Alexander Rausch worked with Dr Daniel Hallinan's laboratory and the challenger Learning Center to attempt to increase interest in the STEM fields to youth in the local district area. The audience was children between the age of 5-10 to try to spark an interest as early as possible that might follow them for the rest of their lives. Demonstrations were performed with easily attainable items to make saltwater batteries, demonstrate the concept of conductivity and discuss analytical techniques such as chromatography. Along with demonstrations were brief discussions outlining key scientific phenomena.
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Theta Tau, a multidisciplinary professional engineering fraternity, worked with Dr. Shih and the mentors of the SOAR program to establish and maintain a partnership between local K-12 schools and Theta Tau such that the society is able to conduct sustainable outreach activities. During this semester Theta Tau brainstormed and developed projects which could be presented to K-12 students interactively to enhance their learning of STEM concepts. We also maintained communication with our supervisors and teachers of various schools to discuss collaborative opportunities in addition to the participation of outreach activities such as the open house event of Aeropropulsion, Mechatronics and Energy (AME) Center.. As a result, the fraternity was able to enlist the help of various teachers throughout the county as well as create a portfolio of projects which will showcase - at the level suitable to the K-12 classrooms- the work done at the AME Center and the College of Engineering.
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"This spring semester I was given the opportunity to work with Mr. Adam LaMee at James S. Rickards High School. Recently the Leon County School District's AP Physics enrollment shot to the top, becoming the third highest in the state. Due to the massive increase in students, Mr. LaMee asked Dr. Paul Cottle to get an undergraduate student to help. That is where I came in. I went to the Rickards two to three times a week and aided in instruction. I helped cover the material from centripetal motion and nuclear physics to optics and sound resonance. I gained valuable insight into classroom management, planning and organization. I would like to thank everyone in this program that allowed me to participate. This was an unforgettable experience."
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