Take Action - Opportunities to Make a Difference!!

Below are some opportunities for making a difference in the lives of potentially many others! Please consider them and you can take part at whatever level of time commitment you wish. Just let Doc V know if you have an interest, and start immediately if you wish!!

Sierra Leone Project: We work with teachers (Miriam Mason-Sesay) in one of the poorest nations on earth, to develop STEM lab and active learning activities using only the most basic of materials - like rubber bands, paper, string, meter sticks, simple timers, sand, containers - because these schools have almost no supplies or equipment. Most of the schools we are partnering with do not have electricity, so Internet resources are useless. Also, they're new to the concept of DOING science, instead it has always been taught via lecture and memorization. See what already exists and are being used. We tend to do this work in the Research Center at whatever time(s) is(are) convenient for you; you can also partner with others on a project.
So you will be able to develop creative ideas for doing science investigations or demos, create the lesson and write up the lesson plan, and produce a short, few minute training video for the teachers to watch and practice with at training sessions, which they then take back to the schools for their classes, as well as train other teachers in the field. This has been working well! In fact, they are planning on eventually having a science fair using our experiments and ideas!! We are looking to expand this outside of Sierra Leone, and anyone on the planet has access to these lessons and resources. For instance, some of the lessons have helped teachers in Malawi, and just learned the lessons are going to be shared and used in Gambia. I'll be talking with a friend who is partnering with Jane Goodall's programs in Africa, so this could spread even more. Be part of this effort, let's share with kids and teachers who could use the ideas to improve their education in parts of the world that are largely ignored and forgotten!

CABS Project: Help create the CABS site for independent, original science research ideas and resources for any high school student and/or teacher to use. The vast majority of high schools don't have research programs, opportunities, or institutions like Northwestern just blocks away. But curious students are everywhere, and what we do in the Research Center or at your house is create research ideas and questions that can be done without professional facilities; instead, using basic, common science materials and equipment, original research can be completed!
In addition to doing your own research project that you then describe and give options to others, you can be a part of the effort to provide these resources to potentially thousands of students all across the country, and even globally.

Children's STEM and/or SEL stories: Are you a writer? Want to get super creative? Then consider writing a children's story about a science topic of your choice and write a story about it. Think children in elementary school, where science is often taught sporadically and varies a lot from teacher to teacher. This could be a picture book, short story or poem; it could be a short animated (or live action) video, if you want to try that; it could be a song or rap. Provide a creative, entertaining way for a science topic or concept is taught through the story. Another option for a story is to help with the work being done by the National Coalition for Safe Schools - incorporate social-emotional learning (SEL) skills and competencies into the story...provide an exemplar of how to deal with emotions and feelings in a positive way, be empathetic and compassionate towards others, and essentially be a good person who can resolve problems without anger or violence. Here's an example short video as a model.
We can imagine building an online digital library of these children's resources that anyone on the planet can use!

Global STEM Penpal with elementary students: We may get involved once again with classes in Australia. Elementary kids ask science questions about whatever they are interested in. You can take one of these questions and provide a fun, creative answer to the question and get it to your student; responses can be written, musical, video, demos/experiments/activities you create that the kids can do, etc. This could also start an exchange about cultures and whatever else comes up with that student. This potentially could happen with kids in other countries, as well.
One other option Doc V will pursue is with teachers in India, and the potential to help students with their writing. It might be something like a peer editing type project...TBD.

Tower Farming Engineering Challenge: We will eventually be getting a tower garden. These provide a means of growing fresh produce indoors, year-round. Doc V wants to put out an engineering challenge to students who want to try and build something similar to a tower garden, that is easy to work with, and about as productive as the tower garden, but for far less in cost! Can we find a design that can be built with, say, $50 or $100 with materials from Home Depot, rather than the $1000+ cost of towers and the other equipment??? If we can do this, perhaps we can find low income families that would want one in their home so they can have fresh produce year-round! This could be important in inner city areas that are food deserts, for instance.