THE SOUTH DAKOTA SCHOOL OF MINES AND TECHNOLOGY'S SCIENCE EDUCATION OUTREACH PROGRAM: EXPOSING YOUNG, INQUISITIVE MINDS TO THE WONDER OF SCIENCE

The South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Science Education Outreach Program works to expose students to the disciplines of science that are not part of the traditional core curriculum at their grade level. The Museum of Geology, along with various student organizations, such as PaleoClub, Tech Geologic Association (TGA), and the Society of Economic Geology (SEG), allows undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to create and execute demonstrations for K-12 students touching on the concepts of paleontology/fossils, rocks and minerals, plants and animals in the Black Hills, and hydrology/groundwater. The presentations are unique in that they can be formatted to fit any grade level, in any location, and also allow teachers the option to incorporate the various themes into their own curriculum, while still meeting educational standards of the State of South Dakota. When a local school or organization requests an outreach subject, the School of Mines will provide teaching kits, as well as an outreach instructor (an undergraduate or graduate student from SDSM&T). These kits include books and manuals, pertinent information, hands-on activities, and even how to incorporate the presented topic into other subjects aside from science. In the case that an Outreach instructor cannot be provided when requested, the teaching kits are equipped with guidebooks for instruction to be used by the teachers to make use of in their classroom.

A future goal of the Science Education Outreach Program is to provide open teacher and group leader training on using and incorporating the teaching kits in the curriculum. Similarly, students involved with the Scouts of America could have the opportunity to earn their Geology Merit Badge through work with the earth sciences in both the classroom and the field. The Science Education Outreach Program through SDSM&T will work to build a stronger connection between the community and college while exposing the youth to aspects of science they may not encounter in the classroom on a regular basis.