Plop. Plop. Fizz. Fizz. Using Alka-Seltzer for its carbon dioxide, a group of high school students recently had the opportunity to perform a climate experiment at Towson University under the guidance of preservice teacher Andrew J. Kutz and Dr. Mary K. Stapleton. The group of 32 students from Glasgow High School in Delaware spent the day of Friday October 25, 2024 at TU, getting a taste of the university and learning more about what studying at a university can offer them.
The students ran an experiment designed by the Towson University Center for STEM Excellence, where they compared the ability of warmer and cooler water to absorb carbon dioxide. This was designed to model what happens to atmospheric carbon dioxide levels as ocean water temperatures rise. The students were responsible for selecting the proper order of the experimental steps they would perform, and were helped to follow the scientific method to ensure accurate results.
After finishing their work in the Science Complex, Kutz gave the students a walking tour of the campus. For some, this was their first exposure to a college campus. Later, they went to Newell Dining for lunch, and got a chance to talk to additional Towson preservice teachers and faculty.
A bit of excitement remained in store. After lunch, everyone headed back to the Science Complex, and had just gotten settled when the fire alarm went off. In a surprise coincidence, while gathered outside waiting for the fire department to sound the all-clear, Peter Almonte (BS ‘23) and Glasgow’s math teacher David Thompson (BS ’10, MS ’16) ran into each other. The two had not seen each other since Peter’s high school graduation from Baltimore City’s Digital Harbor High School. David brought Peter on a field trip to Towson University back when Peter was still in high school, and now Peter is working towards his Master of Science degree in Applied Physics at TU. Peter’s academic path shows that participation in campus field trips such as these can encourage students to study in STEM fields at Towson University.
In addition to BTU—Partnerships for Greater Baltimore, this project was supported by the Mathematical Association of America’s Dolciani Enrichment Mathematics Grant program and the Towson UTeach secondary mathematics and science program. This project provides STEM enrichment experiences for middle and high school students throughout greater Baltimore, Maryland. These enrichment experiences are designed by Towson University faculty and staff in partnership with undergraduate preservice teachers. Mathematics professors Diana Cheng and R. Michael Krach, and UTeach master teacher Sarah Mamaril have provided support to undergraduate students Yardley Dominguez Lopez, Audrey Gianelli, Victoria Delgado, Colin Crawford, Logan Handy, Eason Zou, Gracie Bulleri, James Hammer, Zachary Marshall in implementing STEM lessons in Baltimore County Public Schools and at Glasgow High School since May 2024.
This structure provides opportunities for mentoring between TU faculty and students, as well as mentoring between university students and high school students. Through this project, students at various academic levels develop an awareness of authentic STEM applications and thus raise awareness of career opportunities in STEM. Several of the undergraduate students jointly created a poster which Lopez presented at the 2024 Mathematical Association of America’s MathFest conference in Indianapolis, Indiana in August; and Kutz will be presenting his reflections on this project at the 2025 Association of Science Teacher Educators’ conference in Long Beach, California in January.
This post was written by John Hillenbrand and Diana Cheng.
