Julia Reodica, the instructor of the Center for BioMedia, was invited by the STEP program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to add a creative component to the traditional science class. STEP stands for Science, Technology Entry Program. Interested teens, from the Troy Unified School District, participate in activities for 2 weeks. The RPI campus houses the students, where they also attend other classes. The STEP program encourages students from underrepresented or disadvantaged backgrounds to learn more about scientific exploration and assists in future educational planning.

The particpants included students from grades 8 through 11. The sessions for the 8th and 9th grade students were held at the Center for BioMedia. The sessions for the 10th and 11th grade students were held at RPI with an additional field trip to the Darrin Fresh Water Institute at Lake George.

At the CBM, there was a mix of science and art in the classroom activities. Learning about current science issues, laboratory safety, collecting clean specimens, and imaging will be helpful as the students advance their science education in secondary schools. The students exercised the practices of problem solving, laboratory methods and basic biotechnology that were later included in some of their final art pieces.

Link to: Summer Science School @ the Center for BioMedia