STEAMM Rising focuses on next generation of STEAMM innovators
A collaboration between The Ohio State University, Columbus City Schools (CCS) and Columbus State Community College, STEAMM Rising provides CCS teachers with access to opportunities for professional and personal growth, which helps them inspire the students who will be the next generation of STEAMM innovators. STEAMM stands for science, technology, engineering, arts, mathematics and medicine.
Q & A with Emily Mazur
Emily Mazur, a math teacher at Columbus Alternative High School, utilized STEAMM Rising partnerships to create a class field experience at Ohio State’s Columbus campus and bring university faculty into her classroom. Mazur encourages other teachers to learn how STEAMM Rising can help excite and engage students.
How did you learn about STEAMM Rising?
I learned about STEAMM Rising from a district email. I then participated in the STEAMM Rising Institute professional development at Ohio State in June 2022. Afterward, I signed up to be a part of the professional learning community (PLC) of Ohio State faculty, CCS teachers and staff, and engineers from Jacobs Solutions, a technical services firm that participated in the Institute.
What did you experience at the STEAMM Rising Institute?
We spent a week visiting different STEAMM-related classrooms and labs at Ohio State, experienced STEAMM activities to use in our classes, and learned about majors and career opportunities. We also spent time with employees of Jacobs, learning about several types of engineering and design they use for projects. It was really interesting!
Why did you want to plan a career-related field experience?
There are so many majors I didn't know existed until I was in college. I learned even more when I participated in STEAMM Rising and wanted to recreate the experience for my students. I knew it would be awesome to take kids to a college campus to learn about STEAMM opportunities before they started applying for college. While I don't think it would have changed my career trajectory, I would have appreciated a similar experience in high school.
How did your field experience come about?
During a PLC meeting, I had the opportunity to communicate with Dr. Jim Fowler from Ohio State's math department. He and I then met one-on-one to discuss ideas for teaching math, and he suggested I ask Radical Pi, the student math club, if they were willing to work with high school students – which they were! In the next whole-group PLC meeting, I expressed interest in bringing students to Ohio State's Columbus campus to visit multiple colleges. Everyone was open to the idea and offered to spend time with us.
How many students participated?
21 ninth-grade students.
What was your goal(s)? What did you want students to gain from their visit?
My goal was to get my students excited about college and thinking about possible career paths. I wanted them to learn about fields of study they may not know existed. Since I teach math, I was explicitly looking to expose them to STEAMM fields.
What did you do during your visit?
Some of my students were unaware of architecture as a field of study, so the students were amazed to learn about different architectural careers from Aimée Moore, a senior lecturer at the Knowlton School of Architecture. As we toured the building, she explained the various majors offered at the Knowlton School, what students learn, and what they can do with a degree in architecture, landscape architecture and city and regional planning. Also, my students were able to see some of the current students working on their final projects, which was awesome. The kids asked lots of questions, so they were interested to learn more.
After Knowlton, we went to the Math Tower, where the students worked with Dr. Bart Snapp and students who run Radical Pi, the student math club. They challenged my kids with non-traditional math problems, which helped them see there is more to mathematics than the skills they learn in class. The undergrads concluded with a glowing presentation about what it is like to study math at Ohio State.
After lunch on campus, Dr. Ted Clark took us on a tour of the chemistry and biomolecular engineering and physics research buildings. The kids were amazed by the art and the gigantic equipment – they had never seen lab equipment like that before. We saw lab instrumentation for a large-scale distillation set-up, the nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers (using strong magnets was a memorable topic), and the instrument repair/construction room. Dr. Clark also discussed what happens in a chemistry research lab and how varied STEM careers are. Some students who are not always enthusiastic about sitting at a desk and learning in a traditional class were eager to learn more about research and engineering careers.
Was the trip successful?
Yes! The kids had a wonderful time.
I know it was successful because students thanked me for organizing the trip and thanked the people they met. They reported to other students, teachers and their families about what they learned and saw on campus. They were grateful for the opportunity.
Ohio State faculty also visited your classroom?
Yes, a few weeks after the trip, Dr. Snapp presented to the ninth-grade algebra class who participated in the trip as well as an algebra 2 class and the International Baccalaureate (IB) math seniors. He adapted a Hidden Figures activity for the event. The kids were happy when they learned that they would get to work with Dr. Snapp again — they honestly enjoyed learning math from a real math professor. Having a group of ninth-grade Algebra 1 students excited to learn math is an enormous success!
Why is this type of experience important?
It's important to expose students to as many opportunities as we can. You never know what might pique someone's interest and possibly change their career trajectory.
What would you want other teachers to know?
That there are a lot of Ohio State faculty members who would love to share their passion with K-12 students. If time and money are barriers to planning a trip, finding a faculty member who will come to your school as a guest speaker might be possible. If you have a question about your content, someone at Ohio State would probably be happy to discuss it with you. It never hurts to ask!
What do you teach?
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, and IB Applications SL.