ATLANTA
METRO CHAPTER CONDUCTS SUPER SCIENCE SATURDAY DEMONSTRATIONS AT
WOODLAND
MIDDLE SCHOOL
by Bernice Green
Atlanta Metro Chapter (AMC) conducted the 2008 iteration of its annual Super Science Saturday demonstrations at
Woodland
Middle school
in
East Point
on November 22nd . The event, hosted by
Woodland
, was a collaborative effort among
South
Fulton
County
middle schools, jointly organized by Ms Toni LeMans, a Woodland Science Teacher, Ms Vivian Randolph, Woodland Academic Vice-Principal and Ms Bernice Green, AMC President. The objective of Super Science Saturday is to introduce secondary school students to science career possibilities through interactive demonstrations and discussions with chemistry, chemical engineering and other science professionals that many students may not encounter in their early years.
Approximately 200 students from
Woodland
, Mount Olive Elementary, Oak Knoll Elementary and
Camp
Creek
Middle Schools
participated in the event. The Saturday morning program began with an opening session in the auditorium. Opening remarks – including a welcome to students and other participants - were delivered by AMC President Bernice Green, with Dr Rosalie Richards, Director of the
Science
Education
Center
and chemistry professor from
Georgia
College
and
State
University
in Milledgeville as the keynote speaker addressing the topic, “Science is Fun for Everyone”. Demonstration and presentation topics included: Chemistry Magic, Fast Food Facts, Video Games and Robotics, Cabbage Chemistry, Why You Should Say No to Smoking, Let There be Light, Candy Chromatography, African American Inventors, Computer Simulations, Show Time, Lenses - What do You See?, I Scream, and Chemistry Fun. Following lunch, Participants assembled in the auditorium for a Super Science Saturday Assembly and Quiz, where prizes were awarded to students who correctly answered questions taken from presentation and demonstration concepts. Closing remarks were delivered by Woodland Academic Vice-Principal Ms Vivian Randolph.
AMC members and volunteers who conducted demonstrations and presentations were Dr Tedric Campbell of Excellatron, The Spelman College Chemistry Club and Dr Yassin Jeliani of Spelman College, Dr Kirsten Jeffries-Grant of the Morehouse School of Medicine, Mr. Hugh Gardner, Dr Mary Robinson and Dr James Grainger of CDC.
AMC Super Science Saturdays have been conducted annually in the spring or fall since the early 1990s. The first AMC Super Science Saturday events were conducted at
Fernbank
Science
Center
, and subsequent events were conducted at SciTrek,
Clark
Atlanta
University
and
Spelman
College
. Students, teachers, and professionals displayed enthusiasm at the sessions designed to present exchanges of awareness, concepts, contacts and career possibilities in the sciences and engineering with the target audience. The 2008 event, the first conducted at a secondary school was very successful and demonstrated that a well organized format with creative, proactive members and volunteers can flourish at a variety of appropriate venues.
More photos from Super Science Saturday event