative group – Blacksburg – Aaron Barr
  • Inconvenient Truth – 2 students on campus trained on presentation by Gore
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  • Trio – initially 3 programs – also student support services
  • added, veterans UB, Ronald E. McNair (structured mentoring), training staff,
  • Low-income (150% poverty/taxable) first generation (no parent has a bachelors degree)
  • UB – high school – 90 students – work/study program
  • TS – middle school – information provider – 750 students
  • assist in getting through high school and go to college
  • traveling staff – counseling, tutoring
  • 300-400:1 – public school counselors – UB ratio 5:1, TS ratio 25:1
  • 6 week residential program – plus 2 Saturdays a month – going to 1 sat/mo.
  • tutorial – Saturdays – SAT prep, study skills classes, college exploration activities
  • moving towards in-school tutoring from community members
  • financial aide, helicopter parents, workshops
  • 21 HS, 10 counties
  • 19 HS for UB
  • SAT/ACT/ college app. waivers
  • student leadership conferences
  • 81% TS, 93% UB enrolled in college
  • 79% since ’99 are enrolled or graduated college - VT
  • partnered with Kaplan – rising seniors get SAT prep camp
  • College Camp –
  • seeking funding for TS Roanoke/Lynchburg
  • 4 VA colleges lost their programs – wasn’t need shown in grant – 50 programs axed across country – only one didn’t meet goals – 4 yr. grant project
  • Bush proposed eliminating them – budget $460 million for 455,000 students
  • Grad students teach classes – volunteers – on Saturdays
  • Looking for ways to partner with other programs
  • Last summer, offered on-line class – CAD – by former student
  • STEM coordinator at national level – Dr. Cobb asked to participate
  • M-S/UB programs – SWVACC and Concord, WV
  • - program to focus on M-S careers
  • otherwise English and Foreign language are equitable
  • teach for what they’re teaching next year
  • broken apart for academic M-S academic levels
  • 40th year at VT – talent search in 1973
  • leadership programs – weekend programs – team building
     
  • McCallum – long term effects of being involved with UB – counselor perspective
  • Yakman – long term effects of being involved with UB – student perspective

    • Phoebe’s Field - Mitzi Vernon
      • Symposium at end of march
      • www.phoebesfield.org – content up on Friday
      • middle school children
      • bringing abstract concepts to concrete concepts
      • make a traveling sci. exhibition
      • autonomous
      • post posters around campus
      • reach the community – MS teachers, parents, etc.
      • NSF proposal – pre-proposal March 1, June – substantial
      • partners: Richmond – Sci. Museum of VA – est. 2010
      • center for children and technology – NY – evaluators
      • Cornelia – great speech on gender and technology
      • Cogill lobby exhibition to date – concurrent with symposium
      • Gyroscope group – document available on their website about museum trends with technology
      • has more posters – Vernon@vt.edu

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  • ‘RAGS’ report – effecting change politically and socially
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    • Dean’s Forum on the Environment, Feb. 26, 2007 at Skelton
      • VT STEM poster; can still use some help with pictures and text
  • Environmental Education makes things relevant to students – poster title
     
  • Statewide website – VA Naturally – add VT STEM programs 
    • use of web Calendar, linked to VT Events, at calendar.vt.edu/main.php?calendar=vt-stem-k12-outreach
      • add individuals as sponsors to add to calendar
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    • Suggestions for Future Programs to be on our agenda:
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  • VT-OPD market research report