NSF: Science Steps Outside the Classroom: Innovative Program Changes Kids' Worlds

by Anne Schmitt

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WASHINGTON, Sept. 4, 1997--For too many middle school students, science can be a year-long read through a textbook punctuated only by the occasional lab experiment. But for the 800 sixth through eighth graders who participated in the Bayer/NSF Award for Community Innovation during the 1996-97 school year, science became a real-life adventure.

Currently accepting entries for 1997-98, the Bayer/NSF Award challenges students to form teams of four and use science and technology to identify and develop solutions to a community problem. Each team has a coach, and the use of community mentors is encouraged.

Turning Everyday Problems Into Opportunities

In its pilot year, issues such as alternative energy, recycling, senior citizen mobility and pollution roused the natural curiosity and creativity of kids. An eighth-grade team from Summit Middle School in Boulder, CO, turned a decorative windmill into a reliable year-round energy source. The "Historical Energy Mill," patterned after an old-fashioned prairie windmill, won third place in the competition, and took some local residents by surprise.

"Our surveys showed most residents were skeptical of a 2-ft. high windmill generating reliable power for an entire home, year-round," said team member Cody Hayes. The students silenced critics when they unveiled their prototype, complete with a feature that stores excess generated energy for later use.

The first-place team, from Upper Freehold Regional Elementary School in Allentown, NJ, devised a plan for turning an empty school yard into an outdoor classroom. The team talked to teachers and classmates to identify issues and needs, then called on the PTA, landscape designers, electrical contractors and architectural firms to develop their solution.

Incorporating fish, plants, animals, and weather patterns, this interactive, hands-on, educational resource embodies the true spirit and nature of the Bayer/NSF Award.

Investing In The Community

During the finals in Epcot(R) at Walt Disney World(R), more than $35,000 in savings bonds were awarded to three winning teams. Four eighth-grade girls from Sacajawea Middle School in Spokane, WA, were awarded $25,000 to implement their plan to tackle grass-burning pollution in their community.

Moved by a desire to improve air quality in the Pacific Northwest, the team is lobbying for legislation and business support that would enable farmers to cost-effectively turn bluegrass into commercial-grade paper as an alternative to burning.

"These girls are highly motivated by this project. And the reaction they are getting from the community, businesses and legislators is really encouraging," said Virginia Ledgerwood-Kral, the team's coach. "It shows the girls that their ideas have real potential."

A Rich Experience For Everyday Kids

The competition is designed to appeal to everyday kids, emphasizing curiosity and creativity to solve problems they identify right in their backyards.

"In education, it's not about where you come from, it's about where you are headed," said Kim Flurry, coach of a Pittsburgh team that tested the drinking water in their inner-city community. "This competition gave these kids a sense of direction and potential they never had. That alone is worth it."

The second place team, four sixth-grade girls from Roosevelt Elementary School in Elkhart, IN, boldly entered the "real world" to develop its ideas, calling on business and community leaders and local media to gain support and attention for its project, "The Trash Challenge."

Taking a new twist on changing old habits, they challenged local businesses to record their trash contents and volume for a week. They then replaced the office's trash cans with eight-inch "mini-bins," and set guidelines for reducing waste, such as bringing in coffee cups from home rather than using plastic foam cups. The result: a significant reduction in the amount of trash with 80 percent of the employees in the test program still using the solution.

Sponsored by Bayer Corporation, the National Science Foundation, the Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation, and Discover Magazine, the Award fosters problem-solving, critical thinking and other key skills. The competition is part of a national trend toward inquiry-based education as defined by the National Science Education Standards -- a set of science education guidelines produced by the National Research Council.

It also builds on the national call for community service among America's youth put forth by the Presidents' Summit for America's Future in Philadelphia in May. President Clinton said that young people have the time, the energy and the idealism for community service. "A recent survey said if they (young people) were just asked (to do community service), over 90 percent of them would do it. We ought to be ashamed of ourselves if we don't give them the chance," he said.

The deadline for entries for the Bayer/NSF Award is January 31, 1998. Students, teachers and others interested should call the Bayer/NSF Award for Community Innovation at 1-800-291-6020 or visit the Web site at http://www.nsf.gov.bayer-nsf-award.htm.

REAL-LIFE SCIENCE APPEALS TO KIDS

By Anne Schmitt

ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 4 -- "There's science here!" is not the usual comment heard from an 11 or 12 year old during a visit to a theme park. But it's the kind of remark students made while participating in a model science and technology education program called The Christopher Columbus Academy.

Custom-designed for finalists in the Bayer/NSF Award for Community Innovation, the Academy brings students face-to-face with the wonder of scientific discovery by exploring the real-world science and technology behind the attractions at Epcot(R) at Walt Disney World(R).

The students, grades 6-8, worked alongside scientists, engineers and innovators, and were encouraged to ask questions, explore alternatives and experiment -- the kinds of activities the National Science Education Standards have identified as the most effective form of science education.

The idea behind the Academy may be serious, but the program is all about the fun and adventure of learning, for example, after riding Space Mountain, students built their own miniature roller coasters and learned some surprising lessons about potential energy, kinetic energy and centrifugal force in the process.

During a behind-the-scenes peek at the Haunted Mansion, the students learned about the science and technology it takes to make ghosts and furniture appear, disappear and move around the frightening estate. With mirrors, lights and other props, they recreated optical illusions in their own houses of horror.

Team-building is another important feature of the Academy. Last year's program included rock climbing, story boarding and other teamwork exercises. While the students were busy hanging onto the side of a man-made mountain or using their bodies to pass a hula-hoop to each other without using their hands, they learned that by working together, a solution is easier and even more fun to achieve.

The Christopher Columbus Fellowship Foundation is an independent federal government agency whose mission is to encourage new discoveries. The Foundation recognizes that the youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. It sponsors the Bayer/NSF Award to challenge today's youth to make a difference in their own communities, and to let them know their ideas have merit.

Students, teachers and others interested in the Bayer/NSF Award for Community Innovation should call 1-800-291-6020 or visit the Web site at http://www.nsf.gov.bayer-nsf-award.htm.

CONTACT: Anne Schmitt or Karen Baker of Dymun Nelson,
412-281-2345