STEPS has recently joined the national Innovators in the Schools program which is sponsored by Science Culture Canada. Our other major sponsors are the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Newfoundland (APEGN), and the Sir Wilfred Grenfell College of Memorial University of Newfoundland.
Innovators-STEPS is an enrichment project that provides volunteer speakers willing to make presentations to students from Kindergarten to Level III. Innovators-STEPS will provide scientists, engineers and technologists to the schools of western and northern Newfoundland and Labrador. Our volunteer resource people are now called Innovators.
The potential users of Innovators-STEPS include approximately 150 schools and 27,000 students. In the school year 1995-96 alone, 95 visits were made by our volunteer speakers who gave a total of 250 presentations.
The major goal of Innovators-STEPS is to encourage and promote student interest and involvement in science and technology. Innovators-STEPS also attempts to inform students of the current impacts of science and technology, to improve students' general awareness of environmental issues, and to raise students' awareness of career and entrepreneurial opportunities in science and technology. Innovators-STEPS has several female Innovators who can serve as positive role models for female students. The project is especially interested in serving isolated rural schools that often have little access to professional scientists, technologists and engineers.
As mentioned, STEPS has joined the Innovators in the Schools program linking us to a nation wide network of other organizations providing similar services. Innovators-STEPS will cover the western and northern parts of the island and parts of Labrador.
At the core of Innovators-STEPS is a group of wonderful volunteers who have generously agreed to share their scientific and technical expertise with the K-12 education system. Currently, the program has over 80 Innovators who come from a variety of organizations including post-secondary institutions, federal and provincial governments, the industrial community, the business community, law enforcement and hospitals.
The diversity of the Innovators allows the program to fill a variety of requests for different types of expertise in areas such as: the environment, law enforcement, health issues, math, physics, chemistry, biology, communications, veterinary skills, computers, psychology, prosthetics and orthotics, career planning, airplane piloting, embalming, electronics, and technical aspects of art and theatre. Innovators-STEPS continues to solicit additional scientists, technologists and engineers for this project.
A listing and description of the Innovators can be found in the on-line catalogue on this WEB Page. Teachers can invite these Innovators to visit their classrooms by contacting the Innovators-STEPS office. The Innovators discuss and illustrate science and technology using a variety of methods including lectures, demonstrations, and laboratories. Innovators-STEPS covers the travel expenses of our Innovators. Thus, the visits occur at no expense to the schools.
Shelley Crocker is the Project Coordinator: Telephone (709) 637-6489.
Dr. Sudhir Abhyankar, Dr. Don Downer, and Dr. Leslie Cake of Sir Wilfred Grenfell College are the Project Directors.
Our program is a community resource that has not yet reached its full potential. With your interest and participation, this will be our most successful year yet. Please be as creative as possible when searching for ways in which to use our Innovators. Innovators-STEPS will be happy to try new ideas and help find innovative ways in which to bring science, technology and engineering to students.
If you have comments or suggestions, email scrocker@beothuk.swgc.mun.ca