Sign up for EIS Spring STEM Camp!
Sign up at Eisca.org/camps / Registrarse a Eisca.org/camps
EIS Intern Maryam Ahmad
EIS is lucky to have a supportive community such as our recent intern Maryam Ahmad, a fellow from Smith College to learn about the world of science education. At the end of her internship she shared about her experience.
Though I only spent 3 weeks working with EIS, I feel as though I have learned so much and I am beyond impressed with the teachers, programs, and most importantly, the students. As an aspiring educator, I connected with EIS as a Mindich Fellow through Smith College.
I spent three wonderful weeks observing and helping out in classes in the Steps-2-STEM program. It was such an invaluable experience to be in a learning environment with passionate and creative teachers that were so willing to bring topics to life. I loved how the classes offered were not just another science or math class- instead, the students were given opportunities to truly explore and understand. In every classroom, there were bright young students feeding their curiosity and learning about everything from origami and math to marine biology. In my last week, I was able to teach a few lessons in the Paleontology class.
Undoubtedly, the best part about teaching is seeing the excitement it brings to the students, and hearing their insights about anything and everything. I will never forget how impressed I was with the astute observations about shark tooth fossils, the spectacular scientific drawings, and love of exploration. I truly learned so much from each student, and I am so glad I was able to share this experience with EIS.
Women’s History Month: Dr. Karen Nelson Ph.D.
Dr. Karen Nelson is a microbial physiologist who made history by leading the team that published the first human microbiome paper.
At the time she was working at The Institute for Genomic Research. In 2021 she became the Chief Scientific Officer for Thermo Fisher Scientific. Prior to that, she was the president of the J. Craig Venter Institute. Her work focuses on the human microbiome and its impact on health and disease.
Born in Jamaica, she originally planned to be a veterinarian because of her interest in animals. After earning an B.Sc. in Animal Science from the University of the West Indies and an M.Sc. in Animal Science from the University of Florida, she went on to pursue a PhD in Microbiology from Cornell University.
“There are many people out there with brilliant minds, and we need them all in the STEM field,” Dr. Nelson says. “From a science and biological perspective, when you are talking about diabetes and genetics, you have to have women and minorities to push their own science — so their issues get the attention they need.”- (quote from article in TSD Memphis)
COMING SOON…
The Mathemagician Homework Club
If you would like to participate, email info@mathemagiciansclub.com. Include your email, your child’s grade, and math concepts they are working on (or share an attachment of their homework). Mentors will offer help, more practice problems or worksheets. This includes SAT math help as well. They will monitor this email daily so you don’t have to wait until Saturday to ask for help.
The Mathemagicians App is here! In addition to joining the Mathemagicians every Saturday for math tutoring, students can now practice math on the new app. It’s available for free at the “Apple App Store” for download. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/mathemagicians/id1557607923
Have you participated in programs or volunteered at the Elementary Institute of Science?
Whether you’re still in high school, college, working or retired, we want to know what you’ve been up to and if you have thoughts about any impact EIS had on your life or career. Please send an email to our Development Assistant, Leah Oviedo at loviedo@eisca.org.
EIS alumni are invited to join our official group to reconnect and stay updated on future reunions. Facebook.com/groups/AlumniConnectEIS