University of Mount Olive STEM camp for third-graders
By From staff reports
Published in News on September 4, 2016 1:45 AM
MOUNT OLIVE -- The University of Mount Olive will host 750 Wayne and Duplin County third-graders from area Wayne and Duplin County schools Friday, Sept. 16, for a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fair, called STEM on the Green.
It will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In the planning stages since December, the STEM fair will feature 20 interactive booths, three larger demonstrations, and raffles.
Event coordinator Dr. Sara Lahman said each activity will be linked to a concept within the third grade curriculum.
The booths will be designed to provide students with hands-on experience to allow them to understand associated concepts in a new light.
"The students are coming from Title I school districts; consequently, this event will expose them to activities and technology that may not be readily available to them on a daily basis," she said.
UMO students majoring in biology, chemistry, education, agriculture, and recreation and leisure studies will volunteer throughout the day at the various booths, giving them the opportunity to communicate what they are learning in the classroom at a level that third graders can understand.
Booths will include the following: Can you Float an Action Figure?; Can you Walk on Liquid?; and Where Does Food Your Food Come From?
James Sprunt Community College will have a booth showing produce and livestock that are grown in the different geographical regions of the state.
The Wayne County 4-H will have a robotics team available.
There will also be larger demonstrations, including rocket launches, conducted by a UMO physics professor, and Jerry Jackson, chief meteorologist with WNCT Channel 9, will be on hand to talk about weather.
Ms. Lahman said the third-grade teachers will receive supplemental materials to further expand on the STEM topics within their classrooms, and a mystery STEM activity kit.
The third-grade students will receive take-home information about STEM activities that they can do in the area and at home.
"The university has been incredible in supporting this event," she said. "This event will help UMO to strengthen ties with the community. I think the STEM fair is a great opportunity to bring together local businesses, local schools, as well as our students and administration to show that we are cohesive in supporting education in this area of North Carolina.
"We want students to be setup for success and get excited about these disciplines that can be viewed as difficult or borrowing. We want to show students what they can do with science, math, engineering, and technology -- to show them connections in what they are learning in the classroom with everyday life."
For more information or to make a contribution to STEM on the Green, contact Sara Lahman at slahman@umo.edu, or visit www.umo.edu/stem.
The University of Mount Olive is a private institution rooted in the liberal arts tradition with defining Christian values.
The university, sponsored by the Convention of Original Free Will Baptists, has locations in Mount Olive, New Bern, Wilmington, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, Research Triangle Park, Washington, Jacksonville, and in Smithfield at Johnston Community College.
For more information, visit www.umo.edu.