Girls Get Their Hands Dirty at SHADES Workshop

NIMBioS helped inspire sixth and seventh grade girls about careers in math, science and engineering at the annual Sharing Adventures in Engineering and Science (SHADES) workshop organized by the Greater Knoxville Math/Science Coalition last weekend. Thirty-eight local students got their hands dirty with an earth science activity demonstrating soil’s capacity as a filter for water. Also, using an apple as a model of planet earth, students calculated that the fraction of land available on earth to farm is actually pretty small, so therefore important to conserve. Students also completed a hands-on math activity called “Fun With Triangles.” Kelly Moran, NIMBioS education and outreach coordinator, and Jillian Trask, an alumna of NIMBioS’ Research Experience for Undergraduates and a doctoral student in mathematics at the Univ. of Tennessee, led the activities. The day culminated with an engineering design competition. Community members and teachers also attended.