BASIS Teams Spark Wonder
Congratulations to the more than 700 scientists and engineers who’ve taken part in the Bay Area Scientists in Schools program this academic year – you reached more than 520 elementary school classrooms with lessons on everything from bugs to clouds, from chemical reactions to stars in the universe, from robots to brains and lungs, and so much more!
At the start of each school year, CRS resets the BASIS lesson presentation counter to zero and sets an ambitious goal to reach 500 or more elementary classrooms – 15,000 Kindergarten through 6th grade children – during the school year. And, thanks to you we’ve done it again! Every visit will be unique, and together they add up to memorable learning experiences that tap into children’s curiosity and nurture their sense of wonder and discovery.
BASIS teams from UC Berkeley labs and student groups, as well as from local employers, travelled to schools in Oakland, Berkeley, Emeryville, Richmond, El Cerrito, Pinole, and San Pablo, especially in low-income neighborhoods.
“I wanted to personally thank you for the care you put into the lessons! I appreciate how patient you all were with the kids and how much you connected. Science is a subject where all of my students are able to thrive and feel safe and it was great to have you all a part of it. My class LOVES guest teachers,” wrote one Oakland teacher after a BASIS visit.
The visits have impact far beyond the actual time in the classroom, as teachers discover new ways to engage their learners and add more time for science learning experiences after seeing BASIS in action.
The graduate students who participate benefit too. Said one longtime BASIS team leader: BASIS has been an amazing opportunity to expand my horizons as a scientist, to teach young students, and to help teachers make science fun and accessible.”
Once again, the Chemistry at UC Berkeley leads the way in having the greatest number of BASIS participants. Chemistry-affiliated teams presented nearly 100 lessons, on topics ranging from states of matter, phase changes, water in our atmosphere, renewable energy, and more!
Cal undergrads in the Anatomy DeCal program brought actual human specimens of hearts, lungs, brains, and intestines into classrooms for lessons about systems in the human body. Kids loved experimenting with plastic hoses to explore the digestive system, or using playdough in plastic tubes to understand how foods we eat may contribute to blocking arteries in the circulatory system.