More than just a walk in the woods
Tom Hasslinger | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 12 years, 2 months AGO
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Styels Peters, 13, documents his GPS coordinates at the Indian Cliffs Trailhead before starting a hike with his STEM classmates at Heyburn State Park.</p>
<p>JEROME A. POLLOS/Press Santana Bybee, 11, takes pictures of fallen tree branches Wednesday on the Indian Cliffs Trail at Heyburn State Park near Plummer. Bybee was taking part in the University of Idaho Summer Science, Technology, Engineering and Math program which teaches students the science behind ecological sustainability.</p>
PLUMMER - The mission is to get math and science to resonate in real life, and hey, if they get a good workout in too, all the better.
It's like a field trip, mixed with a little boot camp.
And in the words of Marcie Galbreath, research assistant and graduate student for the University of Idaho College of Education, "the hope is to hook them."
"We target this population to be stewards of the tribal land and to be leaders," Galbreath said on Wednesday, as the two-week seminar, called 'Paddle and Bike the Watershed,' drew to a close.
The camp, in its inaugural run, came to be thanks to partnerships between the university, the Coeur d'Alene Tribe, and the Tribe's Benewah Wellness Center in Plummer.
And a $12,000 College of Education Dean's Innovation grant.
For two weeks, the students focused on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills, and applying those skills on important issues to the Coeur d'Alene Tribe and the region.
Whether it was testing water quality or, like on Wednesday, surveying plants along a hike through Heyburn State Park to identify (in pictures taken with their iPads) human-caused damage in the surroundings.
If the program can get tribal students interested in math and sciences, they're more likely to go on to college. After which, they can return to work in the research fields at home. A majority of research jobs, like in hatcheries, on the reservation are filled by Caucasians, Galbreath said, and the program could be the starting point to reverse that.
"The kids are learning the process," she said.
And exercising, as the program featured bicycle rides and canoeing to name a few activities. They even pedaled 23 miles on one of the days.
Seven students participated in the course.
De Smet sixth-grader Santana Bybee, who wants to be a doctor one day, said she already liked math and science, even before the summer course.
"With science you get to do cool experiments and math works the brain," she said.
Environmental management is a priority issue for the Tribe, as one of the largest superfund sites in the nation, the Bunker Hill Mining and Metallurgical Complex Superfund Site, is located on the Coeur d'Alene watershed.
With the STEM program, the watershed served as a laboratory for students to apply science, math and reasoning skills.