We’ve Gone from Ideas to Realities

iNERDE’s Colonie De Vacances STEM Week One Recap & Preview of Week Two

iNERDE’s Colonie de Vacances STEM just finished up its first week in Bamako! So far the iNERDE team in Mali, comprised of Mohamed Kante, Christian Vlcek, Nadia Famularo, & Rebecca Brosseau, have introduced the students to each of the STEM fields and how they are used in our daily lives, built parachutes and gliders, and brought in several inspiring guest speakers to talk about their careers in STEM.

“The highlight of my week was hearing the screams of excitement as our “nerds-in-the-making” launched their gliders off the balcony. The looks on their faces were a great reward for the hours of preparation we’ve done, and I continue to be inspired by their curiosity and eagerness to share what they’ve learned about STEM.” – Nadia Famularo, iNERDE Empowerment Agent

We would like to again thank all of the week one activity sponsors for your support!

Day 1 – Intro to Science

Sponsored by Barry D. McGinnis

iNERDE Empowerment Agent Rebecca Brosseau gives students an idea of what science is and how it is used in our daily lives.

After just learning about air resistance, Mohamed tests out his custom made parachute

Day 2 – Intro to Technology

Students are surprised when iNERDE’s Christian Vlcek shows them how to use photo filters in Photoshop.

The iNERDE class puts on their best “nerd” faces!

Day 3 – Intro to Engineering

Sponsored by Carolyn Zettler

Christina & Méry get ready to test fly their custom designed cardboard airplanes.

iNERDE’s Rebecca Brosseau uses Doussou’s crafty airplane design as an example to explain the basics of aerodynamics and design to the iNERDE class.

Day 4 – Intro to Mathematics

Sponsored by Mohamed L. Diane & Amity Wilczek

iNERDE’s Mohamed Kante, helps Alimatou & Allaye with addition of fractions.

Baro, Moulaye, Moussa, Mohamed, and Allaye (clockwise from bottom left) work together on a math puzzle.

Week Two Curriculum Sneak Peek

A quick sneak peek at what’s in store for the students during week two of iNERDE’s Colonie De Vacances STEM!

Week Two Activity Sponsors
Physics Lab

Diane Miller – Marshmallow Catapults
Mari Kajita – String Telephone Project
Rohan Degaonkar – Measuring Wind Speed Activity

 

Chemistry Lab
Roy W. Miller – Invisible Ink Activity

Natural Science Lab
Kalyani Guntur – Pulse/Heart Rate & Egg Drop Activity
Douglas Mizutani – Making a Rain Gauge
Michael N. Giuggio – Know the Body Activity

Chemistry Lab
Roy W. Miller – Invisible Ink Activity

Natural Science Lab
Kalyani Guntur – Pulse/Heart Rate & Egg Drop Activity
Douglas Mizutani – Making a Rain Gauge
Michael N. Giuggio – Know the Body Activity

Tech/Engineering Lab
Gretchen Reed – Make your Own Robot Activity
Kathryn Keita – Build a Bridge Activity
Serge Brosseau – Visit Orange Mali Field Trip

Starting this week, the team will be tweeting live updates from the camp. Follow us on twitter here to keep up to date with the camp’s activities!

This is the Week 1 Newsletter. Click here to go to the Week 2 Newsletter.