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MU faculty member Adnan Akyuz demonstrates the Coriolis
force to Hardin Middle School students at Mizzou Magic Science
Day. Photo by Ernie Gutierrez
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Junior
Explorers
The sixth grader lying on your living room
floor munching popcorn may hold the key to many scientific dilemmas.
With the right tools, he or she may be able to solve the world’s
hunger problems, find ways to eliminate air pollution or perhaps
even prevent cancer.
The University of Missouri-Columbia is working
to ensure that St. Louis-area sixth- and seventh-grade students
have the opportunity to explore all the possibilities that an
understanding of science can provide. More than 1,200 students
and teachers from St. Louis recently met at the St. Louis Science
Center during Mizzou Magic Science Day and listened to guest speakers,
explored interactive exhibits and participated in a wide range
of hands-on activities.
The free event is part of a partnership between
the Science Center, MU’s award-winning science magazine
for junior high and middle school students and The Boeing Company.
Since 1987, MU has published Mizzou Magic magazine, which is read
by more than 100,000 Missouri middle school students. The free
magazine is distributed with the same two goals that have been
established for Mizzou Magic Science Day: fostering an interest
in science and serving as a resource for teachers. Program costs
for this event were underwritten by Boeing.
At Mizzou Magic Science Day, students had
the opportunity to virtually take off in a Boeing F/A-18 Hornet
and cheer on their favorite cockroach in a race that taught the
basics of entomology. Students also had a chance to see the University’s
formula and solar cars; interact with a red-tailed hawk and a
great horned owl as part of a demonstration sponsored by veterinary
medicine students who volunteer for the MU Raptor Rehabilitation
Project; find the hidden colors in a black magic marker’s
ink; and participate in a variety of other activities.
Students attending Mizzou Magic Science Day
also were able to attend a guest lecture presented by the Saint
Louis Zoo’s Director of Research, Dr. Cheryl Asa, who discussed
the importance of integrating human lifestyles into conservation.
The Saint Louis Zoo currently is working with the Mayangna and
Miskito Indians living on the Bosawas Reserve in Nicaragua to
measure whether their levels of hunting are sustainable. The research
will help the Zoo create a wildlife management plan for the Reserve.
Dr. Asa also discussed the importance of understanding a species’
natural history.
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Last Update:
November 19, 2007
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