- Year 2023
- NSF Award #1758292
- Registration Former Noyce Scholar
- First Name Tandy
- Last Name Petrov
- Discipline Chemistry, Life Sciences, STEM Education (general)
- Institution University of Alabama at Birmingham, Community OutReach Development Center (UAB CORD)
Abstract
The Center for Community OutReach Development at the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s FoodMASTER education team has pioneered the development of a food-based Summer Science Camp. The goal of the program is to teach chemistry, using food, to provide rising 3rd-8th graders an engaging environment, whether in-person or virtually. The “Food for Thought” science camp overcame several COVID19-related challenges, including creating additional learning supports to enhance FoodMASTER curriculum, understanding online platforms to host the camp, assembling and sending out safe, cost-effective kits for at-home experiments, and engaging participants. The camp successfully taught participants how to apply math and science skills in the kitchen, fostered a community of multi-age learners, and provided an opportunity for exciting chemistry experiments. The camp has been enjoyed and well-received in all years, even in the year that the camp was completely online (2020). Each year campers apply chemistry principles for their own delicious, healthy recipes, while implementing basic principles of chemistry. Pre-service and in-service educators also learned valuable strategies for engaging learning both remotely and in-person.
