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Stem Initiative 2014 Annual Report

Apr 04, 2016

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Annual report for STEM Initiative for the 2014 academic year.
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Page 1: Stem Initiative 2014 Annual Report
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The mission of STEM Initiative

is to create and facilitate

accessible STEM education to

young students, to foster

creativity by connecting other

like-minded scientists, and to

make a lasting positive impact

on these students.

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Science is a universal language. No matter where you live, the

same scientific principles and phenomena exist around the

globe. In recent years, literacy of the STEM fields (science,

technology, engineering, and mathematics) in the United States

has been on a decline when compared to that of other OECD

countries. There is a noticeable gap between students who can

access STEM education and those who have insufficient or hardly

any access at all.

Roughly a year ago, we decided to start a movement called the

STEM Initiative. We both come from a strong STEM background

starting in high school, and are currently studying the sciences at

a university leading in STEM education and research. Many of

our colleagues share the same passion for STEM, and enjoy

learning, teaching, and advancing in the STEM field. Just a few

steps outside our campus, there are public school systems where

children do not receive quality STEM education by today’s

standards. The solution is simple - to create a program where

motivated, educated, and passionate university students can

mentor and inspire younger students to pursue the STEM fields

and higher-level education.

STEM Initiative started August of 2013, and it has been a roller

coaster ride ever since. To date, we’ve successfully started an

after-school program at our local middle school, Adlai E.

Stevenson School No. 29. By programming and networking,

local families and university students have also shared their

passion for science in a family friendly setting at our Family

Science Day in April. Being less than a year old, the STEM

initiative has come a long way, and we are both excited looking

forward to how much this group will evolve in the months and

years to come.

Sincerely,

George Iwaoka Jenny Yoon

Co-Founders and Co-Presidents of the STEM Initiative

University of Rochester, Class of 2016

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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PART I: ORGANIZATION INFORMATION

STEM by the Numbers 4

Our Partner Organizations 5

STEM Finances 7

PART II: STEM INITIATIVE TODAY

Current Initiatives 10

Afterschool Science Program 10

Family Science Day 11

Member Reflections 12

PART III: FUTURE OF STEM

Our Future Plans 16

Website Launch 16

Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign 16

Chapter Expansion 16

Collaborations with other STEM Organizations 16

Contact Information 17

Appendix

APPENDIX A: Cost of Lessons i

APPENDIX B: Description of Lessons iii 3

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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12 Number of unique

lesson plans created

by our volunteer

members $9 Average cost of a lesson plan for a class

of 20 students with topics ranging from

Computer Programming to Hydrogels

Research from the National Science Foundation in 2010 showed that ,

64 percent of students and 55 percent of adults could not

answer the question

“ Lightning and thunder happen at the same time, but you see the

lightning before you hear the thunder. Explain why this is so. ” [1]

[1] Science and Engineering Indicators: 2010 [2] OECD PISA Assessment, 2012

36

Number of volunteers

who have inspired

children through our

initiatives

Among fourth graders in the United States,

of students fail to

reach proficiency in

mathematics [1]

of students fail to

reach proficiency in

science [1]

Over 300 attendees and

23 participating organizations

at our largest event of the year,

Family Science Day

150+

Where US ranks in

science literacy among

34 developed countries [2}

4

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

Number of kids whom we

have reached out to through

our various initiatives

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STEM Initiative is fortunate to be working with a

supportive advisor, Emma Rainwater, and

partners from the University of

Rochester and the local Rochester

community. We first reached out

to the Principal Tanya Wilson of a

local Rochester school, Adlai E. Stevenson School

No. 29. She was very supportive in our efforts to encourage the STEM fields

to the students. Through conversing back and

forth with Ms. Wilson, we were able to connect

with the afterschool program that the nearby Boys

and Girls Club of Rochester hosts at School 29.

This afterschool program was created to help

provide a place where kids of working parents can

learn and have fun after normal school hours.

With the afterschool program, we were able to

create a biweekly outreach program where STEM

Initiative student volunteers would come conduct

experiments or lead activities with the students.

Our goal was to establish personal bonds with the

5th-8th graders and impart information about the

STEM fields to them. As time passed the middle

school students became more comfortable and more engaged in the projects. By the end of the

year it was clear the STEM Initiative has built

a bridge between the student volunteers

and the middle schoolers.

