Catapults & Cornstarch: 7th Graders & Mentors are Back in STEM Action
October 2021
When supplies for the 7th grade STEM mentoring program arrived at King Middle School, teacher Jay Cohen excitedly declared:
“This is the best part of the year when the kids get to direct their own science experiments. They love it.”
And, judging from the comments punctuating the hum of the classroom, the 7th graders agree.
“This is SO COOL!” proclaimed one student, rapidly jotting down observations and measurements of a chemical reaction in progress.
From air cannons and catapults, to spectacular ‘elephant toothpaste’ experiments, students have been eager to dive into hands-on, active learning.
“It is so great to be back in person,” exclaims coordinator Darlene Yan. “We’ve taken lessons learned during the pandemic to make the program even more engaging and efficient, and so far it is working spectacularly.”
We’re excited to have more than 100 UC Berkeley graduate students back in person (with everyone vaccinated and masked) in 7th grade science classes across Berkeley. Every student will have an opportunity to design and conduct an independent investigation with the encouragement and consultations of well-prepared Cal STEM grad students.