Bianca Baldassari did her fellowship in our site at Central Visayan Institute Foundation (CVIF) in the Philippines.

Learn more about Bianca’s adventures below! If Bianca’s experience piques your interest in becoming a fellow yourself, apply here!

In a world brimming with innovation and discovery, the fusion of science and community has never been more vital. Recently, Science Corps had the incredible opportunity to send Bianca Baldassarri, a passionate fellow, to the Philippines, where she dedicated her time to teaching Research and Physics courses at a local site. Her journey is not just a tale of scientific endeavor; it’s a heartfelt story of connection, learning, and inspiration.

Bridging Cultures Through Science and Education

Bianca’s adventure began with her participation in the 10th Jagna International Workshop. Here, she engaged with a diverse group of scientists, educators and enthusiasts, sharing her insights and learning from others. One memorable moment was when she immersed herself in the local culture by learning to wear the “malong,” a versatile Philippine garment that can be used in myriad ways—from a head-dress to a cozy wrap. This simple act symbolized her openness to embracing new experiences and highlighted the beauty of cultural exchange.

Engaging Minds with Physics

Bianca’s primary mission was to ignite a passion for science in her students. With her dedication, she crafted Learning Activity Sheets (LAS) for both research courses and Physics performance tasks. Through engaging projects focused on the dynamics of forces and Newton’s Laws of Motion, she turned complex concepts into exciting challenges for her students. Every day, she would painstakingly handwrite lessons on the board, following the typical CVIF-DLP method, ensuring each student felt connected to the material.

One of her standout contributions was her talk, “Fun Topics in Physics,” delivered as part of the Maria Victoria Carpio Bernido Lecture Series to Grade 11 students. This wasn’t just a lecture; it was a heartfelt invitation to explore the wonders of Physics. Bianca aimed to inspire these young minds to consider careers in engineering and physical sciences, opening up a world of possibilities for their futures.

Celebrating Achievements Together

Bianca’s journey wasn’t just about teaching; it was also about celebrating milestones. She attended the graduation ceremony at CVIF, sharing in the joy and pride of the students’ accomplishments. This moment reinforced the impact of her work and the importance of nurturing young talents who will shape the future of science and technology.

A Journey of Friendship and Growth

Beyond the classroom, Bianca’s time in the Philippines was enriched by her friendship with Alfilgen, a fellow at the Bernido guesthouse. Together, they shared laughter, scheduled reading sessions, and found moments to exercise, creating a bond that transcended their professional roles. These connections remind us that collaboration and camaraderie are integral to personal and professional growth.

Exploring the Beauty of Bohol

After attending the 10th Jagna International Conference, Bianca had the chance to explore the breathtaking landscapes of Bohol, including the famous Chocolate Hills and the enchanting Loboc River on a floating restaurant cruise. These experiences not only filled her heart with joy but also deepened her appreciation for the vibrant culture and natural beauty of the Philippines.

Inspiring a New Generation

During her fellowship at the Central Visayan Institute Foundation in the Philippines, Bianca Baldassarri made a remarkable impact through her dedication to teaching and her ability to connect with senior high school students. By advising them on their research projects and sharing insights during career talks, she fostered curiosity and inspired the next generation of scientists in Physics and beyond. If you’re interested in the meaningful work Science Corps is doing to empower students and educators in underserved communities, check out the Science Corps website. Additionally, if you wish to support our mission to enhance STEM education, consider making a donation here.

The post Fellow Update! Bianca Baldassarri in CVIF, Philippines appeared first on Science Corps.

Our fellow, Kris Sales shares his experiences in our site at Rabat American School, Morocco.

Learn more about Kris Sale’s adventures below! If Kris’ experience piques your interest in becoming a fellow yourself, apply here!

1^st month

Why Did You Become a Science Corps Fellow?

My Science Corps Fellow timing was slightly unusual. Often, fellowships take place between the PhD exam and the next adventure, but I was two years into a researcher role when I spotted an advert on an Evolutionary Directory email list. Science Corps was attractive because it offered:

1. An experience abroad in a very different culture. I was ready for a change since my experience had been mainly laboratory evolutionary experiments, and I had spent nearly a decade learning and researching on the same University of East Anglia campus in Norwich (famous, among other things, for strong Colman’s mustard and the comedy character Alan Partridge).
2. Teaching as a core activity. While there wasn’t an expectation for PhD students to teach, I helped as much as possible. I loved sharing knowledge in classes where I was previously a student (like a Field Ecology course in Ireland) and getting school kids excited about the often astounding field of biology.
3. Promoting upward social mobility. Only two people in my extended family went to university, and I didn’t know what one was until I was 17. I’m strongly in favor of an inclusive meritocracy and support anything that facilitates this.

