October 14 – Having the opportunity to explore the various avenues of academia is something that can be limited for students who don’t have the proper access to certain resources. Thanks to Imagine Science Day, students in many Dallas underserved communities are being given the chance to explore new areas of learning.

Imagine Science Day is the interactive component of the Imagine Science partnership between Boys and Girls Club of Dallas, YMCA, Girls, Inc., and 4-H Club. This year’s event, held on July 8th, consisted of four interactive and hands-on STEM activities representing the categories that comprise the STEM acronym, Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. Participating students spent the day at the Oak Cliff Boys and Girls Club making bath fizzies (science); working on teams to build ozo-bots using robotics and tablets (technology); creating mechanical wind turbines (engineering); and measuring catapults and trebuchets (math).

In this unprecedented partnership between four leading national youth organizations, Imagine Science Day helps to bridge the STEM gap by igniting the imaginations of historically under-represented youth. We believe that prolonged, informal exposure to STEM increases a child’s interest and builds a foundation for proficiency through high school and beyond. Dallas County CEP 4-H and Youth Development Agent Kristen Wells-Lewis, and AgriLife Agent Brittney Reeves are both members of the Imagine Science Steering Committee and work closely with the Imagine Science Project Coordinator Katherine Steffey-Bernstein, along with other members of the Imagine Science Steering Committee representing all four partner organizations.

The Imagine Science Day was held at the Oak cliff Boys and Girls Club where there were 95 kids, 25 adult volunteers and 17 youth volunteers who worked tirelessly to make the program a huge success!

To learn more information about Imagine Science, please visit https://imaginesci.org/.

This work was supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, 1890 Extension Formula Program projects under Section 1444.

 

 

Kristen Wells-Lewis
Dallas County 4-H and Youth Development Extension Agent
krwellslewis@pvamu.edu