 MYS students prepare a public display to teach
museum visitors about coastal trend topics |
Coastal Trends Weekend is an annual event held at the Virginia Aquarium's Bay & Ocean Pavilion. Serving as a kick-off for National Education Week activities, Coastal Trends Weekend showcases projects developed by middle school Mentoring Young Scientists (MYS) students and their mentors. Students form teams led by science mentors which choose a coastal trends topic and create public displays to communicate key concepts associated with each topic. Several displays feature Scientist Educator Partnership research topics, and undergraduates participating in the Partnership program serve as mentors for these teams. Each year more than 1,000 guests visit the displays.
Coastal Trends Weekend and the MYS program provide avenues through which the research conducted by Scientist Educator Partnership teams can broadly reach diverse non-science communities. Undergraduate participants gain enhanced content knowledge and an increased understanding of the scientific research process through their Scientist-Educator Partnership research experience. After the summer Partnership program ends, the student is charged with conveying this knowledge to the public using communication skills gained through the COSIA Course and their participation in the Partnership program.
 |  | | Undergraduates who participated in the Scientist-Educator Partnership program serve as MYS mentors |
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