Originally, I was heading out to the American School of Tangiers in early 2021, but like for most of the globe, Covid forced other plans. It was only possible this year to finally reach Morocco after travel restrictions eased and my life stabilized. In total, it was four years between applying and flying out! My new destination was the Rabat American School…

How’s the 1st Month Gone?

It’s been an adventure! This fellowship is quite unique. It’s the first Sci Corps placement here, which means plenty of solution-finding and negotiating through uncertainties over logistics and a teaching ‘niche’ (excuse the biology pun).

It’s instantly impressive how passionate, experienced, friendly, and socially aware the teachers are. It’s also impressive how busy the school timetable seems! Even from day one, a week before students arrived, most of my time was filled with training sessions like positive discipline. As a host, RAS is well-resourced and well-connected.

My Science Corps Fellowship placement attracted much intrigue from the teachers. To help give more context to the staff, I gave presentations about the charity, my research and teaching experience, and potential directions for my time here. I also sent out a Google poll survey for staff to vote on future collaborative activities and topics I could offer. The outputs from the fellowship will likely be an interaction between Sci Corps aims, my background, and RAS’s needs; I’m very keen that resources are translated and distributed to other schools. I aim to repeat the survey with the students, too. I hope that teachers will approach me for help on specific modules and lessons, and I can provide school-wide support on broader research projects and topics. Some direct connections with other local schools and charities may also form.

Besides helping build resources for biology lessons and acclimatizing, I have been learning about the local ecologies and have started to survey the local biodiversity. It’s at about 100 species so far! The iconic Monarch butterflies, which migrate thousands of kilometers across the Americas, seem to have set up residence here, which surprised me. I’ve also encountered beautiful, yet potentially deadly, fat-tailed Androctonus scorpions. The recent earthquake had a devastating effect between Agadir and Marrakech, and the school has not been immune to its wider repercussions, with some of the community’s friends and relatives being impacted. If the quake had happened two weeks later, the secondary school classes would have been on a week-long ‘Week Without Walls’ camping trip in that area.

2^nd month

Preparation, Presentations, Plants, and Ponds

After presenting to all teaching staff about the charity, my background, and potential ideas for the school, I followed up with a questionnaire to determine how my time should be best spent. The most popular answers from around 50 topics were:

• More information about the species on the school’s campus
• Nature walks
• Promoting upward social mobility. Only two people in my extended family went to university, and I didn’t know what one was until I was 17. I’m strongly in favor of an inclusive meritocracy and support anything that facilitates this.
• How do non-animals communicate?
• Extinctions (especially from climate change)
• Animal behavior
• Dealing with online misinformation
• Cool parasites
• Fixing the school’s pond
• Fixing the school’s community garden

These will now form the core areas that I will focus on.

I gathered or created over 150 resources that I have shared with teachers so far. Phew! These have mainly supported lesson topics such as food webs, evolution, plant taxonomy, making infographics, statistics, and climate change. I’ve helped diagnose the likely issues behind the garden and the pond, and I have designed improvement plans for student volunteers and maintenance staff to implement.

I’ve been sharing research news about female Moroccan scientists, insect sentience, and biases in artificial intelligence. It’s been great when teachers come to me with photos of creatures to identify, research papers to be translated into simpler messages, and requests for my research to be included in their lessons. Students have also been approaching me with some great science questions!

Perhaps the most impactful and nerve-wracking thing I did this month was presenting and then being interviewed at the elementary school’s assembly; an audience of over 200 children, parents, teachers, and the director. I made sure to slow down and simplify my language, include body language, audience participation, and lots of pictures and video clips. My main messages were: 1) scientists are now diverse, and any of the children could become one; 2) it’s OK to change what they want to do as they get older; and 3) not to touch wild animals, as it’s stressful for the animal and could be dangerous.

3^rd month

Work: Field Ecology, Evolution, Climate Change, Statistics, and Infographics

The past weeks have been busy. All the classes at the school have had introduction scientist talks, and I’ve been creating resources across several projects.

