Middle School Programs
How to Sign Up
These programs are best suited to students at the middle school level. To sign up, reach out to the presenter directly to arrange a date and time. Each presentation has one or multiple presentation formats available, talk to your presenter about which will work best for you and your class.
ABeeC's of Beekeeping with Bees in the D
This is a virtual self-guided program you can explore here
Join Brian Peterson-Roest, founder of the non-profit Bees in the D, for a virtual Honeybee hive tour at the DNR's Outdoor Adventure Center in Detroit. You will explore an active hive and learn about the parts of a Honeybee hive, cast of bees, behaviors of bees, the life cycle of Honeybees, pollination and maybe even see royalty!
Alternative Fuels and Combustion Science (Classroom Science/STEAM Field Trips)
Elisa Toulson
toulson@msu.edu
Onsite at MSU Energy and Automotive Research Center (ERC-South): Short talk on energy throughout history that discusses both traditional and renewable forms of energy and their application in everyday life and how they are applicable to the different engineering disciplines. Tour of the Energy and Automotive Research Laboratories at MSU and hands-on experiments that allow students to look inside a candle flame and participate in high speed photography experiments. At Michigan Schools: Short talk on energy throughout history that discusses both traditional and renewable forms of energy and their application in everyday life and how they are applicable to the different engineering disciplines. Hands-on experiments that allow students to look inside a candle flame and participate in high speed photography experiments. I will be unavailable from March 8-April 3
Backyard Birds (Virtual)
Lindsay Cain
lcain@michiganaudubon.org
Learn more about the birds in your backyard. This program covers the basics of birding in your backyard and includes tips and tricks for identifying the birds you see. We'll cover the importance of birds and ways to enjoy them in this interactive presentation. This is a great introduction to birds and is suitable for participants of any skill level or background.
Build-a-Fish! (Virtual, Classroom Science)
Jamily Lorena
ramosdel@msu.edu
Have you ever wondered what makes a fish? Fish are made of a head, body, and tail. They have fins, scales, and teeth. They’re made in many shapes, colors and sizes. Explore fish diversity through a presentation where you’ll learn about fish with awesome colors and shapes and fish that live in places you’d never expect! In this activity you’ll design your own fish with any size, shape, or color you want and choose a home for your fish in any place you can imagine!
Explore Lab Science (Classroom Science)
Heather Seymour
seymourh@michigan.gov
The goal of the Explore Lab Science program is to introduce children to lab science. The program has three tiers and activities can be tailored to specific ages and classroom curricula.
How Can Students Play an Effective Societal Role Now and in the Future Related to Plastics? (Virtual, Classroom Science, STEAM Field Trips)
Cimberly Weir
cimberly@msu.edu
We will present to students the importance of recycling and how to sort their waste for recycling. We also show them how recycling works.
Interactive Physical Science Demos/Activities with MSU WaMPS (Virtual)
Bryan Stanley, stanl142@msu.edu
WAMPS (Women and Minorities in the Physical Sciences) is a graduate student organization. Grad students will facilitate various activities/demonstrations, exploring topics such as matter, energy, force, electricity, magnetism, waves, motion, sound, light, and color. Demonstrations and activities can be specifically tailored to relate to the current topics you are learning in class. Our website is https://www.wamps.org/outreach
Learning About Machine Learning (Virtual)
Ekaterina Rapinchuk
merkurje@msu.edu
What is machine learning? Join us for an introduction to fundamental concepts of machine learning, a study that has created a "fourth industrial revolution" in the world. We will guide you through the main ideas of machine learning and will participate in a machine learning activity that will help you understand the fundamental concepts.
Physician Assistant Science (Virtual, Classroom Science)
Alexandra Lillie
lillieal@msu.edu
As Michigan State University's first PA cohort, we are looking to spread the message on how physician assistants are integral to the healthcare system. Our graduate students would present foundational information about the profession via Powerpoint, explain the anatomy of select bodily systems (heart, lungs, or ears), then transition to how we evaluate each respective organ system as clinicians. From here, we would take an interactive approach and allow all the students to have a hands-on experience with our medical equipment (stethoscopes, otoscopes, and more) to apply what they have learned. We hope curate an educational, yet exciting experience for your students. Our goal would be to spark interest in the study of medicine as a whole while promoting awareness about the Physician Assistant career path.
Pit-stop to Migration Classroom Science (STEAM Field Trips)
Kristy Taylor
taylorks@msu.edu
Learn about bird migration and the importance of stop-over sites. Students will explore the challenges of migration with a variety of migration games and learn about how native fruits and migratory stop-over sites are vital for birds during migration. Students will also learn how we band birds at the Michigan State Bird Observatory and have a chance to study bird diet by creating their own fruit smears.
Science or Magic: How do Doctors See Inside Us? (Virtual)
Yang Yang
yangy5@msu.edu
Medical Imaging Tools and the Mathematical Principles Behind Them. Have you ever wondered how doctors can see inside us? Come learn about modern medical imaging techniques and discover the science behind the magic of these powerful tools. We will demonstrate the physical principle ofCT scan, one of the most widely-used medical imaging techniques, and the mathematical problems we must solve to generate images for doctors to use.>
The Day in the Life of a Veterinary Nurse (Virtual, Classroom Science)
Sarah Machniak
machnisa@msu.edu
What is a veterinary nurse? What do they do? How do they fit into the healthcare team? I am here to talk to you about veterinary nursing, the pathway to get there and so much more!
