Science Projects

2021 – Neighbor wins SEFH 1st place on air quality. I judged the middle school computer science projects. Time to require science projects of all students again and make PBL part of accountability.

E4U3logoI dream … I dream that all schools have removed Carnegie Units and build on each child’s dream. I need a video.

I judged the 2016 Houston Science and Engineering Fair.  Discovered students need help in project planning and keeping a lab book.  Looking for a design recipe process that focuses on examples.  Not sure any of these listed here are good, but trying to find easy implementation solutions so teachers and students will use computer science in their designs. So we can once and for all stop this test focused education that has no time to plant gardens, to play integrated team sports, to have conversations with professionals with common interests, to discover passions one does not know can exist in unique minds.

2017 I was helping at the AAUW Expanding Your Horizons Conference so could not judge the Houston science fair. Something dear to my heart because I won 2nd place in 6th grade.  I am still wondering why more schools don’t provide the innovative time needed to promote science to solve real world problems.  I was listening to Science Friday, an amazing program that all kids should listen to maybe find their passion, but alas no school time for this.  Amber talked about being a scientist and her Intel winning science project to find space debris. She talked about battles for girls in STEM and her experience in middle school robotics being the only girl. She shared how her mother was a computer program, yet she had to teach herself how to program to develop her algorithm. And I wonder, when opportunities for this type of learning will open up for all children.

2020 Judged the SEFH again.  Still looking for bunnies to help find that Golden Egg. This was part of the COVID19 Easter Treasure Hunt.