Bio Pharmaceutical Tech Center and African American Ethnic Academy Encourage Young Scientists
The Bio Pharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTCI) has once again teamed up with the African American Ethnic Academy (AAEA) in Fitchburg, Wisconsin for a science program that encourages young future scientists to express and develop their creativity in numerous ways. This year’s theme is “Healthy Bodies: On Earth and In Space.”
The AAEA and the BTCI are both non-profit educational organizations and have collaborated for 16 years now in offering “A Celebration of Life,” a summer science program for upper elementary and middle school students. The primary goal of the AAEA/BTCI partnership is to support African-American students’ interest in the life sciences and provide them with the tools for success in school.
For three weeks the students spend their summer mornings studying, learning, and going on field trips or listening to guest speakers who are often African-American STEM [science, technology, engineering and math] professionals who are related to the topic of the summer. A long-term objective is to increase the number of minority students who enroll and successfully complete high school science courses, and who eventually choose to pursue scientific careers.
This summer is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Summer of Innovation — NASA’s response to a national need for improvement in STEM education. Many of the activities the kids participated in this summer were from NASA along with each activity there was a discussion about how important it is for people to travel to space.
Other activities included food testing, to see what they would possibly like to eat in space, field trips, and yoga classes. Everything the children learned from their classrooms, guest speakers, and field trips, they presented at a showcase held last week before being awarded their own certificates and then wrapping up with lunch and the middle school science program celebration will be held Friday, July 15 at the Bio Pharmaceutical Technology Center as well.
Category: Featured, STEM Education | Tags: African American Ethnic Academy, african-american, Bio Pharmaceutical Technology Center, children, education, Fitchburg, Science, STEM, youth
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