Faulkner students, faculty and staff from the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Education and computer science and math departments had a blast making science, technology, engineering and mathematics come alive for students at Davis Elementary. Davis students had a chance to build bridges out of marshmallows, support a structure out of heart candies, measure the weight of their favorite snacks and decrypt secret messages as a part of the school’s inaugural STEM Day.
Susan Hammond, chair of computer science, and her student volunteers taught Davis classes about cyber-security through coding and encryption.
“Our children will grow up in an inter-connected world where technology is not an option; it is just how things are done. It’s important for children to know that what they do online has consequences, whether it’s social media or shopping,” she said. “It’s also important to demystify technology; there are thousands of technology jobs open, with many more projected to be open in the future.
Several Faulkner students have been to Davis to serve in the past and STEM Day was just another opportunity to encourage Davis students to enjoy learning and someday aspire to go to college and “achieve great things,” Hammond said.
“It’s important for the students at Davis to see our students in action. We have a diverse student body, and it’s great for them to see that women and minorities are studying STEM areas,” Hammond said. “It’s also great for our students to show off some of the things that they have learned. It bolsters their confidence to see how far they have come in their understanding of technology foundations. The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.”