The ecological surveying continued, with almost 200 species found within 5 km of campus. The plan is to turn this data into a spreadsheet with their locations and various aspects of their biology. Questions and pictures from teachers about nature at the school have continued to come in. Excitingly, teachers from other state-funded schools have started reaching out through mutual colleagues or the RAS’s Fulbright network.

The social science faculty requested my help with infographics after they saw an animated video on my research during the staff talk. They wanted to improve the effectiveness of projects where students design posters and infographics to share their research with the public. I collated two dozen examples from my previous work with annotations for my choices of colors, shapes, and layouts, as well as information on science communication.

A teacher running field trips to Svalbard, Norway, saw that I had worked there as a marine biologist for several months and requested I put together lessons on climate change, ecology, and conservation issues in that region.

Three of my larger projects included: 1. Turning evolutionary biology concepts into card and dice games; 2. Developing new lessons on the impacts and solutions of climate change; and 3. Conducting workshops on how scientists use data and statistics to draw conclusions, reach a consensus, and then share conclusions with the general public. Satisfyingly, enough resources and demonstrations were provided for the teachers to run these sessions without my presence.

A highlight was being invited on the elementary overnight trip to Khemisset, a rural area between Rabat and Meknes. Armed with a butterfly net, pots, and identification resources, I opportunistically caught insects and sampled plants to prompt short hands-on talks about how to identify them and what their significance is. The morning of the second day started with unveiling a moth trap (a bright light over a black box). It was filled with live moths and highlighted that they aren’t all boring brown ones that feed on clothes! It was satisfying to see teachers break off into small groups and run through problem-based exercises based on nature observations and ecological concepts that I’d created. We also visited a co-operative farm and the local souk (market), which presented some challenging animal welfare scenarios. Here, I was keen to promote respect for nature and conservation alongside an appreciation of the natural world.

4^th month

Holiday: 1,100 km Moroccan Road Trip

With my wife visiting over half-term, we decided to adventure by looping around North Morocco. From the current capital, Rabat, we traveled east through the Maamora Forest. This ancient woodland, extending 133,000 hectares, is the largest expanse of cork oak internationally. The forest is a valuable resource for Moroccans, providing cork, timber, and acorns. It’s also important for life generally, capturing atmospheric carbon and providing habitat. Some of the more charismatic residents include gazelles, booted eagles, ravens, and Greek tortoises.

The road to Meknes was a gentle incline into an increasingly arid red-beige sandy landscape. Morocco has three historic capitals, and Meknes is relatively less known, having been the capital in the 1600s. Many of the attractions relate to projects initiated by Sultan Moulay Ismail, including his mausoleum, a grain store that could house 12,000 horses, and a prison said to be such a labyrinth that bars and doors weren’t necessary. The city’s vibe was distinctly non-tourist, with the medina (town center) souks (markets) being mainly filled with food and modern items.

With my background in forestry, our next stops at Azrou and Ifrane, high in the Middle Atlas mountains, were spectacular. Growing up to 40 m and with blue-green needles, Atlas cedars are common centerpieces in UK parks and manor gardens; however, Morocco has 80% of their global range.

Nurturing Curiosity:

During his fellowship at the Rabat American School in Morocco, Kris Sales made a profound impact by engaging primary school children in the exploration of local flora and fauna. His interactive lessons ignited a passion for the environment among young learners, fostering curiosity about the natural world. If you’re interested in the meaningful work Science Corps is doing to inspire students and promote STEM education, check out the Science Corps website. Additionally, if you wish to support our mission to enhance STEM education in underserved communities, consider making a donation here.

The post Fellow Update! Kris Sales in RAS, Morocco appeared first on Science Corps.

Our fellow, Ilyada Karada shares her experiences in our site at City University, Bangladesh.

Learn more about Ilyada’s adventures below! If Ilyada’s experience piques your interest in becoming a fellow yourself, apply here!

1^st month

Becoming a Science Corp Fellow

As someone who had never taken a gap year in my 24 years of continuous full-time education and had always yearned to, when I came across the opportunity to become a Science Corps Fellow, I was ecstatic to be accepted at the start of 2023. At the time, I expected to have completed my PhD thesis before heading out to Bangladesh, but like many other students, the writing phase took longer than anticipated. I was still finishing things up when I headed for Bangladesh at the start of September. Upon arriving at City University, I became a member of the Mechanical Engineering Department.

