Mitosis. Tangent. Isotope. Polynomial.What?! If you felt overwhelmed just by reading these words, you probably should try STEM-CAM. It’s a program that our new grant winner, Samantha Rizzuto, started that stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. STEM-CAM aims to make these subjects a lot more interesting, appealing and fun for kindergarten through 8 graders. Interested? Read more about it below:
DoSomething.org: Who/what inspired you to take action around this issue?
Samantha Rizzuto: From a young age, my dad instilled in me a passion for science. On the way to school he would pose a “science question of the day.” As I learned observation skills from my dad’s inquiries, I started to question the world around me and began to ask “Why?” Instead of dismissing my questions, my dad helped me find the correct answers to my questions. Both my parents fostered my interest in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) by doing at home experiments with me, playing board games that required logical thinking, and watching shows like Myth Busters with me. These are the seeds that helped my love for science grow. However, I realized through conversations with my friends, that not everyone shared the same enthusiasm for STEM as I had. When speaking about science or math, many of my friends said “I just can’t do it.” I saw this as detrimental considering all of the wonderful opportunities that are available for students in STEM related fields. So, I decided to take action and begin to instill a passion for STEM at a younger age, so they will view STEM as fun and interactive and leave behind the “I just can’t” attitude.
DS: What makes your project unique?
SR: STEM-CAM was founded in 2012, with a goal to instill a passion for science in students at a younger age. Through this program, students from K-8 are exposed to a more hands on approach to science. All of the mentors are currently high school students. I myself am going to be a junior at the Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering this fall. By having high school level students teach, participants are more receptive to the lessons. During our lessons, mentors encourage students to ask questions and use their own creativity. Each lesson is composed of a warm-up, small lecture, MANY experiments supporting and extending the lecture, and a wrap-up. Most of the lesson time is dedicated to hands on activities and student-led questioning. It does not cost anything to take part in STEM-CAM because we want to reach as many people as possible.
DS: What is one moment that stands out where you knew you were making a difference?
SR: Throughout my STEM-CAM lessons there have been a couple of times where I know I am making a difference. One of those times was during a group engineering project. Students, in groups of two or three, were instructed to create a ramp that would slow down a marble enough, so that when rolled down the ramp and into a cup, the marble would not move the cup. Students were so excited to be able to create something of their own and then compete against other groups’ creations. When I logged into my email that night, I saw a messages from a couple of the parents of STEM-CAM participants. Some students’ parents were sharing how much fun their students had, while others were sharing with me their students’ intentions to apply for the Academy for Mathematics, Science, and Engineering where I am currently a student. I even received a couple of emails from parents who had heard about my program and wanted to know when the next lesson was, so their children could attend. This is when I realized what a difference I was making by simply sharing my passion for STEM.
DS: How is this grant money going to help you expand your project?
SR: Because STEM-CAM is free of charge for the participants, we have no funding for materials. This limits the tools we can afford to purchase and utilize during lessons. With the grant money, STEM-CAM can now afford equipment like microscopes or robotics kits to expand on the lessons we can share with our participants. These new materials will also help to inspire students to become more involved with STEM.
DS: If you could have one superpower what would it be?
SR: I would choose to be able to show people their future because that is the real selling point for STEM. By pursuing a career in a STEM related field, students would find that there are more job opportunities, more jobs that offer a higher pay, and certain level of job security. Besides the job benefits associated with pursuing a STEM related career, people in these careers have the opportunity to create the future. Their creations will have the power to reinvent reality. I think being able to show people that, would be an amazing superpower.
