“Talking to kids and their families is great fun and I always hope for a couple of "sparks"-kids and teenagers who are sincerely interested in science of any type, and involved adults who follow their kids.”Ĭhe Engku Siti Mariam Binti Che Engku Abdullah (AKA Mariam), a visiting researcher from Malaysia who was awarded one of the museum’s Anne Baker-Hayes Polychaete Student Support grants, participated at the Oceans day event.ĭiana Sanchez, Program Manager, School and Teacher Programs at the La Brea Tar Pits remembers how deeply engaged the girls were in the invertebrate sorting activity, which involved meticulously separating out the spineless wonders. Some of the family members also asked about climate change, pollution, and invasive species. Leslie Harris, NHM’s Polychaetes Collections Manager, talked with the girls about the behavior, habitat, and life history of the specimens on display. It was a delight to see their reactions to these live invertebrates, that they otherwise may not have the chance to see." "It's hard not to be amazed by the tiny organisms that make their way out of clumps of kelp, mussels, and barnacles. "I was eager to see if I could inspire any participants the way the ocean's creatures inspire me," she said. “They really loved seeing photos from the MBC's work out in the field and making the connection that the people working with them also spend time scuba diving and collecting specimens for study.”Ĭaroline Haymaker, Associate Collection Manager with the MBC, also said it was a joy to participate in the day.
There was also an art station where the kids could color or draw animals and add them to a large collaborative mural depicting life in the sea.
We focused on sparking that curiosity and showing them new animals they had never seen before.” Prater’s favorite part of the day was recreating the "dance moves" of polychaetes (segmented worms) that shimmy and wiggle in their deep sea habitats. “A lot of them wanted to spend the entire time looking through the kelp to find more critters. Becca Prater, a Museum Educator and Certified Interpretive Guide set up the tide-pooling experience for the kids to observe marine life up close. They saw and touched real marine specimens from local coastal California environments, and learned how steadfast methodical research is illuminating more about the diversity of aquarian denizens just offshore. Here’s a recap of those three electric days through the eyes of museum scientists and educators and their fellow, and future, voyagers, excavators, and urban nature explorers.ĭuring the oceans-themed February day, girls joined hands-on workshops with the scientists from the NHM’s Marine Biodiversity Center (MBC). There was so much joyful juvenile discovery, artistic intention, and mind-enhancing problem solving in the halls and galleries that the cerebral synapse-firing was palpable.ĭuring these STEM (Science Technology Engineering and Math) workshops and activities, the girls, broken up into the younger (8-12-year-old) and older (13- 18-year-old) cohorts worked elbow to elbow alongside NHM women scientists and museum educators, exploring one fascinating topic each month.
Dark autumn vs true autumn how to#
At these Girls in STEM Days held in February, March, and April, participants picked a bat alter-ego, dipped their fingers into slimy aquaria, and learned how to excavate fossils.
Dark autumn vs true autumn series#
Hundreds of 8-18-year-old girls spilled into the Natural History Museum over the last few months for a series of all-day science-infused inspirational gatherings created just for them.
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