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Full-Text Articles in Education

Library Steam Kits: Developing Circulatable Curriculum For Community Steam Learning, Daphne Fauber, Ashley Fletcher Dec 2023

Library Steam Kits: Developing Circulatable Curriculum For Community Steam Learning, Daphne Fauber, Ashley Fletcher

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Public libraries serve as repositories for a movement described as cultivation of the Library of Things. In the wake of COVID-19, the West Lafayette Public Library enhanced its existing Library of Things collection through the creation of science, technology, engineering, art, and mathematics (STEAM) kits. Since 2017, the West Lafayette Public Library has held regular free STEAM programs for the community; those programs were put on hold during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which concurred with a library renovation. These kits provide the community with the ability to learn STEAM concepts at home engaging, hands-on activities that may otherwise …


Indianapolis Gems Club: Engagement In Informal Mathematics And Science Learning., Maria Eloisa Nuguid Dec 2023

Indianapolis Gems Club: Engagement In Informal Mathematics And Science Learning., Maria Eloisa Nuguid

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

There continues to be a need for the representation of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. To address this need, the Girls Excelling in Mathematics and Science (GEMS) research team at Purdue started a GEMS club at Lew Wallace School in Indianapolis, referred to as Indy GEMS Club. GEMS research assistants Maria Eloisa Nuguid, Yi Zhu, and Grace Gochnauer worked with Professor Elizabeth Suazo-Flores. This article is a description of the first Indy GEMS Club experience that consisted of hands-on activities created by GEMS founder Laura Reasoner Jones. The activities were hidden Legos, cup stacking, building a …


National Chemistry Week: From Irl To The Web, Ilayda Kelley, Daniela Mesa Sanchez Oct 2021

National Chemistry Week: From Irl To The Web, Ilayda Kelley, Daniela Mesa Sanchez

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

National Chemistry Week, an outreach program initiated by the American Chemical Society (ACS), encourages scientists to bring their love of chemistry to their community. Celebrated nationwide, ACS invites businesses, schools, and individuals to organize and participate in community events to promote the value of chemistry in everyday life. The Purdue graduate student chapter of Iota Sigma Pi, a national honor society for women in chemistry, annually organizes one such celebration. On a normal year, this event is a large logistical undertaking in which 100+ volunteers go directly to over 70 local elementary school classrooms and perform a series of activities …


Investigating The Effect Of Community-Based Educational Robotics Programs On Underrepresented Youth, Eric Flaningam, Hanna Keyerleber, Christopher Embry Oct 2021

Investigating The Effect Of Community-Based Educational Robotics Programs On Underrepresented Youth, Eric Flaningam, Hanna Keyerleber, Christopher Embry

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Traditional STEM academic programs have a large discrepancy in participation and engagement between low-income and minority students as compared to their peers from other demographics. This underrepresentation is visible beginning in the classroom and carrying through to higher education and the STEM workforce. The Ware Research Group previously studied the STEM learning environments of low-income communities in Lafayette, IN. Study results suggested that traditionally structured classroom environments were not effective in achieving high levels of participation and engagement in STEM material. To address this deficit, the research group is observing how community-centered STEM programs affect participation and engagement from low-income …


Across The Atlantic: Service-Learning In Spain And Morocco, Lauren Ward Oct 2019

Across The Atlantic: Service-Learning In Spain And Morocco, Lauren Ward

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Purdue provides many activities in service-learning each year, and though they are varied experiences, many of the same lessons can be learned. I had the opportunity to participate in two service-learning study abroad trips while at Purdue- the first to Spain and Morocco, and the second to Haiti. While on these trips, I was involved in projects that seemed very different. In Morocco, my group taught high school students about the history of mathematics during the Islamic Golden Age and how mathematics is utilized in Purdue research. In Haiti, I worked with my teammates to teach water sanitation and storage …


Weather Courtyard: Reflections On Interactive Stem Learning Spaces, Ryan Day Oct 2019

Weather Courtyard: Reflections On Interactive Stem Learning Spaces, Ryan Day

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

In this article, the author discusses his experiences in service-oriented engineering developing an interactive weather station for DCES students. Day details this process and the lessons learned over the course of the project development, as well as the project’s influence on his aspirations for a career in civil and environmental engineering. To provide substantive takeaways from the project, he concludes by reviewing the benefits of interactive STEM learning spaces in the instructional environment and links them to the impacts of the weather station project on the community.


Teaching Photosynthesis To Eighth Graders: A Graduate Service-Learning Experience In A Local Science Class, Cecilia Espinoza Oct 2017

Teaching Photosynthesis To Eighth Graders: A Graduate Service-Learning Experience In A Local Science Class, Cecilia Espinoza

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

The purpose of this service-learning experience was to provide a graduate student from a land-grant university with a teaching experience at a local public school. Through a GK–12 program, author assisted a middle school science teacher in the development of class activities and engaged eighth graders in active learning. In this program, 132 eighth grade students participated in a series of active learning activities developed by the author in collaboration with the teacher. These activities aimed to enhance students’ understanding of the process of photosynthesis.