Rich Lab:Saturday Science Academy
- Event name: Saturday Science Academy
- Coordinator: Gareth (Gary) Trubl
- This year’s theme: Astonishing Astrobiology
- Who: Funded through Geosciences and coordinated by Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement (MESA; http://azmesa.arizona.edu/) and SWES
- When: February 8, 2014 8:30am-12:30pm
- Where: University of Arizona campus Harvill building
- Attendance: 80 students (7th-8th grade)
- Purpose: To have a UA STEM related outreach event targeting students from K-12 who are underrepresented.
- Summary:
On February 8th, UA hosted students from all over Tucson for the 5th annual Saturday Science Academy. This year’s theme was Astonishing Astrobiology. The purpose of the event was to have a UA STEM-related outreach event hosted by students targeting underrepresented 7th-8th grade students from local middle schools. The event featured Keynote speaker Martin Pepper (Geosciences graduate student), along with several hands-on activities for the students. The activities included a soil texturing session led by SWES graduate student Asma El Ouni (materials graciously supplied by SWES club), a rock and fossils exhibit incorporating micro and macro fossils led by the Society of Earth Science Students club (http://www.geo.arizona.edu/sess?destination=node/271), and a habitable planets demonstration by Astronomy club (http://uaastroclub.org/). SWES graduate student Gary Trubl coordinated the event and is already planning the next Saturday Science Academy this Fall.
