Announcements
"Save the World Through Science & Engineering” Video Contest - The Kavli Foundation is challenging Grades 6-12 students across the world to brainstorm and share their ideas!
Accept the Biology Challenge: Become part of the USA Biology Olympiad
The USA Biology Olympiad (USABO) is the premiere US biology competition for high school students at http://www.usabo-trc.org.
Annual National STEM Video Game Challenge for Students and K–12 Teachers
is now open for entries and is accepting submissions of original video game concepts and designs from students and educators in four categories – middle school, high school, collegiate, and educator. Deadline: March 12, 2012.
April 27-29, 2012
USA Science and Engineering Festival
The 2nd USA Science & Engineering Festival will inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers with school programs and nationwide contests throughout the 2011/2012 school year and a finale Expo in Washington DC on April 27-29, 2012. JMU is a Titanium Sponsor of the USA Science and Engineering Festival.
Grade 5-12 STEM Education Program Opportunity for School District and School Communities
An 8-week experiment design competition in the community, held Spring 2012, will allow grade 5-12 student teams to design real microgravity experiments vying for their community’s reserved mini-lab slot on ISS.
The Story Behind STEM Sell
Last semester two Physics professors found a new medium for bringing scientific discussion to students’ attention – through their own radio station.
Playing on JMU’s acronym for departments housed under Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, the radio show STEM Sell is the brainchild of professor Dr. Mark Mattson, who came up with the idea for this relatively recent invention while driving.
“One of the preset stations on my car radio was WXJM and over the summer I hit the button for it and all that I got was a bunch of static and I thought that was really a waste of air space,” Mattson said. “My interests lie towards STEM issues and raising public awareness and I also have an idea of getting more teachers out in the workforce, physics and science teachers in particular, so it just kind of struck me as another avenue to get word out and just to raise public interest.”
Mattson spent the fall semester gaining administrative approval for a radio show that would discuss current events in science and research, especially at JMU. Then JMU’s radio station WXJM granted him an opening for a talk radio program at 9 p.m. on Tuesday nights, and he canvassed faculty in STEM for volunteers to appear as guests on the first episodes of the show, as well as someone willing to sacrifice their Tuesday nights to host with him.
“One of WXJM’s requirements for hosting a talk show is that there be two people to co-host,” Mattson said, “and so one of the reasons why there was a delay was because I was basically beating the bushes to try and find someone who was willing to dedicate that Tuesday night to doing this, and I finally found Brian Utter.”
Dr. Brian Utter, also in the Physics Department, was willing to make that investment.
“The radio show sounded like a unique opportunity - when is the next time someone would offer me a chance to be part of a science talk show?” Utter said. “So I emailed Mark and basically said, ‘I'm sure you'll hear from a bunch of people, but if you still need help, I'd be happy to be a part of it.’ About an hour later he knocked on my door and said, ‘You're it.’”
The first broadcast of STEM Sell aired on Oct. 27th, with Dr. Bob Kolvoord of ISAT, who discussed STEM education and outreach efforts. Kolvoord said he was delighted to be the first guest and inaugural speaker.
“The STEM Sells show is a great resource for the community and a wonderful opportunity to engage the JMU community with interesting issues in STEM,” Kolvoord said. “It was a great pleasure to be there at the moment of creation.”
Mattson says that although most faculty have not “been beating down [his] door to be interviewed” late on a Tuesday night, he has not had problems finding professors interested in sharing their work on the show. Fall semester’s interviews covered the computer-based climate modeling researched by Dr. Jim Sochacki of JMU's Department of Mathematics and Statistics, the Computer Science professor Dr. Taz Daughtrey’s views on teaching science to the public, and Dr. Louise Temple’s poultry-related bacteria research in the Viral Discovery Program in ISAT.
Temple had discussed the show with Mattson before it began, and was eager to appear as a guest.
“I thought it was a great idea to invite students to talk about their independent research projects,” Temple said. “This gave me a chance to brag on them and share a little bit about my research, which is interesting particularly in the valley because I study a bacterial pathogen of turkeys.”
She agreed that show provided an outlet to advertise research opportunities, especially the unique Viral Discovery freshman research course with which she is involved.
WXJM’s student director, senior Eric Wuestewald, thought the show brought a different yet educational aspect to the station’s programming.
“I think STEM Sell benefits the student body by simultaneously allowing for an in-depth look into current events in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and by providing an opportunity for professors and students to speak out on their experiences within the various departments,” Wuestewald said, adding that WXJM is student-run and typically the shows are by students as well. However he quickly agreed to the idea of a faculty talk show in the case of STEM Sell, and said he has been impressed with the quantity and quality of discussion it provides.
“Not to knock any of the other talk shows, but I feel that since Mark and Brian have made careers out of their conversation topics, it makes the show sound much more natural and informative than some of our other programs,” Wuestewald said.
In addition to researching current science news to discuss, Mattson and Utter have to read up on their interviewees’ projects to put together each broadcast, while still learning the tricks of the trade as first-timers on live radio.
“It's been a lot of fun so far,” Utter said. “The first one was a bit nerve-wracking since we didn't really know how it was going to work or how to non-verbally communicate what we were doing, there were a couple of moments of dead air and times when one of us was on the spot and not quite ready to be there. But it's gotten a lot smoother and is pretty fun when it comes down to having a conversation with someone about what they’re doing in STEM.”
Mattson and Utter said they have enough interested guests lined up to continue the show into this semester, and hope it will inspire more student interest in STEM subjects.
“As a result of the show I would like more students to be interested in doing research,” Mattson said. “When I interview someone at JMU about the research that they’re doing [I] typically have them try and talk about the student input on the research that they’re doing and generally broadcast that these opportunities exist. It’s a goal not necessarily for the show, but for the students and the environment at JMU.”
Utter agreed that in addition to showcasing scientific opportunities for students, the show pushes him to learn about another corner of the JMU world.
“I like learning new things and I enjoy trying to share that knowledge with others,” Utter said. “I think keeping a dialogue open between ‘scientists’ and ‘society’ is important - from Carl Sagan to Bill Nye the Science Guy - there's a lot of cool science out there and a lot of interesting STEM people on campus here.”
Recordings of past STEM Sell episodes can be found here: