1/11/11 !!1!!111!!!!11!!!

So a couple of days ago we witnessed 1/11/11 - sweet. However as 1:11 PM passed me by I was just beginning to wrap up a day long marathon session of outreach presentations at Midlakes Middle School. My hectic schedule for the day went a little like this:

Period 1- (7:33- 8:20)  2 classes

          2- (8:23- 9:06)  1

          3- (9:09- 9:52)  2

          4- (9:55- 10:38) 1

          6-7 (11:14- 11:57) 1

          7-8 (11:27- 12:10) 1

          8-9 (12:00-12:43) 1

          10  (12:46-1:29) 2 classes

Pretty intense, right? By the time attendance was taken and the classes were assembled, I had about half an hour to present, which is not very much time when you're trying to: A. Describe what imaging science is; B. Include a lesson on the EM spectrum; C. Perform a technical demonstration; D. Describe what it's like to be an Imaging Science student; and E. Explain career options in the imaging science field. Although that may seem like too much to talk about, it can really hurt the overall presentation to lose any one of those components. Luckily, I can talk fast ;-)

The presentations overall went very well, with many willing student participants throughout the presentations and demonstrations with the FLIR thermal camera. Most students even chose to take postcards with them. The feedback I have received from teachers and Midlakes' college & career counselor has been extremely positive:

"Wow what a great job..... Thanks so much for sharing your enthusiasm and interest with us....over and over again.. Wonderful job..... thank you!"

"The presentation was fabulous. We are just about start electromagnetic waves and energy and your presentation was the best introduction.  It is so good for kids to see real folks, in real jobs, talking about science.  Thank you again."

Presenting to middle school students can be a lot of fun, although their education levels and participation levels can really run the gamut at those ages. But I really appreciate the flexibility that middle school curriculums allow, since teachers do not have to be so strict in their scheduling or use every spare minute to "teach to the test", as they say. It's also good to get in to middle school classrooms so that young students can really see how incredibly important it is to take math and science classes in high school, even when it is no longer required to graduate.

One immediate positive outcome from this visit was that even more awareness was spread of our high school intern program, and there are already some high school juniors planning on applying. Another takeaway from this experience is that we are again planning to host a group of Midlakes High School students in the spring like last year.

Below, check out some pictures taken during the presentations.