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By Su Ann Bird

 

CORDELE – South Georgia Technical College and the Chattahoochee Flint RESA (Regional Educational Service Agency) hosted over 500 Crisp County, Dooly County, and Macon County fifth and eighth grade students on the SGTC Crisp County Center Campus for various STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) activities.

A special Family Event is planned for tonight, Tuesday, January 23^rd at 6 p.m. on the Crisp County Center to parents and family members of the students to return and see the type of activities featured during the STEM events.  The public is also invited to attend the free event.

“These have been awesome events,” said Chattahoochee Flint RESA’s Heidi Goodin.  “And we are hoping that parents and family members will join us tonight at 6 p.m. to see all of the wonderful opportunities available in these career fields and see what their students are learning.”

SGTC Academic Dean Dr. David Finley will have the SGTC mobile STEM trailer on the Crisp County Center campus for the STEM Evening Event and the community is encouraged to come out and visit.  Students learned utilizing paper circuits, worked on paper challenges, utilized light sabers and circuit boards, and learned how to do chest compressions using manikins.  They also baked cookies, which they were allowed to eat and take home with them.

Goodin and SGTC’s Grant Coordinator Katrice Taylor planned the STEM events to expose area fifth and eight grade students to the opportunities available in the STEM fields.  SGTC and RESA staff helped with the events.  The events were paid for with grant funding.

Some of the activities during the five different STEM day camp events included sessions with SGTC Culinary Arts, Computer Information Systems, Nursing, and Medical Assisting instructors and students.  Students learned math and science in culinary arts as they learned to measure and experiment with ingredients to make cookies.  They were exposed to computer coding activities as part of the Computer Information Systems session and then they learned about anatomy and how to do chest compressions with the medical assisting programs.

Additional STEM events are planned for Macon County eighth graders, and for Crisp County and Sumter County fifth graders in the coming weeks.