Who run the (math and science) world? GIRLS! Join HMNS Feb. 16 for Girls Exploring Math and Science 2013

Published by Caroline on January 23, 2013 at 4:56 pm in HMNS Happenings

Remember when Beyoncé asked, “Who run the world?” We totally think she was on to something.

Join HMNS on February 16 for GEMS 2013, an entire day dedicated to the answer to that question — Girls Exploring Math and Science.

In partnership with the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council, HMNS will host an open house with local professionals on-hand to answer questions and discuss their careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. We’ll also have a variety of STEM-related activities and games, as well as informational booths on topics ranging from Mars rovers to human organs to optical illusions to the science behind skin care.

GEMS is open to girls of all ages as well as friends and family, so bring the whole crew!

What: Girls Exploring Math and Science (GEMS)
When: Saturday, Feb. 16; 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: HMNS Main Campus, 5555 Hermann Park Dr.
Cost: FREE with museum admission! (Click here for a coupon for discounted general admission!)

Student booths have just been accepted for GEMS 2013. Contact educationquestions@hmns.org for more info or to learn how you can participate.

GEMS is generously supported by Air Liquide and KBR.

SySTEMatic change: How HMNS is changing education and making math marvelous

Published by Kat on September 6, 2012 at 4:08 pm in Education

S.T.E.M., which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, has become a popular acronym used amongst educators, and for good reason: S.T.E.M.-field careers are some of the most lucrative and have the greatest job growth potential in the early 21st century.

The S.T.E.M. philosophy is holistic: It seeks to revolutionize how math and science are taught by integrating technology and engineering into the classroom experience. In addition, it attempts to refocus the classroom away from a teacher-centric model toward a student-driven discovery process, where problem-solving and hands-on exploration are the child’s instructors.

Instead of treating math and science separately, they are blended so that students develop real-world problem solving skills. No more asking the teacher, “When am I ever going to use this?” The hope is that students will understand at a basic level how science and math apply to their world.

HMNS embraces the S.T.E.M. philosophy wholeheartedly in our approach to education. Two of our most popular summer camps, LEGO Robotics and Advanced Robotics, are great examples of this approach.

And now, HMNS offers a similar S.T.E.M. experience during the school year! Children gain the educational edge that S.T.E.M. provides and have a blast in the process — without having to wait for summer camp or worry about early registration.

In our after-school program, children collaborate with a partner to construct models using the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT™ system, then use brand new laptops to program the models to obey commands. They are given specific challenges and engage in friendly competitions to further hone their programming skills.

Don’t let your child miss out on this multidisciplinary, collaborative, and authentic learning opportunity. To learn more about LEGO Robotics at HMNS (Sept. 11 through Nov. 13) and HMNS Sugar Land (Sept. 13 through Nov. 15) and register for class, click here!

Save The Date: GEMS on February 11, 2012!

Published by Allison on December 12, 2011 at 11:42 am in Education

We had a terrific time at the Girls Exploring Math and Science event last year on Saturday, February 19, 2011. The Museum was buzzing with lots of learning – songs about kinetic and potential energy, buzzing instruments made with straws, Popsicle sticks and rubber bands, and lots of “ah-hah” moments throughout the day!

We had a fabulous presenting sponsor in KBR and two of their engineers were our featured speakers, Rachel Amos and Elaine Jimenez. Rachel and Elaine shared with the GEMS attendees a bit about their careers in Mechanical Engineering with KBR, their education, some tips for aspiring young engineers and scientists, and even a little about what they loved about math and science as kids. Interactive booths were hosted throughout the building by students, girl scout troops and local organizations and companies - there was so much to learn everywhere you turned!

Girl Scout booths have just been accepted for GEMS 2012 and there are some exciting topics and new ideas I’m very excited to see.

We’re still accepting applications from School Groups for booths and if you’re just now considering hosting a booth with your friends or opening it up to your class for extra credit it’s time to get some brainstorming going!

What is a topic you’d like to know more about? What have you recently learned that you would want to share with your peers?

Here are a few links to sites that might inspire you for your awesome GEMS booth! Applications for school booths can be found online here at the HMNS website.

The Library of Congress – Everyday Mysteries

PBS.org’s Zoom for kids - this link is to the engineering section but they offer lots more if you click around

How Stuff Works - go ahead – ask how it works!

Penn State College of Agricultural Science – Food Science

Exploratorium.edu - so many cool things to explore!

I’m also including some fabulous outcomes provided by some of our super star 2011 presenters, the “Truth in Numbers” group and the Rice University Association for Women in Mathmatics both presented booths on the topic of statistics and asked visitors to participate in their experiments pulling samples and recording results!

We can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with for GEMS 2012!

Visitors were asked by the Rice University Association of Women in Mathmatics to open a funsize bag of M&M's candies and chart how many candies of each color were included.

GEMS (girls exploring math and science) at HMNS this Saturday!

Published by Allison on February 18, 2011 at 10:06 am in Education

This Saturday the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council are partnering to bring you the annual Girls Exploring Math and Science event at HMNS! The GEMS event is open to all ages and will begin at 9 a.m. and go until noon – there’s lots to see and do so I would recommend coming early!

Thanks to our fabulous presenting sponsor KBR we are able to offer the GEMS event free with HMNS general admission for the day!! That means this event is FREE for HMNS members and the regular price of $10 for children and $15 for adult non-members for the day. There’s no need to pre-register (unless you want to avoid the box office line on a Saturday morning) so we hope you’ll grab your family and head on over to HMNS for a little fun in learning with us this Saturday! Tickets are available online here.

We have a great line up of Girl Scout hosted booths who will be sharing lists of really fun science and math demonstrations and activities with visitors from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. Two KBR engineers will share with us their passion for science and math and a little about how they use their skills in their job in the Mechanical Engineering Department at KBR here in Houston. Want to come up with some questions to ask our visiting Engineers about their jobs – check out this website to find out more about engineering.

Since 2011 is the International Year of Chemistry we are also including a Cool Chemistry program for GEMS participants. The Cool Chemistry program is presented by our Science on Stage presenter here at the Museum and will include exciting reactions, and liquid nitrogen demonstrations! Science on Stage can be booked to visit your school – for more information email sos@hmns.org.