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A collaborative effort among Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore Valley Joint Unified School District and the Livermore Lab Foundation gives local middle and high school students the opportunity to expand their scientific knowledge with the newly debuted “Ask a Scientist.”
Using virtual resources like video demos and live Zoom sessions, LLNL scientists “explain their work and showcase experiments in physics, space and planetary defense, environmental science and physical science” in a four-part program geared towards students interested in science and engineering.
“LLNL produced a great series of short videos from Lab scientists and engineers demonstrating various science concepts,” said Sally Allen, executive director of the Livermore Lab Foundation. “We felt there was an opportunity to showcase these videos and partner with the school district to supplement the online learning now occurring due to COVID-19.”
LVJUSD students were the first to view the four videos, which are now available on LLNL’s YouTube channel and include key learning objectives, scientific terminology and identified, relevant Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
After watching the videos at home on their computers, students were encouraged to send their questions to the Livermore Lab Foundation. They were then invited to an interactive one-hour follow-up meeting on Zoom with Lab scientists to learn more about the subject and receive the answers to their questions.
Superintendent Kelly Bowers said the district was “grateful” for the collaborative opportunity while schools are dismissed for the Alameda County sheltering order. “Given our current circumstances requiring distance learning, we wanted to explore new programs to enhance the learning environment. This is exactly the type of innovation that helps our students stay engaged,” Bowers said.
There are four online “Ask a Scientist” videos available on the LLNL’s YouTube channel through the end of May:
· “Make a Backyard Crater with a Planetary Defense Physicist” (Dr. Megan Bruck Syal)
· “Staying Entertained with Physics” (Dr. Leland Ellison)
· “What Does an Atmospheric Scientist at LLNL Do?” (Dr. Jessica Osuna)
· “Edible Aquifer Experiment” (Monique Warren, environmental engineer).
For more information on the Ask A Scientist Program and the follow up question and answer Zoom sessions, visit livermorelabfoundation.org.
