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Freshmen take on green tech

Posted on July 10, 2008 by Staff

Green Awakening Project students Ruth Pineda and Mariela Martinez construct a model bridge. Photo by Kirk Ross.by Susan Dickson
Staff Writer

This summer, rising freshmen from schools across Orange County are taking advantage of a new approach to learning math and science, building solar cars and constructing model bridges as part of the Communities in Schools Green Awakening Project.

For the project, Communities in Schools staff worked with Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Orange County school staff to identify rising high school freshmen who traditionally do not enter advanced math and science classes.

Thirty-five students entered the four-week program, which concludes Friday with a recognition ceremony.

David Kahler, a graduate student at Duke who helped develop the curriculum for the program, said he and other program staff wanted to get students to participate in science and math studies with an environmental emphasis.

“That helped shape a lot of the activities that we designed for this camp,” he said. For instance, students designed and built small bridges that would hold a plastic “truck,” using as few materials as possible to ensure less waste and to maintain a certain budget.

In addition, students made speakers to play music from iPods using two breadboards and wires.

“Most of the lessons that accompanied that were about recycling electronics,” Kahler said.

Stephanie Bland, director of programs for Communities in Schools, said the program really focused on engaging the students.

“One of the things that keeps them excited is that all the projects are hands on,” she said. “They have these connections in the real world and the scholarly work.”

But the students didn’t spend all their time in the classroom: They took field trips to N.C. State University, Duke University and N.C. Central University to learn about different environmental and scientific issues.

At N.C. State, for example, students learned about gene isolation by testing their own DNA.

“They got to find out whether or not they were genetically predisposed to being morning people or night people,” Kahler said.

At Duke, students toured a “smart home,” which is designed to be environmentally friendly.

Students said they enjoyed the program because of all the hands-on projects they completed.

Mariela Martinez, rising freshman at Cedar Ridge High School, said she really liked building the solar cars.

“We did a 12-meter race,” Martinez said. “It was fun.”

She added that they also built solar ovens using information they learned in the classroom portion of the program.

“We’ve been learning how to use the sun to save energy,” Martinez said.

Cherry Bell said her favorite project was the one in which they made the speakers that they connected to iPods.

“You had to pay real close attention,” she said. “If not, it wouldn’t work.”

Although the summer program concludes this week, students will continue the project throughout the school year at their respective high schools. Staff divided the students into teams based on which high school they will attend so that they can continue to work together at school.

“The program is not only to improve [the students’] interest in math and science, but also to help with the ninth- and tenth-grade transition,” Bland said. “Kids need to be part of a team to excel.”

Dustin Deal, a program assistant with Communities in Schools, said they hope to get more support for the program as it grows into the high schools.

“Eventually, we’d like for green businesses and biotechnologies to adopt the high school programs,” he said.

The summer program was funded by grants from Strowd Roses, the Triangle Community Foundation, the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction and the Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Deal added that they hope to run the summer Green Awakening Project again next year.

“Things are looking up,” he said. “It should be here next year.”

Student Quentin Fuller said he enjoyed the interactive aspect of the program.

“It’s more fun because it’s more hands on,” he said.

Program teachers include engineering students from Duke, N.C. State, Clemson and UNC, as well as teachers from Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools, Orange County Schools and area charter schools. Rising juniors and seniors from local high schools served as peer mentors for students in the program.

Mark Moore, one of the teachers in the Green Awakening and a teacher at Woods Charter School, said he became interested in the program because of its unique approach to teaching.

“I just thought the program was a really interesting idea,” he said. “It’s definitely a non-traditional approach that really works.”

2 thoughts on “Freshmen take on green tech”

  1. Paul says:
    July 10, 2008 at 12:43 pm

    An excellent article on an excellent program for secondary students. Congratulations to program manager and participants.

  2. Pingback: Bookmarks about Solar

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