Science mentor program at Mission Hill Junior High School

Conference · Sat Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1994

OSTI ID:111094

Dahlquist, K ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Santa Cruz, CA (United States)

Science graduate students from the University of California at Santa Cruz mentor a class of 7th graders from the Mission Hill Junior High School. The program`s purpose is: (1) to create a scientific learning community where scientists interact at different levels of the educational hierarchy; (2) to have fun in order to spark interest in science; and (3) to support girls and minority students in science. A total of seven mentors met with the students at least once a week after school for one quarter to tutor and assist with science fair projects. Other activities included a field trip to a university earth science lab, judging the science fair, and assisting during laboratory exercises. Graduate students run the program with minimal organization and funding, communicating by electronic mail. An informal evaluation of the program by the mentors has concluded that the most valuable and effective activities have been the field trip and assisting with labs. The actual {open_quotes}mentor meetings{close_quotes} after school did not work effectively because they had a vaguely defined purpose and the kids did not show up regularly to participate. Future directions include redefining ourselves as mentors for the entire school instead of just one class and better coordinating our activities with the teachers` curriculum. We will continue to assist with the labs and organize formal tutoring for students having problems with math and science. Finally, we will arrange more activities and field trips such as an amateur astronomy night. We will especially target girls who attended the {open_quotes}Expanding Your Horizons{trademark} in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering{close_quotes} career day for those activities.

• Research Organization: Sigma Xi, the Scientific Research Society, Inc., Research Triangle Park, NC (United States)
• OSTI ID: 111094
• Report Number(s): CONF-9404192--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
55 BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE
BASIC STUDIES
CHILDREN
EDUCATION
EDUCATIONAL TOOLS
LEARNING
RECOMMENDATIONS
SCIENTIFIC PERSONNEL
STANDARDS
TRAINING