Student volunteers with the University of North Georgia (UNG) chapter of the National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Preservice Chapter participated in Forsyth County's Family STEM Night at a local elementary school.

Chapter secretary Ray Milligan, a junior from Monroe, Georgia, pursuing a degree in elementary and special education, is currently an intern at Riverview Elementary School in Dawson County, Georgia.

"This was an example of service work the group does. We went to Chestatee Elementary School in Gainesville, Georgia, and volunteered at Forsyth County's Family STEM Night, getting hands-on experience," Milligan said.

The event was organized by Dr. Denise Webb, winner of a 2024 Presidential STEM Award at Coal Mountain Elementary School in Cumming, Georgia. Local high school students prepared a hands-on learning experience for the younger students and UNG students provided support such as "getting the children to stations, explaining what they’d be doing and helping keep everything organized, like an extra set of hands," Milligan said.

Milligan said the experience would be helpful in their future.

"I saw all of the activities and realized I could recreate them easily in my classroom. I could easily make this a lesson for myself, and my kids would absolutely love it," Milligan said.

Ava Obermeyer said that the excitement that she and others expressed over the projects was contagious.

"We had a great time doing some of the things, and it got the students excited, too," she said. "The kids could do them again and again at home with things they had around the house." 

In fact, Milligan would be interested in starting a Family STEM Night once hired on as a full-time teacher.

"I would 100% try to get that started because I saw how much fun the kids had, how many of them came and just what a great experience it was. Families came and saw how their kids are learning in their schools," Milligan said. "I think it would be amazing for any school, so I would absolutely love to do it."

Obermeyer said the STEM nights are important and beneficial because science is important.

"It's important to play with science. It's visual and involves motor skills to figure out and understand how science works," she said. "Observing and doing are two of the best ways to understand how something works. The students really got their brains working that night. They thought they were coming in to just play, but they learned a lot."

Libby DeMars, president of UNG's NSTA chapter, is a strong supporter of the opportunity to help younger students learn more about science and believes the experience will help her careerwise.

"In elementary school, science gets the shaft, unfortunately. With this event, it allows students to have science time. While it is after school, it is still better than no science at all," she said. "This event also gives me new ideas and activities on how to incorporate science in the classroom, such as simple crafts to improve fine motor skills."

The UNG students who helped are either from the NSTA Preservice Chapter on the Dahlonega Campus or part of the integrated science course taught by Dr. Lorraine Ramirez Villarin, associate professor of middle grades, secondary and science education.