For our outreach projects throughout the

year, we received help from many different

student organizations. As we went into

School 29 on a biweekly basis, we gladly

accepted lesson plans from other groups, as

well as volunteers. One of the most

successful lessons came from the Optics

Society, whose famous “experiment-in-a-

briefcase” set–up is always a favorite with

students. By visiting School 29 in person,

Optics Society helped STEM Initiative forge a

Many organizations collaborated with STEM throughout the

year including Baja SAE. Luis Martinez (left) and Nicholas

Van Swol (right) helped run a booth to showcase their off-

road vehicle which they designed and built from scratch at

the 2014 Family Science Day.

STEM Initiative started their first after school STEM

program with Adlai E. Stevenson School No. 29 in the

Rochester School District in February of 2014.

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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more wide-reaching bond with the greater

Rochester community, and provided more

UofR students with the opportunity to

volunteer in the university. In terms of student

involvement, our most successful event was

definitely our end of the year Family Science

Day. With the assistance of over 20 student

organizations, we were able to put on a large-

scale fair showcasing all of the wonderful

groups on campus. Families were able to stop

by booths featuring each group, and

participate in experiments representing each

group’s interests. Not only did this event

broadcast the amazing things U of R students

are doing on-campus, but it increased the

STEM Initiative impact on the community.

While promoting Family Science Day, we worked with The Democrat and Chronicle, our local

Rochester newspaper, and the Rochester Buzz newsletter all helped get the word out. Through

inclusion on the events page of the D&C, and running a review of the event on the University of

Rochester website, both of these media outlets helped us gain public attention for our great

event! When planning future events, we plan on using these connections to advertise and

promote our activities, and we plan on reaching out to more news organizations so that we can

reach as large an audience as possible.

STEM Initiative’s event received a lot of attention from the

local community, including the media. Jenny Yoon is

being interviewed by Time Warner Cable at the 2014

Family Science Day.

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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From our first interest meeting in Gleason Theater to the “Family Science Day”, STEM initiative

has undergone a transformation from a bunch of ideas to a well-established student

organization. Without much financial founding, the group had to be creative on its spending

and seek out additional resources. In hindsight, our major projects—the weekly workshops at

School 29 and the first annual “Family Science Day”— would have been impossible without the

collaborative internal efforts and external supports. On behalf of STEM Initiative, my most

sincere gratitude goes out to those individuals and organizations.

The business manager’s responsibility was to create a foundation of how the financial decisions

should be made in the future. While many of these decisions were well counseled by the rest of

the e-board members, they were nonetheless experimental and often led to many exciting

challenges. This report hopefully identifies these challenges for general readers and addresses

the advices for the future business managers.

Funding for Lesson Plans Intelligently

This semester, STEM Initiative received the total budget of $30 from SA. Without much financial

support, the e-board members agreed to target low-cost lesson plans with comparable

educational values for our students of School 29. Hence, eleven submissions, ranging from $0

to $23.33, were carefully selected.

The average cost of a lesson plan was roughly $6. With the anticipation of bigger budget next

year, the group may finally be able to afford more costly lesson plans that we unfortunately had

to set aside this year. However, if funding proves to be a persistent issue in the future, the

business manager must find alternative routes to fund these intricate plans.

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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1. Collaborate with other student organizations.

From the fiscal point of view, this will free up the budgets set aside for multiple lesson plans and

consolidate into one. As a precedent, STEM Initiative collaborated with the Optical Society of

America (OSA) this semester in hosting an optics-related workshop. OSA was kind enough to

fund for the entirety of the workshop, and many other organizations have reached out to

coordinate something similar ever since.

2. Buy some supplies in bulk.

The appendix shows that some items are used in more than one lesson. If the business

manager can identify and purchase useful items with long shelf lives in bulk, the group may be

able to create long-term savings— even if they are more expensive at the moment. Upon

purchase, it would be up to the discretion of the business manager to keep track of the

inventory and store these items in designated storage space for the future use.

3. Keep a close attention to the balance of the financial account.

Purchase orders, similar to those used by SAAC for any fund withdrawal, can be used to keep

record of purchases. While SAAC limits the use of purchase orders to business managers, having

members with intention to use the organizations money to fill out an unofficial copy will allow

the business manager to monitor the club expenditures and reduce any waste.

