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Tuesday, April 21, 2020
AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) -- K-12 students can't visit the Ruth Patrick Science Education Center at the University of South Carolina Aiken, so the staff is bringing the field trip experience to the youths.
“Soon after public and private schools in the areas started remote instruction in March, they canceled field trips for their students. To assist teachers -- and parents -- transition to at-home learning, the Ruth Patrick Science Education staff came up with the idea to bring field trip opportunities to the students, virtually of course,” said Dr. Gary Senn, director of the center, a public/private cooperative effort with a hands-on approach to teaching science and math while fostering discovery.
Upon hearing of the schools' closures to cut the spread of coronavirus, John Hutchens, director of special programming at the center, started working on some ideas.
“Because we can't be together in person, we are trying to be creative with ways to continue to infuse the love of STEM,” he said, referring to the acronym for science, technology, engineering and math curriculum.
Hutchens' efforts led to several computer-based field trips.
These experiences highlight several residents of the center, including reptiles, owls and amphibians. Students can learn about sundials, take a virtual eco-hike through Hitchcock Woods or explore the longleaf pine ecosystem at the Silver Bluff Audubon Center.
“We certainly miss seeing our K-12 students and look forward to having them back on campus as soon as possible,” Senn said. “Until then, we hope they enjoy these virtual field trips.”
How you can explore
While the virtual experiences are designed to complement K-12 science curricula, the public is invited to explore the center by taking one of the field trips, which can be found at https://tinyurl.com/RPSECVirtualFieldTrips.
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