Promoting STEM

“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” ~ B. Franklin

Hello, I am Prasanjit Sahoo, currently a freshman at Dublin Coffman High School as well as a life scout at Troop 200. Currently, I am working on my eagle project about “Promoting STEM in K-8.” Before I explain my project, please let me tell you about something.

When I was a 5th grader, I was planning on doing a science fair project. At the time I had several questions in mind: what are the procedures? where do I get the project ideas? where do I find the materials? That was just the start. Some of my questions were haplessly left unanswered because I could not reach the right people. Even now, 5 years later, I hear similar types of questions from parents and students. Over the years, I am able to get in touch with lots of helpful and important people in our community. I have gotten a lot of experience by participating in the science fairs, mathcounts, and several other STEM activities. Now, I think it is my turn to give back to the community, so that no lingering questions are left unanswered.

As Benjamin Franklin mentioned in his quote, I want students to get involved and help each other. This is fundamentally what my project is about. My project’s name is “Promoting STEM in K-8.” In the first phase of my project, I will demonstrate STEM-related equipment at the elementary and middle schools as well as libraries and social functions, etc. With these demonstrations we will talk to the students about their thoughts on STEM. Most of the time, we see that the questions in relation to STEM are similar in nature, so I am planning to put all those questions and doubts in a blog or a website. Inside the blog, I will also try to include other STEM-related activities in and around Dublin. For all these I am taking help from my teachers and other knowledgeable people.

I believe empowering our students with additional STEM information will help them in the long run. My team and I are taking small steps to make that happen. Everyone’s help will bring success to our goal. My goal is to raise $1500 for the expenses of the demonstrating materials. I have created the following Facebook page to share our progress. Any contribution will have a significant positive rippling effect in reaching my goal.

https://www.facebook.com/Promoting-STEM-1622505651...

I am sincerely thankful for your contributions. Our team will make sure that your contributions will be used in the best possible way to add value to our community.

Sincerely,

Prasanjit Sahoo