MANSFIELD, PA— Third grade students from R.B. Walter Elementary School in Tioga, PA visited Mansfield University for Science Day on Tuesday, May 16.
“The genesis of the program actually comes from Tim Morey of the of the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources ((DCNR), who contacted me last year and asked me to do a planetarium show for a group of third graders and it grew from there,” Elaine Farkas, assistant professor of Chemistry and Physics, said. “They really liked the show last year and when we looked at their curriculum, I decided it was a little out of my league so I contacted Lilace (Guinard), who put together a fabulous program.”
The students rotated between sessions led by Farkas, fellow MU faculty members Linda Kennedy, Chris Kopf and Lee Stocks, all from the Department of Geosciences, and Marissa Galeotti of the DCNR.
The sessions covered topics such as the moon, earth science, geology, hydrology and renewable and nonrenewable resources, among others. The students also enjoyed lunch and had time to play games outside on campus.
“The goal is for these students to meet their curriculum standards in a hands-on and interesting way,” Lilace Mellin Guignard, director of the Institute of Science and the Environment. “Our goal is to get them interested in the sciences, to see the university and to think ahead about coming here and studying science wherever they go. Our Geosciences faculty and Dr. Farkas has been great about volunteering their time.”
Science Day was sponsored by the Institute of Science and the Environment at Mansfield University.