UI Scientists in the Classroom

UI Scientists in the Classroom was created to better connect with our community by bringing scientists and students from the University of Iowa into the classrooms of area elementary and middle schools. Professor Emily Finzel provided a model by which these interactions would take place, and this spring our group put this idea into practice with the teachers at Lucas Elementary in Iowa City. During a two visit series, our group went into two different classrooms to interact with the students. The first meeting involved the introduction of the visiting student researchers and their research projects followed by a discussion about the current topic that was being covered in the school\u27s curriculum. The next day, we returned to do an interactive activity with the students in order to better cement the concepts we had covered the previous day while allowing engagement that hopefully made the children better appreciate the aspects of science which are difficult to encompass in traditional curriculums. This collaboration hopes to offer a model for future programs to follow in regards to how to implement simple university engagement and outreach seamlessly into a school\u27s ongoing teaching system

Explaining the Experiment

Mason LaMarche explains each step of the activity as the 5th grade students follow his instructions. Here, he shows the students how yellow food coloring can represent bile, which breaks down fats in our diet. Image part of UI Scientists in the Classroom.https://ir.uiowa.edu/ideal_latham_images/1160/thumbnail.jp

The Digestive System Experiment: The Stomach

5th grade students began the experiment by crushing up crackers and lettuce with orange juice to simulate the act of stomach acid dissolving food. This represented one of the first steps of the Digestive System. Image part of UI Scientists in the Classroom.https://ir.uiowa.edu/ideal_latham_images/1157/thumbnail.jp

The Digestive System Experiment: Excretion of Waste

We then snipped the bottom of the pantyhose, where the food had accumulated, into plastic bowls. This represented the act of excreting waste and thus ending the digestion process. Image part of UI Scientists in the Classroom.https://ir.uiowa.edu/ideal_latham_images/1159/thumbnail.jp

Summarizing the Experiment

The 5th grade students eagerly raise their hands as Cassandra Poulos leads them through Follow Up Questions to identify what each item represented in the Digestive System. Image part of UI Scientists in the Classroom.https://ir.uiowa.edu/ideal_latham_images/1161/thumbnail.jp

The Digestive System Experiment: The Intestines

The 5th grade students then emptied the food and liquid into pantyhose, which represented the small intestine, and allowed the food to travel to the bottom. They then squeezed out the water, which is traditionally the role of the large intestine. Image part of UI Scientists in the Classroom.https://ir.uiowa.edu/ideal_latham_images/1158/thumbnail.jp