By Alina Bennett, Class 801
First coming to the Urban Advantage Science Fair, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I suppose there were a few things I predicted, such as the presence of a handful of my friends from MS 8 and their projects. However, the scale of the event was a complete surprise. There were hundreds of middle school students. There were other eighth graders there from other schools. It wasn’t just overly zealous sixth and seventh graders.
At the fair, scientific enthusiasm was hard to avoid. It was Heaven on Earth for someone whose true love is, and always will be, science jokes.
What did Gregor Mendel say when he founded genetics?
A: Woopea!
Finally being able to converse with people actually excited about the things I was excited about was amazing! If given the opportunity to attend, I’d highly recommend doing so.
When asked for a quote about the event, Leigh Stumme, the sixth grade science teacher commented that, “It was an absolute honor to be part of the Urban Advantage Expo on Saturday, June 4th! It was so wonderful to see my first year in the program come to a first circle; first I was the student, then I taught my students and on Saturday I got to see them teaching others all about the scientific method!”
A few projects in the eighth grade were chosen to be presented in front of a small panel. I was in one of these groups, and none of my group-mates could make it to the Expo, meaning I’d have to present by myself. My advice to anyone that ends up in this situation next year; don’t worry! At first I was extremely nervous, but I quickly learned there was no reason to be. The people on the panel were very kind and asked helpful questions that helped me to think deeper about the practical applications of what I concluded in my research.
Madelyn Moyer, the seventh grade science teacher stated, “I’m so proud of our students who represented MS 8 at the Urban Advantage Expo at the American Museum of Natural History on Saturday! This group of students worked hard on their projects – from planning their investigations to carrying out their experiments and revising their boards again and again. All their hard work paid off when they got to present their work under the 94-foot long blue whale in the Hall of Ocean Life at the museum. The Expo brings together hundreds of middle school students from across the city to share a wide variety of scientific investigations. I’m grateful to Urban Advantage for providing our students with such a tremendous opportunity.”
Nicole Marcellin, the eighth grade science teacher, then noted that “Even after being involved in this program for 10 years, I continue to be inspired by the excitement and energy you experience as students proudly present their scientific work. It was wonderful to have such a great turnout by both students and families. I was also honored to have some of my eighth graders present orally to a small audience. Let’s just say that they certainly made MS 8 proud. Looking forward to Expo 2017 with my students!”
The Urban Advantage Expo was an amazing opportunity. I’m grateful that I was given the opportunity to go. I’m also extremely grateful that oxygen and potassium weren’t there, otherwise it would have only been OK.
Check out the PS8 PTA Facebook Page for more photos from the expo.
Photo Credits to Sandra Navarro and Nicole Marcellin