Beginning with next year’s incoming freshmen, all sections of Earth Science will have guest speakers teach lessons to supplement the usual curriculum.  These guest speakers will be experts in various fields and will be brought in at least once every quarter.  Science Department Chair Rebecca Jansing-Kaestner presented this new addition to Earth Science classes during a science department meeting.

Earth Science teacher Tim Perry was involved in the planning for acquiring guest speakers.

“The goal was to bring people from the world of science in to talk to our students about the hands-on deal.  What they [the science department] decided to do was use Earth Science as a testing phase of this program.  We’re going to have the people come in, give them a list of topics, and they will talk to us and our students,” Perry said.  “I can see this extending far beyond Earth Science into Biology, into Chemistry, into Physics.”

Perry considers this a “marvelous chance for [students] to see what they [scientists] do and to question and answer.”

“I think it’s an outgrowth of STEM.  I think STEM is going to allow us to explore many possibilities that were not here before,” Perry said.

According to Perry, scientists will be invited from Aberdeen Proving Grounds initially, but other science centers in Baltimore City or neighboring counties will be looked into as well.

According to Jansing-Kaestner, John Schab from Georgia Tech University and John Casner from the Northern Maryland Technology Council will be liaisons helping to coordinate the guest speakers.

Grace Kim is Online Chief for The Patriot and jcpatriot.com.