All aboard: STEAMing beyond 125

In honor of Randolph-Macon Academy’s 125th Anniversary, 42 fifth through eighth grade students from R-MA and the Warren County community came together at R-MA Middle School on Saturday, February 18th, for a full day of joyful STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math) learning. This event was co-sponsored by Virginia STEAM Academy and its President and CEO, Dr. Judy K. Stewart, in hopes of raising awareness of the summer STEAM programs the organization offers.

Ms. Lorien Lemmon, a volunteer with the Shenandoah Valley Discovery Museum, opened the morning with a roller coaster design-build that got the students’ minds and bodies going up and down as they worked in teams using pool noodles, cardboard tubes, marbles, and an assemblage of other tools to create roller coasters with twists, turns, loops, and slopes. The hope was that their marble would land in a cup at the end. “Let’s just say, this challenge had students losing their marbles,” joked R-MA Science Department Chairperson Kara Lewallen, who was one of the key organizers of the event.

R-MA Science Teacher Hannah Bement and R-MA eight grader student Naomi Pugh begin a demonstration.

Following the design-build, students divided into groups and spent the morning rotating through four mini-labs that involved hands-on topics in Physics, Chemistry, and Biological Sciences. A pizza lunch break was taken after which students spent two hours diving deeper into one of the four topics that was of interest to them. Specific topics covered during the day included “Phun with Physics and the Van de Graaff Generator” led by Kara Lewallen and fellow R-MA science teacher Colonel John Casserino, USAF, Retired. “Don’t OverREACT with Chemistry” was led by R-MA science teachers Hannah Bement and Samadara Jayarathne, while “Floating with the Microbes” was headed up by R-MA science teacher Dr. Nicholas Bongio. Friends of the National Zoo (FONZ) Education Programs Specialist Kristin Black and Dr. James McNeil of the Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation (SMSC) led the session “Effects of Lyme Disease on Humans and Wildlife.”

During “Phun with Physics and the Van de Graaff Generator,” students learned the principles and concepts behind how the generator works, by using hands-on models and computer simulations. Students in the afternoon session built mini Van de Graaff Generators and explored static electricity and electrons further.

Various forms of chemical and physical reactions were explored in “Don’t OverREACT with Chemistry.” Students designed their own experiments to test which factors could increase the rate of reaction. The session ended with explosive results when the teams combined their efforts to create a tower of exploding foam!

“Floating with the Microbes” involved an exploration of microscopic forms of life in our local water systems as well as the creation of a mud battery. Students used voltmeters and LED bulbs to test the battery. Lots of discussion followed as students realized the limits and possibilities of such an invention.

The SMSC/FONZ team’s interactive lesson, “Effects of Lyme Disease on Humans and Wildlife,” helped participants gain an understanding of the interactions of disease vectors with human and wildlife populations. Microscopic study of the vectors and outdoor role playing of the interactive life cycle had students running in a frenzy from each other.

After the deep-dive, the whole group came together to listen to a panel of individuals, spanning a variety of science fields, share what their everyday career life involves. Student co-moderators, Haley Clingerman (R-MA, 8th grade) and Dillon Lewallen (Warren County Middle School, 6th grade) inquired of the panelists what skills they use in their careers, what their favorite part of STEAM is, what inspired them to pursue their career, and what advice they would give to their middle school selves if given the chance to go back in time. Panel members included Dr. Shamik Das, Department Head of the Emerging Technologies Department at The MITRE Corporation in McLean, VA, and several familiar faces from session searlier in the day: McNeil, a lifelong bug nerd with a B.S. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from Penn State University (both in entomology); Black, who received a B.S. in Psychology from James Madison University and began her career working with animals at SeaWorld and also as a civilian with the United States Navy; and Bement, who on top of being an R-MA science teacher is also a Yale-educated environmental scientist.