Sharing a Passion for Science

UCSB’s Family Ultimate Science Exploration promotes science and engineering through hands-on activity evenings designed for eighth-grade students and their families   (Santa Barbara, Calif.) — The classroom at La Colina Junior High School was near silent as the audience focused on the old boom box. They were listening for the faint tune that emanated from speakers they had just fashioned out of a battery, wire, magnets and an assortment of plates and cups. Then they were asked to use what they had learned to explore different materials and shapes to improve the speakers’ amplification.   Welcome to another session of Family Ultimate Science Exploration (FUSE), a program run by UC Santa Barbara’s Center for Science and Engineering Partnerships (CSEP). A collaboration of CSEP and science teachers in the Santa Barbara and Carpinteria school districts, FUSE brings eighth-grade students and their families together in a classroom setting to practice science, realize its importance in education and see possibilities for career options.   “One of the exciting things about the FUSE program is getting parents into the junior high school,” said Wendy Ibsen, CSEP’s associate director. “So many parents never get into classrooms, don’t get to meet the teachers, don’t meet the administration. So FUSE nights are a fabulous opportunity to focus on academics and to bring the families into the schools and get them really excited about what’s going on in the science classrooms.”   To view the complete story, open the attached news release, or go to http://www.news.ucsb.edu/2016/017362/sharing-passion-science