"Skype A Scientist" Connects Classrooms, Libraries & Communities to Scientists Around The World!

We love making meaningful and educational connections for our students at Van Meter.  These connections not only bring more meaning to the things they are learning, they also bring lots of excitement, engagement and fun around the learning and conversations.  

This year we have been connecting with wonderful scientists through a program connected to Skype in the Classroom called Skype a Scientist.  This site matches scientists all of kinds with classrooms around the world. 

We have Skyped with scientist, Kaitlyn Daza, from Michigan State University, as she spoke to our 8th graders about how genetics control the quality of pigs.  

 

They had so many amazing questions as they were learning about genetics at the time. 

And last week, our 3rd graders Skyped with Cassandra Seltzer, who is a geophysics graduate student at MIT. 

She shared how she melts and squishes rocks in her lab and then analyzes them to better understand how the solid part of the upper mantle responds to tectonic plates moving. 

 Since our 3rd graders are studying plate tectonics and geology, 

 they had tons of awesome questions for Cassandra as they learned even more. 

 We all went away from these Skype's wanting to be scientists like Cassandra...

 ... and Kaitlyn. They not only taught and shared so much, they inspired us through science and stories of their studies. 

You will find Skype a Scientist here.  

It is helpful to use the scientist search tool to find specific scientists to fit your needs. On the site you will find other helpful resources like a lesson plan guide and resources for teachers.  

A big thanks to Skype a Scientist for creating connections between classrooms and scientists around the world.  You will find information on we can support their efforts here on the page too.