The Rain

Bangladesh is known for experiencing six seasons, and when I first arrived in the country, it was towards the end of their rainy season (Barsa Ritu). As a Brit, rainy days are something I’m very familiar with; however, the wet weather in Bangladesh was a whole different experience. No light drizzles—only torrential downpours. Thunderstorms were very frequent and closer than I had ever experienced. It was incredible to see how the weather conditions, which would be seen as extreme in the UK, completely unfazed the locals. You would see people going about their days as normal, with children playing in the flooded streets.

Singapore

Therefore, it was a momentous occasion when I finally submitted my thesis at the end of my first month in Bangladesh. However, the euphoria was rather short-lived as I found out on the day of my submission that the visa I had arrived with could not be extended and that I would need to leave the country immediately. It wasn’t all bad, though, as I packed my bag and headed to Singapore for a short trip and a new visa. I experienced quite a few visa hurdles and frustrations throughout my time in Bangladesh, which were incredibly humbling and led me to realize how much I take for granted the strength of my passport.

2^nd month

Lecturing

In my second month, I had the privilege of beginning to co-lecture the Metallic Materials Course. This was my first experience lecturing, and it was very exciting. As someone hoping to pursue a career in research and academia, lecturing was something I found very daunting, but the whole experience was very positive, and I look forward to leading courses next semester. I enjoyed being able to teach the theory by relating it to real-world problems. As several of the students were part-time students already working in the engineering industry, they were able to bring their own experiences to the discussions.

Cricket Mania

I was shocked at the extent of their love for the sport as a nation. The national kit can be spotted everywhere, and down narrow streets where you would expect to see kids kicking around a ball, they had a game of cricket going. I was there during the Cricket World Cup, and it was being screened on every television. People stopped to watch the game in shop windows; they gathered around a tiny TV at the gym, and it was even projected across the wall in the mechanical engineering offices.

3^rd month

Lecture Series on Research Work

As I had just submitted my PhD thesis while out there, I was interested to see some of the research that was being carried out at the university. Reading through past theses that had been submitted for the degree of Bachelor of Engineering, I noticed a trend. The research being carried out was great but was let down by the presentation. I began developing a lecture series focusing on critical thinking, which I was able to present in my third month on-site.

The lecture series targeted two groups of students: those who were at the very start of their projects and were required to write a research proposal, and those who were almost at the end and were writing up their work. The size of the lectures ranged from batches of 15 to 40, including young adults and mature students. The students were very engaged and brought up great questions. At the end of the session, many used the Q&A portion to ask about further education, and it was lovely to see how many of them were interested in taking their studies further. Many of the academics in the department attended the lectures, and they will continue to present the series each semester to students once I have departed.

Earthquake Experience

In my third month in Bangladesh, I experienced my first earthquake tremor. It was a small one, and I didn’t understand what was happening until it had passed. It was a very strange experience. The best way I can describe the sensation for those of you from a rather unmoving country, such as myself, is as though a high-speed train is passing by and causing the building to shake, but it goes on for just a little too long, and there is an eerie silence that accompanies it as everyone is trying to piece together what they are feeling.

Empowering Future Leaders:

During her fellowship at City University in Bangladesh, Ilyada Karada made a significant impact by engaging with university students to support their thesis work. Her dedication to fostering academic growth inspired students to dive deeper into their research, cultivating a new generation of leaders in STEM. If you’re interested in the transformative work Science Corps does to empower educators and students around the globe, visit the Science Corps website to learn more. Additionally, if you wish to support our mission to enhance STEM education in underserved communities, consider making a donation here.

The post Fellow Update! Ilayda Karada in City University, Bangladesh appeared first on Science Corps.

Our fellow, Matt Solt, visited our host site in the Philippines last month. He has shared with us his experience becoming a Science Corps Fellow, teaching a robotics workshop at Central Visayan Institute Foundation (CVIF), attending a physics conference, and exploring the Philippines outside of the classroom.

Learn more about Matt’s adventures below! If Matt’s experience piques your interest in becoming a fellow yourself, apply here!

Why did you become a Science Corps Fellow?

Like most Science Corps fellows, I was looking for a break between defending my PhD and the next adventure and I stumbled on Science Corps. I was accepted as a Science Corps Fellow back in 2019 with a plan to spend about 6 months at CVIF in Jagna, Bohol, the Philippines in the fall semester of 2020. Unfortunately, COVID-19 had other plans and I was forced to do the fellowship remotely, becoming the first remote Science Corps fellow. Between finishing my thesis and starting my postdoc, I was able to develop a curriculum for a computer programming and data analysis course through the so-called Dynamic Learning Programming (DLP) described below. Despite being a remote fellow in a very unique situation, Science Corps was always committed to sending me there in person, albeit on a shorter time scale since I have a full time job. I was able to complete my fellowship in person in July 2023.

