Penn State Science Camp Encourages Self-Discovery, Disrupts Social Constructions
It may feel too early to be thinking about summer and finding the right summer camp for your student, but Dr. Elizabeth “Biz” Wright is eagerly preparing for the 2017 edition of Penn State’s Finding Your Roots Science-U camp, and she wants students from Philadelphia (grades 5 – 7) in particular to apply to this amazing and unique program!
The Finding Your Roots summer camp will take place at Penn State University over two weeks, and it is aimed at getting traditionally underrepresented children—including students of color, students who speak a language other than English at home, students with special needs, students in foster care, and girls—into the science classroom to learn about themselves and about the power of hard science.
The Finding Your Roots Camp has been many years in the making, and it was inspired and spearheaded by Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the award-winning filmmaker, literary scholar, journalist, cultural critic, and professor who created multiple documentaries focused on African American heritage and the African diaspora, including the well-renowned PBS documentary series Finding Your Roots. Dr. Gates collaborated with Dr. Nina Jablonski, Professor of Anthropology at Penn State, to create the Finding Your Roots summer camp, which draws from the “23 and me” curriculum.
Through the “23 and me” curriculum and theme, students will have the opportunity to complete a DNA test on themselves and conduct their own genealogical research. Dr. Wright explains that the belief is that “if the science is about the kids personally, the science will resonate more deeply, and more durably.”
“One of our over-arching goals is to find ways to engage students who have been typically marginalized in science classrooms and professions, and create spaces where students can develop their scientific voice as kids who do science,” Dr. Wright says, “and advocate for themselves and others.”
A previous middle school science teacher in Boston, Dr. Wright now has her Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction in Science Education. Her goal is to “find entryways for kids who are typically marginalized to learn how to advocate for themselves so that they’re able to create spaces for STEM success.”
“When science is about the kids personally, it’s more relevant,” she says. The ultimate goal of the Finding Your Roots Camp is for kids to walk away from the camp wanting to go into the field of science, “not ‘because my mom made me,’” Dr. Wright jokes.
Dr. Wright emphasizes that she wants students from all walks of life at the camp this summer. “This is not just for ‘super-swanky smarts kids’ who have access to tutors,” she explains. “This is for every kid. Each kid. We want all kids to find a home in science.”
The camp is organized around one overarching question: Who am I? Students will answer this complex question through three different lenses: Who am I genetically; who am I socio-culturally; and who am I intentionally.
Take, for example, caffeine metabolization. There are both genetic and socio-cultural factors in how quickly a person metabolizes caffeine.
“Some kids grow up in homes where tea is a ritual, or where drinking coffee once you’re knee-high is a tradition,” Dr. Wright explains. Campers will look into how these socio-cultural factors intersect with genealogical DNA factors.
This exploration into caffeine consumption is especially relevant to middle school students, who are just starting to independently socialize—which often includes going to the nearby 7-Eleven for a caffeine-packed “Big Gulp” or to Dunkin Donuts for a caffeine-filled—or mostly sugar-filled—coffee. Finding Your Roots camp aims to get students thinking about these daily, casual interactions and how their own DNA, family roots, and cultural upbringing affects them.
Campers are also exposed to the resources and expertise of Penn State’s campus. An especially popular activity during last year’s camp included a visit to the Anthropology Department, where students were able to touch and hold ancient skulls and bones. Dr. Wright explains that the idea is not only to connect students to their immediate ancestors through the “23 and me” DNA analysis, but to also point to the evolutionary similarities between them and their ancient ancestors.
“We really try to make it as problematic as possible,” Dr. Wright says. By showing kids ancient skulls, they hope to make the kids think about the purpose of evolutionary changes, and to “give the kids a lot of room to interrogate,” explains Dr. Wright. Throughout these visits to labs and departments on campus, there is “a lot of question-giving, not answer-giving.”
The camp is also designed to be very cross-curricular, weaving writing and social studies into the science curriculum. “Science doesn’t end when you step out of ‘room 108,’” Dr. Wright says. “We’re all connected!”
The cross-curricular model aims to make campers well-rounded learners. “If you can teach kids critically about the things they’re seeing,” they’ll be better prepared in the real world, Dr. Wright points out. The ability to distinguish between truth and lies is an important skill set, “especially these days.”
In addition, the camp features a research component, which doubles as a wellness component: the FitBit! Campers use the FitBit, which tracks steps taken throughout the day among other health data, to help them think about the question, “Who am I intentionally?”
Dr. Wright explains that the point is to make kids think, “How do you use data to inform who you are intentionally?” This ties into the idea that who you are genetically is not necessarily who you are as a person, or who you “intend” to be. In other words, utilizing the FitBit helps students grasp the concept that they have some control over their health and wellbeing, in spite of what their genetics and genealogical history tells them.
Throughout the camp, students discuss the accuracy of data and how people can interrogate the objectivity of data. For instance, students are asked to think about race in terms of assumptions versus data: there are differences in how society describes race versus how our genes define race versus how a single group of people or individual tries to define our race. By thinking about these various viewpoints, students learn that data is not necessary “objective;” these conversations expose how inconsistent “definitions” of race are, and ultimately show that race is a social construct, not a biological descriptor.
Dr. Wright hopes that by digging into such personal, often sensitive issues such as race, students can walk away from the camp feeling empowered, confident, and ready to use science to celebrate and defend their unique selves.
During the last few days of the two weeks, campers are set free to explore their own scientific interests. These unstructured days are meant to allow students to pursue their interests and take ownership over their own research projects. By the end of their camp experience, students will have spearheaded their own research!
Interested in signing your child up?! Apply at www.findingyourroots.la.psu.edu. The application date will be extended until December 30, 2016 for all Philadelphia applicants! Plus: while there is a $100 registration fee, this fee can easily be waived. “Money should not prevent a kid from participating in this program,” according to Dr. Wright. If you need to have the $100 fee waived, just email Dr. Wright: eaw24@psu.edu. Email her for any and all questions!
