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Las Cruces, N.M., Students Go Hands-On with Nuclear Science Program

Posted on: Tuesday, 4 November 2003, 06:00 CST

Nov. 4--Science became a little more hands-on than usual for students at Camino Real Middle School last week with help from the Up 'n' Atom Mobile.

Nearly 135 students learned about scientific issues like radiation and producing power by participating in science experiments during class Thursday.

"I like doing experiments with my hands," said Paul Robles, 13. "It's better than reading out of a book."

The Up 'n' Atom Mobile is a school outreach program provided by the National Atomic Museum and sponsored by Lockheed Martin, PNM, Sandia National Laboratories and the National Atomic Museum Foundation.

The traveling classroom allowed students to learn about the science behind discoveries that ushered in the Atomic Age by calculating half-lives, determining radiation exposure and measuring radioactivity using Geiger counters in four different stations.

"When these students can get up and go from station to station, it's a whole different educational process," said David Wibe, an eighth-grade science teacher who hosted the Up 'n' Atom Mobile for his classes. "Some students will not learn just by reading a book." Wibe said the experience may also help more young women and minorities look forward to careers in the sciences.

"They start to have an interest in it," Wibe said. "Once you spark that interest, you have to give them opportunities." Chelsea Buffington, National Atomic Museum staff and founder of Up 'n' Atom, said the program was developed to get students interested in science, math and history and serves about 400 programs a year.

"I can bring things to the classroom that teachers don't have access too," Buffington said. "If you really want to get students engaged in science and math, you have to get them involved early on."

A wide range of programs include issues like Forces of Flight and Blast from the Past, while workshops can include Energy Adventures and the Robot Shop.

"I like to work on science experiments like this," Jessica De La Torre, 13, said about the experiment that showed her how much radiation she is exposed to each day. "I was able to learn about my surroundings."

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To see more of the Las Cruces Sun-News, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.lcsun-news.com.

(c) 2003, Las Cruces Sun-News, Las Cruces, N.M. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News.

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