Planning and Budgeting for the Family Science Day (FSD) The Family Science Day this year was held on April 19th. With the initial $30 dollars already

exhausted, this event was going to rely exclusively on external funding: student organizations

willing to pay for the event expenses. While an invitation for cosponsorship can go out to any

student organizations, the business manager should strongly consider reaching out to residential

hall councils as early as possible. Every semester, each hall councils set a budget for hall

programming. The council has the power to utilize this fund to cosponsor qualifying events.

The date of the FSD was very close to the end of the semester. According to the business

manager’s manual, cosponsorship of an event must follow the procedure of an internal

requisition (IR). Since this process requires the cosponsoring group to fill out IR forms to initiate

fund transfer, the business manager must touch bases regularly with the appropriate

chairpersons of the cosponsoring group in order to receive needed funds in timely manner. Be

aware that the funds for any SA-funded groups freeze by the end of the year.

When reaching out to potential cosponsors, it is recommend that the business manager

establish the minimum amount since the estimate cost of an event is subjected to change. So it

is up to the business manager to reevaluate the amount of necessary funding in accordance to 8

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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the predicted margin of error. Even with preparation, however, it is quite possible that the

actual invoice turns out to be vastly greater than expected. In accordance to the facilities’ initial

quote of $312 for renting and maintaining tables and chairs, we raised $350 from various hall

councils. The revised receipt for the event was $250 over-budget and created much discourse

for the e-board.

Thankfully, the extensive conversation between the representative of facilities and their

contractor, Nolan’s, and the co-presidents corrected this misunderstanding down to roughly

$400. STEM Initiative still had to reach out to IEEE and BMES for the insufficient funds by the

SAAC deadline. Retrospectively, the miscommunication with the facilities during the planning

process occurred due to the little interaction between them and the business manager.

Closure With the recognition as an official SA-funded club, the role of the business manager for STEM

Initiative will grow. The content of this report is intended to marry the beneficial lessons learned

from our trial period and the official protocols that any SA-funded organizations must follow. As

the final remark, the business manager should be familiar with any upcoming lesson plans and

other events that STEM Initiative intends to accomplish. Especially with the plan to expand our

outreach programs and other major events in upcoming years, the business manager should

regularly counsel the executive board and diligently communicate with other relevant

organizations.

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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Afterschool Science Program The after-school program is where the

magic happens. It is where the hard work

put in each week from E-board, our

members and collaborating campus clubs

comes to life.

It all started in January 2014 where

students at School 29 were shy and

perhaps intimated by having college

students teach them about science. The

volunteers would make it as interactive as

possible to make the children feel at ease.

Little by little, the children opened up to

become their usual bubbly self. It became

really fun when they were finally

comfortable, and started knowing the

volunteers by name!

In terms of teaching, students were very responsive. They were eager to learn and answered the

volunteers’ guiding question well. However, the volunteers noticed that they would sometimes

have to calm the students because they would become restless or overexcited. In general, the

students were very cool and we even became attached to them!

But let’s remember why we’re there. Of course we like to have fun, but additionally to teach

children about the science that surrounds us everyday. And to improve this aspect, feedback of

Palak Patel (left) and Priti Vage (right) are helping students

from school 29 build a boat made from various material to

see which group can build the strongest structure that would

hold the most pennies!

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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the after-school program is talked about during the E-board weekly meetings. The good news is

that each lesson is very fun and well thought of on paper. But that’s just it: on paper. Sometimes

the plan does not go as smoothly as we would have hoped. One particular lesson comes to

mind: building bridges with marshmallows is a great way for kids to learn about architecture. The

purpose was to demonstrate how the triangle was the strongest structure to hold bridges.

However, the plan backfired when the children convinced themselves that the square was the

best structure. Although that was not exactly what the volunteers were gearing towards, it was

great to see that the children were focusing on what they built and use their critical thinking. In

the future, it seems that it would be beneficial to try the lesson plan beforehand and tweak it to

Overall, the children are motivated, fun and excited to learn. STEM Initiative is enthusiastic of the

progress we have made in the afterschool program and cannot wait to have the magic happen

in the classroom next semester!

Family Science Day Family Science Day was held on April 19th,

2014 from 1-4PM in the Munnerlyn Atrium of

the Goergen Hall Biomedical Engineering

building. This culminating community event

showcased the many STEM-related student

groups at the University of Rochester. Local

students and families were invited to attend

this free event, and explore the various STEM

groups at the U of R.

