Days of Science with Tesla and Port of Oakland
October 2023
Thanks to Private Industry Science Mentors at Port of Oakland and Tesla, over 1,000 students across Hayward and San Leandro school districts have had the opportunity to meet scientists and engineers, explore science phenomena, and experience science joy together!
Science Soars with Port of Oakland Scientists in San Leandro
You’re setting the example, you’re giving them a pathway. For many of our students of color and students who speak multiple languages, a career in STEM isn’t necessarily something that they see happening. When we provide these experiences for them, this is something that they’ll never forget.
More than 700 students, from TK-5th grades, engaged in a Day of Science with 20 Port of Oakland scientists and engineers, bringing their school year’s theme, “STEM, STEAM, Make, Dream” to life through four science explorations. Students honed their observational skills by sketching artifacts and everyday tools: shells, skulls, feathers, hard hats, measuring wheels, and levels. Building tin foil boats with bear figurine passengers, students made connections between weight and buoyancy. 4th and 5th graders learned the physics of simple circuits, and every student launched their own dart paper plane, testing their design to learn how wind affects flight.
After exploring the phenomena of wind, land, and sea, students headed back to class with smiling faces, asking their teachers, “When are the scientists coming back?”
Tesla Revs Up Science Learning in Hayward
¿Cómo funciona la batería? (How does the battery work?) asked the second grader curiously as she placed her alligator clips at the battery’s positive and negative ends. The Tesla employee beamed, “What a great question! The battery stores energy; it contains electrons. The electrons move from the negative side to the positive side when we connect them with the clips, creating the circuit.”
Throughout the Day of Science experience, more than 300 K-5th students asked question after question to the Tesla employees, excited to explore the connections between the science experiments and their favorite cars. Balloon rocket cars demonstrate how wind energy is produced by the company’s wind turbines. Building simple circuits brought to life how hybrid and electric vehicles reduce pollution and waste.
“Wow, they get it! Saving energy and solar power, they know what Tesla is about. This is amazing. Where do I sign up to be a teacher?” said one employee grinning.
School staff were overjoyed that the students had the opportunity to meet diverse scientists, discover science phenomena, and imagine themselves as future scientists and engineers. For Hayward students, this was a unique experience. Grabbing their science notebooks, many students asked for Tesla employee’s autographs as a way to remember the day they met scientists and engineers, looking forward to their next science exploration.