What do you think about the Dynamic Learning Program?

CVIF is the center of the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP), originally developed and implemented by Chris and Marivic Bernido who are both theoretical physicists. It puts emphasis on students actively learning as opposed to teachers lecturing. It is a well-defined curriculum through individual worksheets called LAS where students work individually or in groups to learn themselves. I found it interesting how similar it was to my time as a teacher’s assistant (TA) in the Stanford Physics Department when I was a graduate student. Pushed by Nobel laureate, Carl Wieman, this method is now becoming more popular at physics departments at elite universities in the U.S.

In addition to a similar method at elite universities, this method of teaching has several clear advantages. First, it is scalable as the curriculum is developed centrally at CVIF and can be used by other schools in the area. In fact, the material developed by CVIF is used by 500+ schools in the Philippines! Second, it is resistant to disasters. Geographically, the Philippines is prone to natural disasters such as typhoons and earthquakes in addition to, of course, a pandemic. Recently, on top of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Visayas (the central region of the Philippines) was hit with a major typhoon. Because of the reliance on student independence, the DLP program which had already been fully implemented at CVIF and other schools enabled students to continue with their learning with minimal interruption. This method could also be resistant to violent conflict.

What did you accomplish at CVIF?

My main task while at CVIF was to plan and run a robotics workshop for the ICT and STEM students at CVIF which was a natural extension of the course material I had developed as a remote fellow. The workshop utilized a Raspberry Pi micro-controller that the students needed to connect electrically and program in order to run. I chose a Raspberry Pi because it was originally developed for educational purposes focused on student’s learning, the Python language (which was used in my course) could easily be used, it could be used as a personal computer with its own operating system (for students who may not have their own computer), and a variety of other potential uses.

The workshop lasted three days and went very well. The students were incredibly excited to work with the robot, many never having done so before. Before the workshop, the students had a pre-workshop to learn the basics of Python programming which is a necessary prerequisite for operating the Raspberry Pi. The students were enthusiastic, learned quickly, and covered a lot of coding material in three short days. After the first session, the students were already making memes about the workshop and sharing it in the group chat with instructors. The workshop consisted of about 20 students. I was impressed that every student was able to individually achieve the three milestones of the workshop – code a blinking LED on the Raspberry Pi (their first robot by our definition given at the workshop), connect and guide a robot through an obstacle course, and analyze public data taken from a Raspberry Pi on the International Space Station. The workshop concluded with a competition of who could guide the robot through the obstacle course the fastest and the top five students were given rewards. The students enjoyed this part the most, taking lots of pictures and videos to share on social media, cheering their classmates on, and even playing soundtracks like the Mission Impossible theme song as the classmates guided the robot through the obstacle.

What is the future of this robotics workshop at CVIF?

The goal of the workshop was not to just train the students who attended the workshop at this time, but to be able to transfer this knowledge to instructors to run future workshops and to make it easily transferable to other schools in the region. In order to have continuity of knowledge, it is important to implement material that can be used in the future. Because of interest in furthering knowledge of both the students who were at the workshop as well the instructors, the CVIF instructors will start a robotics workshop at CVIF where students can continue to work with the materials supplied by Science Corps and learn more of the capabilities of a Raspberry Pi. These are skills that can be utilized in any STEM field in college courses and beyond in their careers.

What were your thoughts on the physics conference you attended?

The timing of the workshop worked out perfectly so that I could also attend the Physics Society of the Philippines (SPP) conference in Del Carmen, Siargao. I was privileged to be able to give an invited talk on my personal research which involves exploring low mass dark matter at particle accelerators. The conference contained almost 300 people. When the Bernidos received their PhDs in the 80s, there were only about 10 physics PhDs in the entire country.

This conference attendance is a testament of the commitment of a few dedicated physicists who chose to devote much of their careers to improving the physics literacy of their country. In addition, most of the conference population was very young, being mostly undergraduates and graduate students (the first conference where I have been over the median age). This indicates that the future of Filipino physics is bright as the number of physics PhDs will continue to increase in the near future.

