From the Teachers
"Having graduate students from COSEE come into my classroom and work with my students has been a positive experience for my students and for
me. The graduate students are professional, and personable. They are interested in sharing their love for their work with the students. They
are willing to work within your curriculum so that the lessons are integrated and not isolated events. The students look forward to the visits."
-Patricia Barnhardt
"The association we have with the COSEE graduate students is an exciting middle school initiative which provides our young students an exciting
way to learn topics in the STEM fields. The graduate students are positive role models for our middle school students and a great resource for the
teachers, in promoting STEM education at the James F. Doughty School."
-Tracy Vasiliev
"Nick and Melissa have come to my classroom several times to share interesting and relevant science information, and perform interactive
demonstrations. The students have been able to make connections with the topics we're learning in class. They're fully engaged when Nick and
Melissa are present, and they ask me often when they'll be returning. I believe the exposure to successful college students and "real life"
scientists is just as valuable as the content and stories they share about their research."
-Jesse DePue
From the Graduate Students
"I have really enjoyed the collaboration with the JFD middle school. The students have really embraced our labs and activities and they even seem
to enjoy our lectures. The teachers have been really easy to work with and I really feel that they have been reinforcing the ideas we present to
the students even after we leave the classroom. I have also gained a lot from this experience by explaining what I study and where my work fits
into marine science research to students who are new to the subject.
Boiling down your own research into a succinct, coherent message is a
very difficult and important task for grad students. Overall, my experience through this COSEE program has been very positive because I have
been able to convey my knowledge to the students very efficiently."
-Nick Foukal
"Working at James F. Doughty Middle School with the 7th graders has been a great opportunity in a couple of ways. First, it has allowed me to figure out what the vital
aspects are that I want to share from my research, and from marine biology generally. Next, I've had to figure out, together with the other grad
students and the teacher, how exactly to share those points."
-Mike Kersula
"The opportunity to reach out to the community and share my experiences to students has been fulfilling.
All graduate students should embrace
opportunities like COSEE-OS outreach to share their paths and rediscover the enthusiasm about science that brought them to where they are in the
first place!"
-Noah Oppenheim
"It is so rewarding to see how excited the kids are when we come into the classroom and how interested they are in every topic we've covered.
Plus, they always ask the best questions! I always look forward to our classroom demonstrations."
-Melissa May
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