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FIVE ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS Science The MPAEF funds science support personnel, supplies and equipment and helps offset facility costs and provides science kits that advance our children’s education in earth, life and physical sciences. This past school year, the MPAEF funded Scientists-in-Residence program. In the spring on 2007, the MPAEF sponsored a month of hands-on science activities for district students. The month kicked-off with Joel Sartore, National Geographic photographer and conservationist, speaking at Hillview to district families and showing his images of wildlife in motion. Joel is clearly the kind of scientist that will climb into piranha-filled waters wearing only insect repellent to protect him in order to get closer to his subjects. Sartore told tales of how many of his photos were captured after weeks, and even months, of waiting and watching through his camera lens in remote areas of the world. He also explained to students how their daily actions can slow global warming and reverse the trend toward extinction for many animals. Science month continued with Laurel, Encinal and Oak Knoll students participating in the wildly successful “Environmental Detectives Adventure” facilitated by the Lawrence Hall of Science. In labs set up in campus multi-purpose rooms, students tackled the question, “Why are fish dying in their natural habitats?” By conducting over a dozen experiments, our junior scientists determined that pollutants including chlorine, fertilizers, phosphates and other toxins in the watershed were killing the fish. At Laurel, students in the “Glub Club” investigated why their mascot, Glub The Fish, was so sick. Although the case studies of the dying fish are fictional, the experiments teach real-life lessons about waste management and the preservation of our natural resources and wildlife. All these science activities, including Hillview students unraveling “Medical Mysteries,” were made possible through MPAEF’s “Fund-A-Need” program.
Watch the Video regarding the MPAEF's role in funding Music and Science! |