Whether it was Optics Society of America or

the Undergraduate Chemistry Council, every

participating student group was represented

at a booth at Family Science Day. Each group prepared hands-on demonstrations and

experiments for young students and families to enjoy. More than 300 people attended this

event, and more than 20 U of R student groups participated as cosponsors. Time Warner Cable

also made an appearance to broadcast Family Science Day on local television.

Overall, the event was an incredible success due to the diligence of our student volunteers as

well as the support from the local Rochester community. We hope to continue to organize

community events for younger students in the area, and inspire them to pursue higher-level

education through the STEM Initiative. 11

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

Family Science Day 2014 was a huge success which brought

in over 300 people to the event.

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Sarah Jensen, University of Rochester

Medical Emergency Response Team

Family Science Day was an incredibly

organized event that engaged families in

hands on activities and experiments. It

was a great way to expose younger kids

to a wide variety of scientific fields, and

this event clearly demonstrated that the

STEM Initiative at the University of

Rochester works hard to provide younger

students with opportunities that extend

beyond their typical classroom

experiences. R/C MERT was thrilled to

cosponsor the event. All of the

volunteers, including myself, had a great

time interacting with the families that

came by the booth. The kids were

interested to hear their heart beat

through the stethoscopes, and were

excited to learn how to splint an arm and

administer an EpiPen. I look forward to

this event next year!

Sarah Jensen is showing kids some of the tools, such as a stethoscope, that the Medical Emergency Response Team uses to help patients in medical emergencies on campus.

12

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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Pedro Vallejo Ramirez, University of Rochester

President of the Optics Society of America,

Rochester Chapter

STEM Initiative's Family day was a phenomenal

gathering of creative, brilliant minds from

organizations on campus to contribute to the greater

Rochester community by sharing their passion for

science and technology with young children and their

parents. I hope we can spark an interest in these

youngsters' minds to inspire them to innovate and

create for the betterment of our society. Pedro Vallejo Ramirez teaches a class of 5th to 8th graders how optics work through simple tools and lenses during a STEM Initiative’s afterschool STEM workshop session at Adlai E. Stevenson School No. 29.

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STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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Koji Muto, University of Rochester

President of Tau Beta Pi New York Kappa Chapter Working with the STEM Initiative has

provided me with a unique opportunity

that I wish all college students can

experience. I have taught peers and

underclassmen as a teaching assistant, but

working with middle school students is

entirely different. They are not learning

solely to do well on tests, but learning for

the sake of learning - because it's fun.

That's the sort of mentality that we want to

foster. Admittedly, it is difficult task, but

STEM Initiative does it in all the right ways.

The focus is on fun, hands-on experiments

that the kids find exciting. Moreover, this is

not paid or a for-credit option - there is

no forced component. Instead, the student

teachers volunteer their time because they

are genuinely interested in mentoring these middle school students. With the right curriculum,

passionate teachers, and willing students, you have a winning combination that has made STEM

Initiative the success story it is today. I eagerly look forward to continuing to work with the STEM

Initiative.

Amanda Chen, University of Rochester

Former President of Tau Beta Pi New York Kappa Chapter, Goldwater Scholar I really enjoyed the small bit of help I was able to contribute to STEM Initiative this year! I regret

not being able to physically be present at the lessons, but it was very fun to be able to prepare a

lesson on hydrogels for the students. I think the general set-up that you have for the program is

great. One suggestion I might have is to collect reviews of the lessons (from the students,

volunteers, and the teacher(s)) so that people that are not present (e.g. lesson writer, non-

attending volunteers, e-board) can understand from the documentation how successful a lesson

was. This might help clarify what works and what doesn't work in the classroom.

Viola Spahiu, University of Rochester

Volunteer Coordinator of STEM Initiative As one of the two volunteer coordinators this past year, I had the opportunity to collaborate and

work with an amazing group of students, consisting of both undergraduates and the students

we work with at School #29. I looked forward to Friday afternoons all week, knowing that I would

14

Koji Muto at Tau Beta Pi’s Can Crushing Demo at Family

Science Day 2014. The demonstration showed how a rapid

change in temperature can cause a strong enough pressure

difference to completely crush an aluminum can!

