Students release energy at Summer Science Camp
3 min read
More than 70 students from throughout San Bernardino County participated in the four-day Summer Science Expanded Learning Institute (SSELI) where they engaged in hands-on experiments and began preparing for their school and district-level science fairs.
From July 26 – July 29, San Bernardino County Superintendent of Schools (SBCSS) continued providing educational summer experiences to students with the SSELI. Students from grades four through twelve attended workshops from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) campus. The SSELI was a collaborative effort between SBCSS science department and the Expanded Learning program along with support from SBVC staff.
Each morning, teams of students created functional gadgets comparable to those seen at science fairs and then competed against one another. The teams each built a case to protect an egg from a two-story drop, a working miniature catapult, and a paper track for a marble.
Students saw elements of physical science in action through each of these experiments. The egg drop taught them about force, velocity and momentum as they experimented with building protective casings and parachutes to keep the egg from breaking when it hit the ground. In a later session, students brought a medieval siege tool to life by building mini trebuchets. Trebuchets are a type of catapult that rely on counterweights to launch small projectiles. In this case, students created their foot-high trebuchets from wooden kits. Through this exercise, the teams learned about gravitational potential energy and how it converted into kinetic energy when they released their trebuchets; one team even launched their ball over eight feet!
Building on the physics concepts introduced during the previous days, the final experiment involved constructing a roller coaster style track and then releasing a marble onto it. Teams were able to see how friction and gravity affected the marble’s potential and kinetic energy as it coursed over hills and through loops, twists and turns.
After each day’s build and compete portion, attendees engaged in breakout sessions where they discussed topics related to computer science, engineering, environmental science, physics, astronomy, biology and other physical sciences. Educators provided models and tools that helped the students understand moon phases, ecosystems and solar energy.
According to Mariano Aranda, SBCSS science department coordinator, the camp “inspired our youth by helping them build confidence, grow interpersonal skills and explore science fair category projects in new ways.”
The final session of each day empowered students to participate in their upcoming school and district level science fairs. Students received guidance from science mentors and browsed the Society for Science website which familiarized them with science fair categories and processes.
“The activities at the summer science camp made learning fun and relevant. Students expressed their creativity and were inquisitive about the details of each project,” said County Superintendent Ted Alejandre. “It was a great opportunity for them to discover new interests and experience the wonders of science.” Immense gratitude is due to both the science department and the Expanded Learning program for bringing this exceptional opportunity to students. Additional thanks go to the district educators who facilitated this event and to Dr. Daniele Smith-Morton from SBVC for her tireless efforts to ensure its success.
