Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!pt.cs.cmu.edu!sei!rsd
From: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Be a Scientist by Mail for children
Message-ID: <3883@ae.sei.cmu.edu>
Date: 18 Aug 89 17:05:35 GMT
References: <44473@bbn.COM>
Reply-To: rsd@sei.cmu.edu (Richard S D'Ippolito)
Organization: Software Engineering Institute, Pittsburgh, PA
Lines: 41

In article <44473@bbn.COM> Stephen Brand writes about an interesting program
for children:

>If you are interested in helping children discover what science is all about,
>I'd like to invite you to sign up as a Scientist-By-Mail.  Science-By-Mail is
>an innovative problem solving program that was established by the Boston Museum
>of Science in 1987.  The program brings together children and scientists in a
>pen pal program that focuses on the solving of 3 science challenge packets a
>year.  The subjects of the packets range from designing methods of waste
>management in a space station to learning about the physics of ice cream. We
>are looking for scientists who are interested in providing constructive and
>supportive feedback to children who are trying to make sense of the world
>around them.  

Sounds like a neat idea, and without detracting from it, may I say that the
problems you suggest sound more like engineering problems, not scientific
experoments?  I respectfully suggest that one of the reasons that more
children don't become attracted to science is that they are never shown what
engineering, the application of scientific knowledge to produce useful
products, is, and how much fun it can be, so they don't see the value of
learning the requisite science.

Perhaps you could make the program more attractive to children and expand
your reach of professionals if you were to recognize engineers and
engineering in some manner.  If you took inventory of your challenge packets
and the items in your fine museum, how many are really engineering examples
(tools, systems, processes, products, etc.)?

Please don't read any of the above as anti-science -- as one who has made a
good living applying science, I could hardly fail to recognize its value!
Think of it as a gentle suggestion on how to broaden the perspective of your
program, and perhaps turn a few more kids on to engineering.  Good luck and
much success!


Rich
-- 
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When arrogance blooms, it bears the fruit of doomed         RSD@sei.cmu.edu
infatuation, when it reaps a harvest rich in tears.
Ghost of Darius, The Persians, by Aeschylus