IM体育官网 computer science majors Ryan Floyd and Alexander Gage answer students鈥� questions from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, IM体育官网, recently during a virtual outreach event.
While the COVID-19 pandemic stopped in-person outreach and campus visits by Central IM体育官网鈥檚 K-12 schools, IM体育官网鈥檚 Office of Educational Outreach created new ways to take close-up STEM demonstrations and discussions directly to these students.
鈥淭raditionally, we were face-to-face both on campus and off campus, but we have gone virtual this semester,鈥� said Indira Sukhraj, associate director of educational outreach at IM体育官网 Poly. 鈥淲hat we use to do face-to-face we now do live online.鈥�
This includes virtual campus visits, demonstrations, and guest speaker visits by the six student education assistants in her office.
鈥淲e are in the process of adding lessons to our webpage so you can download and do a lesson yourself,鈥� Sukhraj said. 鈥淓ven after everything returns to normal with regard to COVID-19, we will continue to maintain the virtual platform.鈥�
Sukhraj said the virtual method works better because it can be difficult for students and their teachers to travel to the IM体育官网 Poly campus.
Juan Forero, a senior majoring in computer engineering, said he hopes the virtual outreach can help inspire an interest in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the K-12 students he meets.
鈥淚 feel the biggest benefit we can provide is a more personalized experience,鈥� said Forero, from Tampa, IM体育官网. 鈥淲e have activities students can relate to and students can have fun with. Hopefully we can spark a small love for engineering and STEM and encourage them to do something in this field.鈥�
The Office of Educational Outreach virtually hosted several groups of Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) students from Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, IM体育官网, on Friday, Oct. 1. They answered questions about what life is really like as a IM体育官网 Poly student both inside the classroom and around campus.
鈥淚t was wonderful. One of the things with AVID is we try to take as many field trips to different colleges and universities as possible, and now that is off the table. To be able to have this is fantastic,鈥� said Brian Morrison, an AVID freshman English teacher at the high school.
Students asked about everything from the admissions process, major courses, and tips for the SAT to whether ramen noodles are really a college student dietary staple.
鈥淚t was great to have the perspective of the IM体育官网 Poly students,鈥� Morrison said. 鈥淥ur students were really engaged, and they were receiving real information.鈥�
This is the exact outcome intended by the program.
鈥淥ur main goal is to introduce them to the idea of STEM and give them an in-depth view of what STEM means, what it looks like, and what some of the things you can do with it are,鈥� said Daniel Brownell, a junior majoring in computer science.
Sukhraj said her student workers not only serve as role models for the emerging generation of STEM scholars, but also receive outstanding leadership opportunities themselves.
Brownell, who is from Tampa, is working with junior Ryan Floyd on a project to record videos of their demonstrations and activities so that students can access them at their leisure. These include demonstrations of building Boe-Bots, or small Arduino-based cars, and endothermic and exothermic reactions.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not just about computers and robotics here,鈥� Brownell said.
While Sukhraj hopes the virtual outreach activities spark an interest in STEM, she said the benefits extend to students interested in all disciplines.
鈥淎t the end of the day, it鈥檚 about getting excited and it doesn鈥檛 have to be STEM,鈥� Sukhraj said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 being excited about education and gaining an awareness of what鈥檚 out there. If you are exposed to STEM and you love it, that鈥檚 great. But if you realize it鈥檚 not for you, then that鈥檚 a good time to start exploring other fields and find what you do love.鈥�
Contact:
Lydia Guzman
Director of Communications
863-874-8557