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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get out of my “bubble” for a few hours and work on

some really cool experiments with the kids. At times,

the lesson plans were a learning experience for me as

well, and I really enjoyed learning about topics that I

normally wouldn’t cover in my classes such as optics

and cryptography. As a volunteer coordinator, you

become really attached to the kids and you sincerely

hope that you’ve had an impact in the way that they

perceive their educations. I look forward to the next

school year and can’t wait to see not only how our

STEM programs evolve, but also how our kids grow

throughout the process.

Jordan Snajczuk, University of Rochester

Volunteer Coordinator of STEM Initiative Participating in the STEM Initiative this year was such

a great experience. I still remember going to School

29 on the first day of the program wondering whether

any children would show up. As it turned out,

attendance was not an issue and on the contrary, all

of the students asked when we were coming back! It

was extremely fulfilling to go into the classrooms every week and work with so many energetic

students who were interested in the STEM field. As one of the volunteer coordinators, I also

loved being in close contact with all of the undergraduates who dedicated time out of their

schedules to teach. Hearing feedback from both the volunteers from U of R and the students at

School 29 was extremely helpful and led to some key organizational changes in the lesson plans

and also in different behind-the-scenes aspects of the club (transportation, scheduling

volunteers, etc.) Overall, I am so impressed with the success that this organization has achieved

in one short year. In addition to the weekly school visits, bigger projects like Family Science Day

have shown the great potential that the STEM Initiative has for the future. With such a great

year behind us, I can only hope that next year brings us more volunteers, increased funding for

more complicated experiments, and another group of hardworking and bright students who are

willing to learn!

15

Jordan Snajczuk (left) and Viola Spahiu (right)

helping out at the 2014 Family Science Day

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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Website Launch

By the end of the summer of 2014, the STEM Initiative will have a running website for accessible

information regarding our community work, our partnerships, and club updates. The website will

also have features enabling students to submit digitized lesson plans, sign up for to volunteer for

workshops, and send feedback back to the STEM Initiative executive board.

Indiegogo Crowdfunding Campaign In order to relieve financial restraints on lesson plans and supplies, the STEM Initiative will launch

a crowd-funding campaign through Indigogo in the summer of 2014. The funds raised through

this campaign will entirely be used to budget the activities of STEM Initiative. The business

manager along with the assistance of the executive board will be managing the funds. We hope

that the money raised through Indigogo will be help us fun elaborate lesson plans, purchase

basic supplies, organize community events, and publicize to schools, companies, and sponsors.

Chapter Expansion Although the STEM Initiative was founded this past spring, chapter expansion to other

universities is a very promising idea. In the future, we hope to work with other universities to

establish STEM Initiative at various campuses in order to serve the public schools in those

respective areas. The main mission of the STEM Initiative will still be intact, and we will strive to

create free, accessible STEM workshops for public schools.

Collaborations with other STEM Organizations One of the key factors responsible for the expansion of the STEM Initiative is to network with

organizations with similar mission statements. This will enable our club to not only reach a

greater audience, but also to learn and feed off of groups that have succeeded in making the

STEM field more accessible. We hope to collaborate with non-profit organizations, similar after-

school programs, STEM magazines and publications, and other university groups amongst other

collaborations.

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

What’s In store?

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17

Co-Founders, Co-Presidents

George Iwaoka

[email protected]

Jenny Yoon

[email protected]

Vice President Matthew Levine

[email protected]

Business Manager Ha Hyung Harry Lee

[email protected]

Secretary

Brittanie Kilchoer

[email protected]

Volunteer Coordinators Jordan Snajczuk

[email protected]

Viola Spahiu

[email protected]

Public Relations Chairs Anna Parker

[email protected]

Palak Patel

[email protected]

Curriculum Chair Alan Shramuk

[email protected]

Curriculum Committee

Kelly Burton

[email protected]

Albert Gawer

[email protected]

STEM Initiative General Inquiries [email protected]

STEM Initiative

University of Rochester

Room 101, Ruth Merrill Center

Rochester NY, 14627

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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i

Below is a break down of the costs for each of the lesson plans conducted this semester in the

order conducted.

