Children explore health care careers at UAA STEM Day
by Vicki Nechodomu |
Sebastian, Madalyn, Maximus and Coen dress up as doctors and firefighters at the Alaska
Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM
Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki
Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Sally Wassilie shows her daughter Destiny how to use a stethoscope at the Alaska Center
for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in
the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA
College of Health)
Biological Sciences major Heidi McKee demonstrates the use of yeast to blow up balloons
at the Alaska American Society of Microbiology Student Chapter table at the UAA STEM
Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki
Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Beckett uses a Hololens 2 headset to explore augmented reality and computer science at
the 2022 STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on October 1,
2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Paul Tinker, Sallie Wassillie, Destiny, Walter, and Andre pose as various health care
professionals at the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW)
photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Serenity learns how to use shaping to teach someone to perform an action with small
toys at the Center for Human Development table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips
Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College
of Health)
Students from the American Chemical Society Club use molecular models to teach children
about chemistry at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Michelle Kaganak takes a picture of Nathalie dressed up as a firefighter at the Alaska
Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM
Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki
Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Rachel White, Director of the Capacity Building for Autism Interventions (CBAI) program
at the Center for Human Development (CHD), teaches Serenity how to use shaping to
teach someone to perform an action with small toys at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips
Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College
of Health)
Alaska WWAMI medical student Julia Savage discusses the function and anatomy of the
human heart with children at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science
Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Frank Witmer, associate professor of Computer Science & Engineering, shows chilren
how to navigate a virtual world with Alaska Native themed objects at the UAA STEM
Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki
Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Alaska WWAMI medical student Julia Savage discusses infant manikins and CPR techinques
with children at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Glory dresses up as a doctor at the Alaska Area Health Education Center photo booth
at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo
by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Josiah checks the heart rate of an infant CPR manikin at the Alaska Center for Rural
Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips
Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College
of Health)
Chris Sturm, clinical director of Effective Behavior Interventions, teaches Marshall
and Warren how to shape the behavior of a digital rat in a computer simulation at
the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022.
(Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Xalia and Esther dress up as a doctor and patient at the Alaska Area Health Education
Center photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Leilani Luhr holds Willow up to a microscope at the Geological Sciences table at the
UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo
by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Clark uses a Hololens 2 headset to explore augmented reality and computer science
at the 2022 STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on October
1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Arlene Schmuland, head of Archives and Special Collections in the UAA/APU Consortium
Library, displays old media types at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated
Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Alaska WWAMI medical student Austin Hess discusses the function and anatomy of the
human heart with children at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science
Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Daniel and Calvin practice troubleshooting and problem-solving with a string puzzle
at the Mathematics and Statistics table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips
Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College
of Health)
Faculty from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics provide a variety of puzzles
and brain teasers at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Jeremiah and Amuthan dress up as firefighters at the Alaska Area Health Education
Center (AHEC) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science
Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
Kenrick Mock, Dean of the UAA College of Engineering and Professor of Computer Science,
speaks to families about augmented reality at the 2022 STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips
Integrated Science Building on October 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College
of Health)
Megan Brauner, Biological Sciences student, runs an activity on washing hands at the
Advanced Instrumentation for Microbiome Studies (AIMS) table at the UAA STEM Day in
the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA
College of Health)
Alaska WWAMI medical students Michael Kaden-Hoffmam and Austin Hess prepare human
anatomy models for the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building
on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
After a two-year hiatus, UAA STEM Day returned to campus on October 1, drawing over 1,500 community members to the ConocoPhillips
Integrated Science Building to celebrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics,
commonly known as STEM. Attendees, primarily children, enjoyed activities, challenges,
demonstrations, tours, and planetarium shows that explored a wide range of STEM topics
from biology to robotics.
"All people are explorers, and that’s what STEM Is. To explore and to test our boundaries
as to what we’re doing in our lives and what we need in our lives," said Rachel Hannah,
associate professor of Biological Sciences and STEM day volunteer. "We come together
and think together and share our knowledge together."
Ian McCarthy, K-12 Education Coordinator for the Alaska Center for Rural Health and
Health Workforce, hosted a health care photo booth where participants used provided
props to dress up as health care professionals. “STEM day reminded me why I work for
University of Alaska Anchorage. It was inspiring to see future UAA students and their
families from all different backgrounds wandering from booth to booth to explore with
curiosity the world of STEM," said McCarthy. “Families and students were taking ownership
of their own education. They were teaching each other, asking thoughtful questions,
and engaging with hands-on materials and props.”
The Center for Human Development (CHD) hosted several activities that taught children
how to shape behavior. Rachel White, Capacity Building for Autism Interventions program
director, ran an activity in which one person had to get another person to perform
a secret action without telling them. “One thing that I really enjoyed was seeing it click for people that they could shape
the correct behavior by clicking the clicker when the other person touched the right
object or moved it in a certain way,” said White. “There were also really good conversations
among participants about how they could use this strategy to shape the behavior of
the people and animals they interacted with in their daily lives.”
Chris Sturm, clinical director of Effective Behavior Interventions, taught STEM Day
attendees how to shape the behavior of a digital rat in a computer simulation. “The high level of interest that some of the kids had was my favorite part,” said Sturm.
“Applied Behavior Analysis isn't typically viewed in the same light as other applied
fields like engineering and medicine. People were more curious about the applied science
of behavior than I was expecting.”
One particular image stayed with McCarthy. "One young girl wanted to dress up as a
doctor. She put on a lab coat that draped on the floor behind her, held up a stethoscope
in her hand, and smiled radiantly. She dreams of being a doctor. That day, she was
one. And some day, she may have the diploma to prove it. In that moment she was empowered
by her imagination.
View KTUU video story, "UAA promotes careers in science, technology, engineering,
and math at STEM Day."
STEM Day is hosted by the College of Arts and Science, the College of Engineering,
and the College of Health. Health faculty, staff, and students interested in participating
in STEM Day can contact Vicki Nechodomu, communications director for the College of Health.