SEEK: Science and Engineering Experiences for Knowledge -- An ASCEND Project

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators

Abstract

This proposal seeks funding for a 3-year After School Centers For Exploration and New Discovery (ASCEND) project for middle school students and their families. The Science and Engineering Experiences for Knowledge (SEEK) project will enroll 60 students during Year 1, 120 students during Year 2, and 180 students during Year 3. The students will engage in investigative projects that explore the program theme, "Florida's Environment: Past, Present, and Future." Activities include individual and group projects, field trips, family projects at home, parental involvement, and project presentations at the museum for other middle school students and museum visitors. Project activities in the first year will engage the students in learning about Florida's geological and biological history and global change environment through the study of insects. In the second year students will be introduced to Florida's present environment through the study of insects. During the third year, students will investigate factors that will influcence Florida's future environment such as habitats, weather and recycling. The students will meet two times a week (3:30 p.m. - 5:30p.m.) during the school year. The project is a collaborative effort involving the University of Florida's Florida Museum of Natural History and its College of Engineering, The Alachua County School Board and the Gainesville Regional Utilities.