TERRE HAUTE —
Beaker, microscope, math: three words commonly associated with the topic of science. People often shy away from science because it has a complex connotation. If one were to take a 5,000-foot view, they’d realize science is a large part of everyday life. How do our cars start in the morning? Why do plants wilt when they are given too much water?
Science is everywhere and may not be as complex as thought at times. Showing people science is not daunting is part of the idea behind a new 4-H program offered through the Vigo County Purdue Extension Office.
With a grant from Pioneer Seed Co., the Extension was able to start a science club, the first specific science club within 4-H in Vigo County. The grant did not come with any restrictions. Extension officials were able to design the program around community resources. In the design phase for the program, the planning even changed the way Extension officials view science.
“I always thought of science as a chemistry lab. Now I see there is something behind everything we do in 4-H that can be led back to science,” Vigo County 4-H Development Extension Educator Krista Farthing said.
Every year 4-H has a national youth science day accompanied with an experiment to go with the lesson. This year’s topic was “wired for wind.” The students built a wooden windmill and learned the shape of the blades would determine how well they would encompass the wind. The exercise culminated in the students visiting a wind farm in White County.
“You understand they are big, but until you hear that whoosh, the kids and even the adults were like ‘wow,’” Farthing said.
The 4-H Science Club also took a tour of Bio Town Ag in Reynolds. There the students got to see an anaerobic digester, which turns cow manure into energy. The students were then brought out onto the feed lot where 4,500 cattle stood. There the students were able to understand full circle how cow manure can be made into renewable energy.
“They were kind of shocked,” Farthing said.
With the Science Club, students’ imaginations are able to soar into areas as common-place as plant science. At age 12, West Vigo Middle School student Emily Macak had her hands buried in dirt while learning about how plants grow. Meanwhile, her mother stood nearby watching.
“She enjoys gardening; we have always had a garden at home. This is right up her alley getting to play in the dirt,” Brandy Macak said.
The lessons obtained during the sessions are meant to translate back into the classroom. The Pioneer Seed grant is one of many movements to get students more interested in science. In 2007 the National Math and Science Initiative was launched by top leaders in business, education and science to reverse the troubling decline in American math and science education. NMSI is dedicated to dramatically impacting the U.S. public school system by bringing best practices to education and replicating programs nationally that have documented success in math and science education.
“It has helped me a lot with my science class in school. I am in sixth grade. I have to enter the science fair. I have been planning on using a plant as an agricultural feature for my project,” Emily said.
“She understands even with rabbits there is science in the genetics. This is just one more aspect to show her that, yes, you do use math skills beyond school,” Brandy said.
Furthermore, the students get to form a bond over a topic shied away from by many.
“My friends and I just love this club. It is one chance where we can get to know each other and learn at the same time,” Emily said.
Emily’s mother is grateful her daughter can experience science in a way that is not traditionally taught in the classroom. As for Emily, she aspires to be an engineer when she gets older. Perhaps with programs like the 4-H Science Club, more students will take an interest in science, instead of seeing it as a subject they have difficulty relating to. Thanks to the club, students like Emily are able to see there is more to science than lab coats and microscopes.
Features
Related Photos
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Shirt detail: A 4-H Science Club member proudly displays the back of his Science is Fun T-shirt. (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
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Science is fun!: 4-H Science club members Nellie Brown and Steven Johnson prepare to churn some butter during a 4-H open house April 14 at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds (Tribune-Star/Bob Poynter)
Discussion
More than lab coats and microscopes
New 4-H Science Club takes hand-on, out-of-the-classroom approach
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