AIKEN, S.C. – Dozens of engineers, scientists and technicians from Savannah River Site’s management and operations contractor recently shared their expertise with more than 3,000 students in “Teach-In” presentations at 29 area middle schools.
July 28, 2016
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Kyle Smith, principal of Paul Knox Middle School in North Augusta, S.C., left, joins students and SRNS engineer Buford Beavers, center, in a hands-on experiment involving a jar, rubber band, paper clips, and a metal nut. The demonstration of how centrifugal force affects gravitational pull was part of this year’s SRS Teach-Ins Program.
AIKEN, S.C. – Dozens of engineers, scientists and technicians from Savannah River Site’s management and operations contractor recently shared their expertise with more than 3,000 students in “Teach-In” presentations at 29 area middle schools.
Teach-Ins promote the importance of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) literacy through interactive demonstrations and informative discussions to give students a broader understanding of the field of engineering.
“The benefits of partnership with Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) and Teach-Ins extend well beyond this educational outreach,” Aiken County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Sean Alford said. “Having scientists and engineers on our school campuses provides real-world application to classroom studies and inspires student interest in STEM fields. It’s this type of partnership that will enhance our district’s ability to produce a viable workforce for our community’s unique needs of highly scientific and technically skilled future employees.”
Since the outreach program’s start in 2008, more than 15,000 students regionally have benefited from the efforts of hundreds of Teach-In volunteers. The Teach-Ins are managed by SRNS education outreach personnel for the DOE Savannah River Operations Office.
“It’s always a special moment for me when you can see the wheels turning in these young adults, and the connection is made related to what we’re trying to reveal to them through our hands-on demonstrations,” said Buford Beavers, an SRNS manager, engineer and Teach-In volunteer. “It’s rewarding, which is why I return to help with this program.”
The demonstrations were conducted in conjunction with National Engineers Week, a project of DiscoverE (formerly National Engineers Week Foundation), which celebrates the contributions of engineers.
“I’m very grateful for the SRNS participants, for the planners, for all of those working together to help bring learning to life for my students,” said Yashonda Goodwin, a science teacher at Paul Knox Middle School.
“To sum up the value of the Teach-In program, I would use the word relevance,” Goodwin said. “My students need to know it’s not just me as a teacher saying this is important. The relevance of these demonstrations related to life outside of school is important for the kids to see.”
EM and SRNS provide a variety of science, engineering and literacy outreach programs to tens of thousands of students each year.
“These programs are part of a broader effort to address workforce sustainment needs that exist at SRS and throughout the DOE complex,” said SRNS President and CEO Carol Johnson. “We recognize that in many ways our future lies in the hands of these young people.”