Math and science program seeks engaged learning

By Mark SanchezAugust 18, 2011

Math and science program seeks engaged learning
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Math and science program seeks engaged learning
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PICATINNY ARSENAL, N.J. -- With messy hands from molding a sort of slime-like paste as a way to learn about polymers, fourth grader Iliana Estirava of Hackettstown expressed her happiness with this year's Math and Science 2000 Program.

"I didn't want to come at first, but now I regret not wanting to come," she said. "I'm learning and it's really fun here!"

From July 25 to Aug. 12, Picatinny Arsenal hosted approximately 135 children for the 18th annual Math and Science 2000 Program, three weeks of educational experiments and teaching for students in fourth through eighth grades.

The program is open to any child in the surrounding communities, and also includes Picatinny government, contractor employees and military families.

It is intended to stimulate enthusiasm among middle-school students about science and math"two subjects not universally embraced in school.

"For American children, they're not subjects many care to pursue," said Susan Stecklair, the site coordinator and lead engineering technician in the Enterprise & System Integration Center, part of the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center.

"We want to get children more involved in math and science, to show them that they can be fun. We try to interest them in an interesting way"not how it's done at school. We want them to be involved in math and science so one day they can hopefully come back here to Picatinny to work."

The program has existed since the Army chief of staff directed the National Science Center-Task Force to expand its math and science education outreach program. Picatinny has hosted the program each year since 1993.

Stecklair, who is in her ninth year as site coordinator, has tried to add a unique element to each year's educational experience for the children.

This year, she added a third week so the students could study robotics with David Peins, a faculty member at Raritan Valley Community College in Bridgewater.

Each week of instruction includes a state-certified teacher, with Joseph Benvenuto of Blairstown and Jennifer Sinott of Byron taking charge of teaching science and math respectively during the first two weeks.

The days were broken down into a three-hour period for the mathematics class and three hours for the science class.

The activities and experiments took place both indoor and outside in the 3500 area of the Arsenal.

"I've learned a lot of really cool, good science stuff," said fifth grader Kingston Ho of Roxburg.

The students adapted to this new, more hands-on approach to science and math. In addition, the group environment was conducive to the experimental-style of learning. Stecklair has made it a point to have the children constantly interactive and engaged, whether with the material or with other students.

"They're always teamed up with someone, or they're with a group," Stecklair said. "This isn't school, you're not by yourself. They're learning this way."

The students were occupied with various topics during the first two weeks, mostly concerning Newton's Law of Motion and the Bernoulli Principle.

The children participated in a pine wood derby, made vinegar rockets, crafted kaleidoscopes, experimented with different solutions to engineer the best bubbles and, a highlight for many of the children, studied and launched Estes rockets.

"They seem to like everything," Stecklair said.

The third week, a new addition this year but one that Stecklair says will be a mainstay in future years, involved robotics.

Students studied robot assembly, software operation, obstacle avoidance and turret construction, among many other subjects.

Erin Christmas, a fifth grader, demonstrated how much she enjoys the program by coming to the program for a second consecutive year.

"It's a lot of fun. I loved shooting off the Estes rockets."

Stecklair said she wishes she could accept more than the approximately 135 children this year.

"I had to turn down a lot. I sent out the email about the program in February and it was closed out in about two days."

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