CHANGING THE WORLD

Students see science hands-on during STEM event

Students at Oxford Area School District’s Hopewell School got a taste of what employment will look like as they emerge into adulthood in areas using science, technology, engineering and math.

A STEM (science, math, engineering and science) expo in the all-purpose rooms on Wednesday brought together professionals who design processes, products and devices using that combined knowl- edge, which is the hallmark of the STEM curriculum.

Students at the event came in large groups and moved from station-to-station hearing and observing what those professionals had to offer.

Teacher Mark Neff, who is in charge of the STEM program at the school and who has been teaching science there for eight years, said the students learn to integrate the subjects in the process of building and creating solutions in STEM. Simply put, it is more hands-on and solu-

tion-seeking than the traditional learning model of sitting and absorbing facts from one or the other disciplines.

He gave the example of having them create the answer to stopping an emerging infection in a population. The students are asked to use the subjects to analyze the problem, research it scientifically and design solutions using technology ... even robotics to move things around safely.

In the past two years, he said, with the addition of STEM to the curriculum,

about one-third of the time spent in science classes is dedicated to this subject matter. In this way they can start thinking about career paths, he said.

At Wednesday’s event, the kids met people who used robots to move things around, environmentalists who designed solutions to purifying wastewater, a law enforcement official who used the stem disciplines to deal with hostage situations and an electrical power company employee who used STEM methods to deliver energy to homeowners — among others. The room was filled with interesting objects and people moving things around.

The fifth- and sixth-

graders appeared enthralled with the event.

Assistant Superintendent Margaret BillingsJones watched and said, “I couldn’t believe how engaged the kids are,”

Billings-Jones said STEM is not a state-mandated program, but officials at the school district believe it is important. “It gives the kids exposure at a young age to see what they like,” she said.

At the Oxford Area School District, STEM is continued from Hopewell School through Penn’s Grove Middle School and the High School as part of the normal curriculum. There are four teachers overall, and the financial support comes from

grants. At the middle school it is known as the Gateway program, and in the high school it is Project Lead the Way.

Grants for teacher training and supplies come from the Bemus organization and various local groups including the Hopewell PTO.

U.S. President Barack Obama is quoted in a Department of Education Website as saying of STEM, “[Science] is more than a school subject, or the periodic table, or the properties of waves. It is an approach to the world, a critical way to understand and explore and engage with the world, and then have the capacity to change that world...”

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA A speaker at the Hopewell STEM Expo described and shows students how robotics and special equipment help law enforcement SWAT teams capture a suspect safely.

CHRIS BARBER — DIGITAL FIRST PHOTO Students at the STEM expo at Hopewell School observe a goldfish that is swimming safely in water that was previously wastewater but purified by technology.