KSEA performed a unique national science fair event for 120 elementary level students from 3rd to 6th graders on Saturday, June 5, 2021 (http://ksea.iseesciencelab.com/). This Zoom event was prepared separately from NMSC-2021 and named ‘Let’s Science’ to teach children for 4 hours in the afternoon from west to east coast. Over 150 students, speakers, mentors, coordinators, and guests joined the national Zoom event, making this event the largest online educational event for children held by KSEA. The program was designed to include YouTube learning videos, hands-on mentoring via Zoom, short lectures by two excellent speakers, Dr. Hojoon Lee talked about the research of tastes using mouse tongue and Dr. Hyunji Lee about stomach acid, and focusing on teaching children the fundamental concepts of chemical pH on household products that we use in everyday life.
The event was led by Dr. Min Suk Kang and coordinated by Dr. K. Stephen Suh, Dr. Minjung Lee, Jingyu Cheong and Mr. Dong June Lee. The evaluation of the project was initiated by VP1 Haejung An and the scientific committee of the KSEA, and the discussion, preparation, and advertising of the event took 4 months. The proposal of the project was fully supported by the 49th administration (President Soolyeon Cho), EC members, chapter leaders, and 8 YG leaders who volunteered to mentor during the event. The event used the science kit (iSEE Science Lab) and household items that are prepared by students to produce various pH-based colors when tested by a universal pH indicator. After the event, students generated scientific reports of their pH experiments on the prepared online template, produced their own videos to explain their findings and learning points and draw generalized conclusions on how knowing the pH concept affects their understanding of products surrounding them that they use in everyday life. The event awarded students for 3 categories, innovation, creativity, and STEAM which were awarded by the KSEA president for each grade level. All other students received participation certificates to boost their confidence level in science subjects.
The thrust of Let’s Science was to teach our children the basics of science via online education and at-home experiments. Due to Covid, the children needed more activities and learning platforms that can allow them to engage. The core of the program is about learning the concepts of basic laboratory safety, personal protection equipment (PPE), control and duplication of experimental samples, and critical thinking by developing logic and reasoning. By this KSEA program, students fully understood the importance of lab work safety and experimental procedures. The understanding of the basic concept of pH (acid/base) allowed our children to understand the fundamentals of what we eat, drink and surroundings.
We believe that this program elevated our children’s interest in STEM by exposing them to fundamental concepts at an early age. By introducing and teaching the key concepts to elementary schoolers, they will better understand how STEM, art, and recreation are interconnected. Touching the laboratory items, witnessing the experiments, and feeling the science was an eye-opening experience for our children, and we were extremely excited to teach children during the Zoom. Through learning the importance of pH and its effects on our environment, we hope that children learn how to grasp the scientific concepts through simple experiments at home, further pushing children to enhance their scientific logic and reasoning. We were able to witness this proof-of-concept educational method during the review of students’ reports and video presentations. We thank the Overseas Korean Foundation (OKF), iSEE Science Lab and all volunteers for this extremely successful event.
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