As South Allegheny's first participant in the University of Pittsburgh Gene Team, junior Shannon Wygonik is sharing her love for science with elementary students in her home district.

Hosted by Pitt's biological sciences department, the Gene Team combines research and educational components to foster an interest in science.

Gene Team coordinator Marcie H. Warner believes the inquiry-driven education model inspires high school participants as well as the young students they encounter through the Science Corps portion of the team's program.

"It aims to ignite a love of science in middle and elementary school students by bringing them together with high school students with an interest in science," Warner said. "These high school 'science mentors' come to the classrooms of younger students and present short interactive science lessons that touch on topics such as respiration, natural selection and genetics."

Shannon shared the Science Corps mission Friday with SA fourth-graders in a presentation called "What's in My Pizza?" The lesson focused on yeast's role in the dough-making process and how respiration of the tiny organisms produces carbon dioxide, which causes dough to rise.

Fourth-grader Anessa Short thought the lesson was easy to grasp.

"We got to interact and touch and feel the dough," Anessa said. "It was exciting. It was fun."

Shannon said she loves to see youngsters play with science.

"I really want to share what I know with them," she said. "It gives me an opportunity to teach the kids something exciting something as simple as pizza and how it relates to science."

Gene Team coordinator Brian DiRienzo said passion is what the program strives to achieve.

Here is the original post:
Pitt Gene Team member shares love of science

Comments are closed.