In mid April, 4-H youth from Milwaukee and Waukesha Counties 4-H traveled to Madison for UW–Madison Science Expeditions, a fun and exciting day of career and college readiness.
“Science Expeditions introduces the youth to tons of different sciences and may spark an interest that they may want to learn more about,” said Eva Terry, Milwaukee County 4-H Program Educator. “It shows the youth the UW–Madison campus and may motivate them to attend one day.”
Through inspiring hands-on experiences, youth from different 4-H clubs, schools, and counties explored a wide variety of scientific fields like zoology and astronomy with UW researchers and students.
Activities took place all around the UW-Madison campus, including the Washburn Observatory, the Botany Garden and Greenhouse and the brand-new Morgridge Hall. Each stop gave youth a chance to see science in action and experience what learning on a college campus can look like.
Many of the exhibits included interactive activities and hands-on experiments.Terry shared that some favorite moments were “making Dippin’ Dots style ice cream with liquid nitrogen and learning about static electricity at the Physics Building, learning about optical illusions, the science of sound waves with kazoos and creating a playdough model of a brain, then getting to hold an actual human brain in the Discovery Building.”
Through these experiments, youth were able to see how science connects to everyday life and how scientists work to solve real-world problems. Youth also had the opportunity to see how they might one day contribute to those solutions through their own interests. Events like UW’s Science Expeditions help youth explore future college and career possibilities by showing them the many different paths available in science and research.
“Attending this event sparks the youths’ interest in participating in more STEM activities and other 4-H educational opportunities,” Terry said.
Milwaukee County 4-H youth have attended this event for the past four years to connect with science in meaningful and engaging ways, spark curiosity and encourage participation in other 4-H activities.
Terry said more science exploration trips are planned this summer to continue inspiring curiosity, encouraging learning and helping youth discover future educational and career opportunities.
