Sycamore Students Study Slime at UCBA

Students from EH Greene learn about bacterial growth during a recent trip to UC Blue Ash. (Photo courtesy of UCBA Communications)

More than 800 students from Sycamore Community Schools had the chance to visit UC Blue Ash College recently to make slime and study bacteria.

Third-grade students from several elementary schools conducted the slime experiment as part of their visit to the chemistry labs at UC Blue Ash.  

About 400 kids took part in the field trips that were spread out over four different days in January and February.  They also performed experiments to observe temperature and energy changes, learned about lab safety, and interviewed UC Blue Ash students about what it’s like to be a college student. 

The idea for the field trips started when students in the UCBA Chemistry Club wanted to find more volunteer opportunities and expressed an interest in working with elementary-age students.  UCBA Chemistry professor Daniella Fisher, and Chemistry Department Chair Janice Denton, initially reached out to Blue Ash Elementary, but Sycamore school leaders thought the program would be a great fit for the third-grade INSPIRE field trips. 

“The main goal of this program was to instill a curiosity about science,” said Fisher.  “We worked with the district’s coordinators to determine the concepts of interest, the standards to meet, and the level at which to present material.”

Approximately 400 sixth-grade students from Edwin H. Greene Intermediate School (EH Greene) also visited UC Blue Ash, but their stop was the Biology Department.  

They had the chance to use microscopes to observe bacterial and fungal growth, examine models of tissues and organs, and inspect dissections of organs. This is the third year that students from EH Greene came to the biology labs. 

“We want to expose sixth-graders to the field of biology and the wonders of the human body to stimulate their interest, and maybe get them thinking about a career in science or the health professions,” said Kris Hickey, UCBA Biology professor and coordinator of the field trip.  

The field trips can be a win-win since they are designed to educate and inspire young children, while also providing a great experience for chemistry and biology students from the College.  More than 100 UCBA students volunteered to help lead the multiple visits to the chemistry and biology labs.  They led small groups in their projects, answered questions, and told the children what it’s like to learn in a college setting. 

“For me, the most rewarding part was being able to impact the future generation of scientists while seeing our UC Blue Ash students shine in teaching others,” said Fisher. 

The College plans to continue these field trips in the future as another way to give back to the community.