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| Welcome by Interim Chancellor Brown |
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| L-r: Dr. Eubanks, Mandy Amoson, AT&T, and Wilkerson-Franklin |
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| Dr. Williams shares information with students on math and science |
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| Students run the collision experiment |
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| Participants learn first hand from demonstration on distracted driving |
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| The motion commotion experiment |
Baton Rouge, La.
The SU Ag Center hosted 4-H National Youth Science Day (4-H NYSD) event on October 7, 2015. Youth in East Baton Rouge Parish joined hundreds of
thousands of youth across the world in leading the eighth annual 4-H National
Youth Science Day experiment, which
combined cars, calculators and cell phones to show how physics principles
influence a pressing problem among U.S. teens. This year’s experiment is titled ‘Motion Commotion.’
The event attracted
105 participants to Southern University Ag Center, where Dr. Adell Brown Jr.,
Interim Chancellor, Dr. Gina E. Eubanks, Vice Chancellor for Extension, faculty
and staff brought greetings to the guests. Following the welcome was a number
of relevant speakers including students.
Dr. Troy Williams,
Dept. of Chemistry and Physics, Southeastern Louisiana University revealed to
the participants that there is nothing hard about science. Mandy Amoson,
AT&T Client Solutions Executive shared the fatal consequences of texting
while driving with participants.
About 87 students from
Southern University Laboratory and Park Ridge Academic Magnet Schools participated
in the event. Students conducted the two-part ‘Motion Commotion’ experiment
from 9:30 a.m. – noon at A. O. Williams Hall. They used every day materials –
including a toy car, modeling clay, ruler, calculator and a cell phone – to
explore physics in the real-world.
In the first phase of the
experiment, youth constructed a simulated runway to analyze the speed, momentum
and kinetic energy of a car in motion, and explored the science behind the
car’s collisions. In the second phase, they led an experiment that uses the
same physics principles to demonstrate the consequences of distracted driving.
This included the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office’s driving simulator which gave
youth first-hand experience on the dangers of texting and driving.
Lexlee’s Kids team
conducted a hands-on demonstration of the end result of distracted driving. The
demonstration captured this year’s
experiment, ‘Motion Commotion.’ It combined a speeding car collision and a
distracted driving demonstration in a simulated activity that investigated the
physical and human factors of motion.
“It is important for teens to
learn basic concepts related to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and
Mathematics and how the subjects can be related to driving,” said Tiffany
Wilkerson-Franklin, Project and Science Day Event Coordinator at the SU Ag
Center.
“As inexperienced drivers,
learning about the importance of eliminating distractions on the highway could
save their lives or someone else’s. We must raise awareness and the National
Youth Science Day is a great step forward to link youth with fun, educational
opportunities,” added Wilkerson-Franklin.
Student leaders, teachers and speakers were
recognized at the conclusion of the event.
4-H NYSD is the world’s largest,
youth-led science experiment. The national day is dedicated to engaging kids
with science through a hands-on, interactive learning experience that gets
youth excited about science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The event also spotlights the many ways youth in East Baton Rouge Parish
are engaging in 4-H Science programs year-round.
The 2015 activity was designed by Oregon State University
Cooperative Extension in partnership with Vernier Software & Technology and
selected as the winning experiment for the eighth annual 4-H NYSD. The event’s
national sponsors are Hughes (HughesNet satellite Internet), Lockheed Martin
and U.S. Cellular.
Television coverage on the event airs on October 7, 2015 at
6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on NBC 33/FOX 44 and at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. on WAFB News
Channel 9.
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