At the conference, I enjoyed conversing with many of the Filipino physicists. I was also able to meet the mayor of Del Carmen, and he complimented the DLP program and how it has impacted the students by increasing their scientific literacy in his region, especially with the most recent typhoon just two years ago.

To date, the Philippines has approximately 100 PhDs in physics, and with a population of about 100 million, they like to refer to themselves as “one in a million.” I was amazed at how many physicists were willing to stay in the Philippines to help out their country. Many were trained in other parts of the world such as Japan, Europe, and the U.S. and had opportunities to do world leading research in those parts of the world. However, many accepted their social responsibility to remain in the Philippines to increase the scientific literacy in their country.

How was your experience beyond work?

Outside of the robotics workshop and the physics conference, there was plenty of time to explore the beautiful nature within the Philippines. I was able to visit 5 different islands (of the 7200+ islands in the Philippines) in my short visit there. I snorkeled with whale sharks and jumped off waterfalls on Cebu. I also saw the Chocolate Hills and exotic animals on Bohol. This included holding a Burmese Python which, of course, we joked that I was deceived about the meaning of running a “Python” workshop. Lastly, I was able to surf on Cloud 9 on Siargao known as the surfing capital of the Philippines (though I am a beginner to surfing).

In addition, the Filipino people are very welcoming and generous. The faculty of CVIF were essential to running a smooth workshop and the success of the workshop. They were willing to show me around town and went on many adventures. They took me to the best food place in Jagna and I enjoyed every variety of Filipino food, though I had my limits as I politely declined to eat the local delicacy known as “balut”.

Apply for a Fellowship!

If Matt’s experience as a fellow and his adventures in the Philippines have inspired you, apply for a life-changing fellowship! Our current deadline for applications is September 30th, however, we review applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. Don’t hesitate to contact us for more information about our fellowships and application process!

The post Fellow Update! Matt’s Robotics Workshop, Physics Conference, and Adventures in the Philippines appeared first on Science Corps.

Our fellow Swastika Issar has been working on a seminar series together with CVIF. Hear more from her on the series:

Senior High School teachers with backgrounds in environmental studies, chemistry and earth sciences have come together at the JAZC Marine Sciences Laboratory of the Central Visayan Institute Foundation, Jagna on a DOST-supported project to study marine mollusc diversity in Jagna Bay. Keeping their varied educational backgrounds in mind, I’ve designed the CVIF- Science Corps Seminar Series as an interactive resource to aid everyone in interpreting, understanding and communicating findings from the project. The series comprises seven lectures starting in September 2022 and going into January 2023. In the introductory seminar we discussed mollusc ecology and evolution in the light of fundamental concepts in biodiversity, genetic variation and natural selection. Next we discussed how variation in mollusc morphology could result from environmental variation, such as the effect of substrate. The ‘methods’ and ‘results’ modules of the series are focused on tools and techniques for quantifying mollusc diversity (DNA barcoding) followed by a crash course in sequencing data analysis. The seminar series will culminate in our connecting findings from data analysis to the larger conceptual framework discussed at the beginning of the series.

In photo from the left to right:

• Dr. Christopher C. Bernido (CVIF President)
• Ms. Mary Dored Ann Cadeliña (Science Research Specialist)
• Ms. Jodivine A. Navarosa (Science Research Specialist)
• Dr. Janneli Lea A. Soria (JAZC Marine Science Laboratory Project Head)
• Ms. Kimverly Ranoco (Science Research Specialist))

The post Fellow Update!: CVIF-Science Corps Seminar Series appeared first on Science Corps.

Over the course of Patti’s time at AST she got involved with the school and community in many ways. Here she shares her time working with girls in Girl Up to get them more involved in science:

A group of my amazing teacher colleagues at AST started a chapter of an international club called Girl Up for grades 7-12. The goal of the club is to promote girls as leaders by developing their skills and protecting their rights. They roped me in because we had been informally discussing ways to elevate more Moroccan girls into leadership roles at the school for many weeks. The decision to exclude girls in younger grades was tough, but we decided to start the club with older girls who could then design their own activities for their younger counterparts. I wanted to make a dedicated space for even younger girls to participate, so I started a science club for grades 2-4 with a Girl Up theme. The idea was that we would learn about awesome science through hands-on activities, and then use the science as a lens to focus on gender – for example by learning about female scientists or gender issues related to the scientific topic. I was so lucky that nine of the smartest and most thoughtful little girls signed up: three 2nd graders, two 3rd graders, and four 4th graders.

