The Works, Denison & OSU-Newark Partner to Launch ?Kids? Tech University?

The Works: Ohio Center for History, Art & Technology has partnered with Denison University and The Ohio State University Newark to bring ?Kids? Tech University? (KTU) to Licking County. KTU will serve a maximum of 100 Licking County students, ages 9-12, for a quality STEM-based educational experience. The primary goal of KTU is to create the future workforce in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by sparking kids' interest in these fields through fun and interesting ?why? inquiries. The secondary goal of the program is to introduce students to a college campus atmosphere giving them an opportunity to interact with faculty at an early age so they may consider a post-secondary education. A program introduction meeting outlining the specifics of Kids? Tech University will be held at The Works on Saturday, November 2 at 2 p.m. KTU registration will also be open at this time. More About Kids? Tech University: KTU students and their parents convene on the campuses of Denison University and OSU-Newark one time per month in January, February, March, and April, 2014. Students begin each session with an interactive lecture in a college lecture hall with a professor connecting with the students in engaging science inquiry-based topics such as; Why do Spiders Roam the Earth?, Why cognition operates your brain?, Why do those liquid crystals help operate my TV?, Why do Black Holes appear and disappear in the blink of an eye?. At the same time, parents are invited to an ?Explore College? four-part series produced by the local Campus Consortium to help the adults prepare for college. Each student is given a campus meal card and reunites with his/her parent for lunch at the campus? dining hall. During this time students and parents may also browse the bookstore and explore the campus to further enhance the ?college experience? before beginning the post-lunch interactive lab session. During the Laboratory Experience, students are divided into five groups for an interactive science lab experience based on the topic of the day. Research scientists and college student volunteers lead the lab experiences. Each session concludes with a wrap-up and program evaluation. A long term goal of Kids? Tech University is to track the students who have participated in the program and determine if this informal learning experience leads to the future choice of a post-secondary education in a STEM related field.