600 Middle School Students Attend Super Science Friday

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education is getting a lot of attention in the media, business, and academic circles. The University of Michigan-Flint recently sponsored a special event aimed at getting elementary students interested in the sciences.

Super Science Friday returned to UM-Flint on Friday, May 6. Over 600 seventh and eighth grade students from across Genesee County participated in a day of exploration and learning. The 24 different interactive workshops were by university faculty, staff, students, and community partners. The presentations covered a variety of sciences including electrical engineering, chemistry, information systems, food sciences, the fine arts, and alternative energy.  Students selected from topics that ranged from Crime Scene Investigations, the Science of Music, and Termite Trails to Cooking Up the Universe, and many more.

"The faculty, staff, and students have been worked diligently to create interactive workshops that  excited these young students about science and, hopefully, inspired them to include science in their future plans," said UM-Flint Provost Gerard Voland. "Super Science Friday is another outstanding example of the university's efforts to engage the community in a collaborative learning opportunity."

 "Super Science Friday is a wonderful way to foster student curiosity in the sciences," said Karen Stong, Super Science Friday coordinator. "We hope this on-campus experience will start students thinking about all the different areas of science and the career options they may wish to consider once they have graduated from high school."

Super Science Friday is made possible in part by the generous support of the A.G. Bishop Charitable Trust, the Veit Youth Charitable Trust, and the Herbert J. and Dorothy W. Booth Fund of the Community Foundation for Greater Flint.