Stimulus Response (Total: $5.87) 2 Scented candles (air wick scented candle, $2.77/unit),

poster board (22’’x28’’ poster board, $.33/unit)

Food Web (Total: $7.06) Organism cards (index cards 100-pack, $1.07/unit)

Different colors of yarn (lion brand bonbons yarn 8/pack, $5.99/unit)

Digest This! (Total $23.33)

· Club soda (Schweppes~$1.99/unit)

Flour (Gold Dedal: all purpose flour 5lb, $2.46, unit)

Corn starch (16 oz. Argo corn starch, ~$2.22, unit)

Sugar (sugar in the raw 100 c packs, $3.18/unit)

Vegetable oil (Great Value brand 48oz, $2.62/unit),

Skittles (original pack, $2.88/unit 3x)

Paper cups (Dixie cups 54 ct, $2.58/unit)

Tower Building (Total: $9.09) · Paper plates (Great Value brands 170ct, $3.97/unit)

Toothpicks, (Chenille Kraft Flat Natural Wood Toothpicks 250 ct, $2.44/unit)

Mini marshmallows (Campfire Giant Roasters Marshmallows 28oz, $2.98/unit)

Hydrogels and Stem Cells (Total: $15.50) 3 boxes of Jell-O (4 packs, $1)

Re-sealable containers (Ziploc sandwich bags 100cts, $2.98/unit)

1 chicken (1-lb chicken, $3.49/unit*)

1 box of latex gloves (boardwalk powder free non-sterile vinyl gloves 100cts, ~$4.06/unit)

· Paper plates (Great Value brands 170ct, $3.97/unit)

Atoms and Molecules (Total: $ 5.42) Marshmallows (Campfire Giant Roasters Marshmallows 28oz, $2.98/unit)

Toothpicks (Chenille Kraft Flat Natural Wood Toothpicks 2500 ct, $2.44/unit)

Cryptography (Total: $2) 20 copies of worksheet (B&W printing, $.10/copy)

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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ii

Newton’s Laws (Total: $9.16) Balloons, straws, strings ($9.16/whole set)

Optics Suitcase (Total: $0) All supplies supplied by OSA

Pendulums (total: $5.99)

Spool of string (lion brand bonbons yarn 8/pack, $5.99/unit)

Poison Picnic (Total: $5.50) 20 worksheets (B&W printing, $.10/copy)

20 info packets (B&W printing, $.10/copy)

Supplementary info sheet approx. 15 pages (B&W printing, $.10/copy)

Video Game Programming (Total: $0) No materials used

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

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iii

Please contact STEM Initiative at [email protected] if you like more information on

any of these lesson plans mentioned below. All lesson plans are created and organized by our

volunteer members, or through partner organizations which we work closely with through our

afterschool programs.

STEM Initiative | 2014 Academic Year Annual Report

Atoms and Molecules Discover the basic structure of atoms and

electron orbitals using marshmallows and

toothpicks.

Computer Programming Utilize The Hour of Code to explore the basics

of computer programming.

Cryptography

Encode and decode ciphers by learning

cryptography and various types of ciphers.

Digest This! Understand the structure and mechanisms of

the stomach and human digestive system.

Hydrogels and Stem Cells Explore biomedical engineering and how

hydrogels and stem cells can be used for

modern medical techniques.

Food Web Interact as members of a food web to

understand the ecological structure of

Rochester and the importance of ecosystem

conservation.

Newton’s Laws Engage in hands-on exploration and activities

related to Newton’s Laws of Motion.

Optics Suitcase Discover optical phenomena including

thermodynamics, material science, and wave

properties of light.

Pendulums

Learn about the science of gravity by creating

and experimenting with pendulums.

Poison Picnic Utilize the scientific method to learn about

epidemiology and use logic to solve a fictional

medical case.

Stimulus Response Understand the response rates of the human

body and explore the different bodily senses.

Tower Building Engineering towers to discover what geometric

shapes are ideal building blocks for maximum

stability.

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Contributing Writers George Iwaoka

Jenny Yoon Matthew Levine

Ha Hyung Harry Lee Brittanie Kilchoer Jordan Snajczuk

Viola Spahiu Palak Patel Anna Parker Alan Shramuk

Design and Layout George Iwaoka

Contributing Photographers Parsa L. Photography

Isabelle Chu Spoon University

Jenny Yoon

Special Thank you to Emma Rainwater Debbie Gaudet

Glenn Cerosaletti Community Service Network

Page 24: Stem Initiative 2014 Annual Report

2014 Academic Year Annual Report © STEM Initiative

Published June 9th, 2014

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