Society for Science has recognized 41 educators across the United States with awards through their STEM Research Grant Program. One recipient is John Adams Science teacher, Debra Las. In her 32nd year of teaching 8th-grade science at John Adams Middle School, Deb teaches the highly gifted and Physical Science classes and co-teaches multilingual learner science classes. In addition to teaching, she also runs a STEM Mentoring Lab after school that features volunteer mentors from Mayo Clinic's Biomedical Graduate School. The non-profit group, Oraculi, helps make the lab possible by recruiting mentors and financially supporting students by covering entrance fees into science competitions.
The $2,000 grant will aid various research projects for 6th-8th grade students. Projects range from testing biopolymers to student sleep patterns. Most student projects will be showcased in the Rochester Regional STEM Fair or eCybermission, a national competition where students work in teams using science, technology, engineering, and mathematics to try and solve community problems. There will also be a John Adams STEAM Family Night where students display their work.
"Challenging young minds to dream is a starting point,” says Deb. “Kids also need materials to test their ideas. Creating a science stockroom where students can access materials for independent research projects is a game changer. Students can jump from simple projects like dealing with paper towel strength to looking at the complexities of the environmental impacts of different types of sunscreen within various ecosystems. This grant is making that happen."
The grant provides equipment support for student research projects. Some equipment is for consumables, such as kits for measuring nitrate levels; other funds have been set aside for equipment that can be used for years, such as meters, scales, and an incubator for bacteria.