Our first fun science activity was centered around microscopes. I asked each of the girls to bring in an object that they wanted to see under the scope. Before we got started, we learned some basic rules and briefly discussed how microscopes make things bigger. I had already taught both second grade classes about lenses and how some of them can bend light to make things appear closer (aka bigger), so they were ready to help explain the mechanism to their 3rd and 4th grade friends. Then I set the girls loose to look at their objects under the scopes. Working in pairs, they got a close up look at table salt, leaves, hair, gummy snacks, and flower petals. One of the girls even brought prepared slides from home. The most interesting of these was a housefly wing. All of the girls took turns looking and sharing their excitement over the wing’s tiny blood vessels – you could make them out under the microscope, but they were virtually invisible to our eyes.

But the POINT of this activity was not the magnified samples or the microscopes, let alone how they work. My real agenda was to discuss perspective. I wanted the girls to understand that how you look greatly affects what you see. To drive this home, I made a worksheet. I had the girls draw their sample based upon what they could see with the naked eye. Then, before they were allowed to look under the microscope, I had them make a hypothesis: what did they think their sample would look like under the microscope? Finally, after they took a look, they had to draw what they really saw under the microscope. Everyone quickly realized that things looked quite different than expected under the microscope.

We segued from this to talk about how just because you don’t see something, that doesn’t mean it’s not there. It could mean that you’re not looking in the right place or in the right way. I next asked the girls about female scientists. Did they exist? How could we be sure? What if we don’t see them? What are the possibilities? “They’re hiding!” one of the girls said. This was my opening. We talked about hidden figures. I told the girls that throughout history, female scientists often contributed to huge discoveries, but their recognition, if any, was buried in the Acknowledgements section of seminal papers. We talked about what it means to be an author of a scientific paper and how important it is to recognize everyone on a team for their hard work. The girls tolerated this for a full 10 minutes before they politely asked if they could go back to looking at their samples under the microscopes. Of course, I said yes.

One thing that kids understand well is fairness. They can easily see that it is unfair to give less recognition to a person’s work just because of their gender. I didn’t learn about hidden figures until I was in graduate school. I was lucky that not knowing didn’t deter me from trying to become a scientist, but learning when I did made me look around and wonder whether some hidden version of the same thing might affect me. I now know that there is still widespread gender disparity in scientific publishing, both in terms of the number of papers published and in how often those papers are cited. There are important ongoing efforts to address this and other related issues at the university level, but it is equally important to have open discussions with K-12 students about gender equality in science, even if only for 10 minutes at a time. The sooner and more often we tell them about instances of injustice in science, the more likely they will be to mitigate these issues when they grow up to become scientists.

Want to try out this activity with your own students? Contact us for the lesson plan!

The post Fellow Update: Patti’s time with Girl Up and Microscopes! appeared first on Science Corps.

“The Science Corps site CVIF has set up Learning Activity Sheets distribution centers all across the island. These are set up such that the previous week’s assignments can be submitted by students and the following week’s learning material can be picked up in a COVID-safe manner. The learning sheets are designed such that they don’t require any other reference material which students might not be able to afford. These centers are not just in Jagna, the location of the school, but also in other towns. This means that students and guardians don’t have to travel far to acquire the learning materials. This system takes a lot of effort but ensures that students without devices such as laptops or smartphones aren’t left behind.

You can find more information on their website: https://www.cvifbohol.com/news-and-events“

The post Fellow Update! CVIF Adapts to Remote Teaching and Learning appeared first on Science Corps.

The Science Corps team has been looking back at all of the amazing work that our fellows have done over the last few years and we’d love to share this with all of you! Each fellow has wonderful stories about their work as science teachers, curriculum developers, and community members during their time at our beautiful host sites. From now on, we’ll be posting memories from our former fellows every few weeks!

Our first flashback is from Science Corps co-founder and founding fellow, Ben Rubin. One of his favorite experiences was a field trip to the Jagna Intertidal zone where students conducted various observation-based studies.

Stay tuned for more flashback posts!

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Remote learning has been challenging for students throughout the world, including those at our host site CVIF.

Here is a little update and news article that our fellow Tanvi wanted to share with Science Corps followers – “The students continue learning, despite challenges. About 20% of the students in the STEM class at CVIF are able to submit assignments online. The school makes a lot of effort in collecting written assignments from other students as well: no one is left behind.”

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She also shared an article that describes the benefits of gaining research experience early and ways that high school students can look for opportunities.

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