DALLAS – 4-H was one of four national youth organizations collaborating recently to help underserved middle-school age children in Dallas “imagine science” through free camps emphasizing science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

“Imagine Science is a collaboration between the National 4-H Council, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, Girls Inc. and the National Council of the YMCA, all among the nation’s oldest and largest youth development organizations,” said Greg Myles, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service program specialist, 4-H urban initiatives, Dallas. “The mission of the Imagine Science initiative is to get young people involved in STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics — and to interest them in a possible career in one of these areas.”

Lang Middle School provided a culminating event for the community that highlighted science and technology activities from their Imagine Science summer camp. (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Greg Myles)
Imagine Science participants at Lang Middle School show one of their hands-on activities at a community event highlighting the importance of science and technology.  (Texas AgriLife Extension Service photo by Greg Myles)

Myles said Imagine Science initiative collaborators will work together in communities across the nation over the next five years to create opportunities for millions of at-risk, low-income and minority youth ages 8 to 14 to be exposed to high-quality STEM education experiences.

“The Imagine Science initiative in Dallas is one of three being piloted in the U.S.,” said Myles, who works from the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Dallas. He said the Imagine Science initiative is “unprecedented” in its ability to use the combined assets of all four partner organizations based on the needs of the individual youth.

In Dallas, this effort was a collaboration of the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Dallas, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, AgriLife Extension, which administers the Texas 4-H program, and YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas.

Myles said Imagine Science camps were coordinated in Dallas this summer through E.B Comstock Middle School and Harold W. Lang Senior Middle School. The camps were funded by the national youth organization coalition and their local branches.

“Three free Imagine Science camps were held this summer for fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth  grade youths,” he said. “The camps had 50 to 60 students with a student-teacher ratio of about 10 students to one teacher. Each camp also had a full-time coordinator.”

Myles said the first Imagine Science summer camp was a three-week camp called “Junior Master Gardeners, Bug Camp, Science in the Kitchen,” which emphasized life science, entomology and food science. The second camp “Water: the All-Purpose Resource, Playground Physics, Wind Energy,” addressed natural resources, aerospace, energy and force. The third, “Rockets, Robots and Space Exploration,” focused on computer application, math application and engineering.

Imagine Science opportunities were held Monday–Thursday, with Friday reserved for field trips, which included visits to the Frontiers of Flight Museum, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Dallas Farmers Market, Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden and the Trinity River Audubon Center.

Each camp had three sessions, and students were allowed to participate in any or all of them, Myles said.

Students at Comstock Middle School participate in an Imagine Science camp where they conducted an energy and force exercise by creating a gravity propelled roller coaster. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Greg Myles)
Students at Comstock Middle School participate in an Imagine Science camp where they conducted an energy and force exercise by creating a gravity propelled roller coaster. (Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service photo by Greg Myles)

“National 4-H is already promoting science countrywide, and the Texas 4-H Youth Development program has been supporting these efforts statewide through its model rocketry, robotics and other science-related programming,” said Dr. Chris Boleman, Texas 4-H program director and member of the board of trustees of the National 4-H Council. “Nationally our science, engineering and technology programs reach more than 5 million youth with hands-on learning experiences.”

The 4-H Science, Engineering and Technology program of Texas 4-H is part of a national initiative to bring science back into 4-H project work, added Derrick Bruton, AgriLife Extension 4-H youth development specialist, Dallas.

“Science-related programs are available through AgriLife Extension in many counties throughout the state, particularly in urban areas and as shorter-term special interest programs,” Bruton said. “Here in Dallas, one of our most popular 4-H programs is the robotics program, which teaches young STEM skills as well as important life skills. Those life skills include problem-solving, teamwork and critical thinking – all of which are important in academic and business circles.”

For information on Texas 4-H robotics, go to http://texas4-h.tamu.edu/robotics.

Bruton said the 4-H curriculum uses a variety of media and methods to engage youth in scientific inquiry, engineering design, developing new skills and knowledge, and for considering careers in science and technology.

“There are STEM learning opportunities available in schools, but the focus of Imagine Science is when school is out — and where youth have fewer opportunities or means to learn more about these subjects,” Myles said. “If you can get young people interested and involved in science and technology, plus show them it can be fun as well as educational, they are much more likely to consider a career in this field.”

For more information about Imagine Science, go to http://www.imaginesci.org/dallas

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