Think Like an Engineer (STEAM Field Trips)
Geralynn Phelps
geralynn@msu.edu
Learn to problem solve through hands-on activities.
What is in the box? (Classroom Science)
Allison Pease
peaseall@msu.edu
Using soundwaves to image the unknown. Geologist and archeologist use soundwaves to image structures below the surface. Geophones convert these interactions into a voltage that can be recorded by a computer. In this activity students will be given a black box, within the box is an unknown object/structure. A geophone will be used to determine what the object in the box is. Students will explain what they are seeing, while learning more about the applications of geophones in different disciplines. We will preform the activity in a classroom setting. Student will be divided into groups of 5-6. Each group will be given a box, the box will have an unknown structure or object in it. Student will use a geophone and computer to determine what is in the box. We will discuss what is found, why that is important and how it relates to the field of geology, archeology, or physics.
What is a Packaging Engineer?(Virtual, Classroom Science, STEAM Field Trips)
Euihark Lee
leeeuiha@msu.edu
MSU School of Packaging is the No. 1 packaging program in the US, and about half of the packaging professionals in the US are our alumni. This presentation focuses on career opportunities as a packaging engineer, and how the school of packaging at MSU helps students to become well-rounded packaging engineers.
Who Will Solve the Problems? and other thoughts on research science careers (Virtual, Classroom Science, STEAM Field Trips)
Zachary Constan
constan@frib.msu.edu
MSU’s Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) leads the world at making and studying radioactive nuclei. Inside, researchers regularly smash nuclei together at half the speed of light. To make new discoveries, it takes a team of 800+ physicists, chemists, mathematicians, plumbers, welders, machinists, computer scientists, and many more. Find out what kinds of jobs are needed to make cutting-edge science work!
Why are difficult conversations difficult? (Virtual)
J.M.Monica van de Ridder, PhD, MSc
vanderid@msu.edu
Exploring our thoughts and feelings. In our daily life we all come across difficult conversations. You have to tell somebody that they did something you don't like. You collaborated with somebody on a project and they really did not do their fare share. A friend has the habit to copy you in your clothing style, and you don't like that. Ideally, you need to sit down and have a conversation about it. You have to give your friend 'feedback'. Because your feedback message is not only about something that goes well ("positive" feedback), but will also points out to behavior that needs to be improved, that needs to be change, we call this "negative" feedback. Many people are afraid of giving negative feedback in daily life. We are afraid that it will harm the relationship wiht other people, that it will backfire on us, or that our feedback message gets challenged. In today's session we would like to further explore difficult conversations. The aim for this session is to help learners to develop their language and insigths to talk about difficult conversations, by learning them to distinguish (a) the content (what is said) and (b) the form (how it is said) of a feedback message. We would like to meet thee goals. At the end of the session students can: 1) explain the definition of feedback, 2) can infer what aspects of a feedback conversation belong to the content of feedback (gift: what is said) and what aspects belong to the form of feedback (wrapping paper/packaging: how it said), and 3) illustrate these concepts based on their own drawings of a difficult feedback conversation. In a short introduction (15-20') I would like to a) explain the definition of feedback (content, form), b) explain why giving feedback is important (points out blind spots, it is a "gift" that can help to make us, friends, society better) and c) explore why giving feedback can be difficult. In a practical exercise (20-25') we apply the concepts from the introduction. We ask students to reflect on a situation in which they would have liked to give feedback, but did not do it. We ask them to imagine the message they would have given, and how they would have packaged (framed) the feedback. Secondly we ask students to draw their feedback gift and the packaging that is around it as well. We ask them to pay specific attention to the content of the feedback (gift) and how they are going to frame it (wrapping paper). Students pair up in duo's and they explain their drawing to each other and they also ask questions about each other's work. This exercise closes by asking the students to write down the meaning of their drawing and to reflect on what they learned from it. We finish with a debrief (15-20'). We ask volunteers to show their image and share their explanation. In this debrief we will highlight how we can soften or strenghten our feedback message with the content (gift) and form (wrapping paper; frame) that we are using. If time is left we will explain the "Pendleton's Rules" an model that can be used for feebdack conversations. In this structured activity we probably need extra support from the teacher to create the 'psychological safety' in the class room, since the activity will benefit from it. We will provide a strucutred hand-out that explains the activity step by step and will guide the learners and teachers through this activity. This hand-out is developed in collaboration with Educational Experts experts from the Arts and Culture Edcuation (ARTez, Zwolle). Currently, I am looking for a medical or art students who will be joining me in this session. I would like to acknowledge Astrid Rass who has given feedback on the earlier versions of this proposal.
Wildlife Encounters (Virtual)
Kati Adams
kadams@meridian.mi.us
Enjoy a pre-recorded presentation from the Harris Nature Center Naturalists as they introduce your class to some of the Center's resident wildlife! The video presentation is 20 minutes long and includes encounters with a variety of Michigan native birds, reptiles, and amphibians. When signing up to receive the video presentation, you'll also schedule a 15 minute time block with the naturalists for a live virtual Q & A, so please have your class ready with questions after watching the presentation.