Children explore health care careers at UAA STEM Day

by Vicki Nechodomu  |   

  • 4 kids dressed up as doctors and fire fighters
    Sebastian, Madalyn, Maximus and Coen dress up as doctors and firefighters at the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW)  photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)

     

  • child with stethascope
    Sally Wassilie shows her daughter Destiny how to use a stethoscope at the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health) 
  • student demonstrates yeast blowing up baloons
    Biological Sciences major Heidi McKee demonstrates the use of yeast to blow up balloons at the Alaska American Society of Microbiology Student Chapter table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • A child wearing virtual reality goggles
    Beckett uses a Hololens 2 headset to explore augmented reality and computer science at the 2022 STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on October 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • Family dressed as health care professionalis
    Paul Tinker, Sallie Wassillie, Destiny, Walter, and Andre pose as various health care professionals at the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • student demonstrates yeast blowing up baloons
    Serenity learns how to use shaping to teach someone to perform an action with small toys at the Center for Human Development table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • A CAS student demonstrates molecular models
    Students from the American Chemical Society Club use molecular models to teach children about chemistry at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • parent taking a photo of child dressed up as a fire fighter
    Michelle Kaganak takes a picture of Nathalie dressed up as a firefighter at the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • a woman teaching 2 children seated at a table
    Rachel White, Director of the Capacity Building for Autism Interventions (CBAI) program at the Center for Human Development (CHD), teaches Serenity how to use shaping to teach someone to perform an action with small toys at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • wwami student displaying organ models
    Alaska WWAMI medical student Julia Savage discusses the function and anatomy of the human heart with children at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • computer science faculty showing a crowd of children a video game
    Frank Witmer, associate professor of Computer Science & Engineering, shows chilren how to navigate a virtual world with Alaska Native themed objects at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • wwami student demonstrating cpr
    Alaska WWAMI medical student Julia Savage discusses infant manikins and CPR techinques with children at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • Child dressed as doctor
    Glory dresses up as a doctor at the Alaska Area Health Education Center photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • boy checking heart rate of baby manikin dressed as a doctor
    Josiah checks the heart rate of an infant CPR manikin at the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce (ACRHHW) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • A man teaching two children seated at a computer
    Chris Sturm, clinical director of Effective Behavior Interventions, teaches Marshall and Warren how to shape the behavior of a digital rat in a computer simulation at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • two students dressed as a doctor and patient
    Xalia and Esther dress up as a doctor and patient at the Alaska Area Health Education Center photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • little girl looking into a microscope
    Leilani Luhr holds Willow up to a microscope at the Geological Sciences table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • A child wearing virtual reality goggles
    Clark uses a Hololens 2 headset to explore augmented reality and computer science at the 2022 STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on October 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • UAA faculty displaying old manuscripts
    Arlene Schmuland, head of Archives and Special Collections in the UAA/APU Consortium Library,  displays old media types at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • wwami students holding up organ models
    Alaska WWAMI medical student Austin Hess discusses the function and anatomy of the human heart with children at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • two attendees solving a brain teaser puzzle
    Daniel and Calvin practice troubleshooting and problem-solving with a string puzzle at the Mathematics and Statistics table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • math table at stem day
    Faculty from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics provide a variety of puzzles and brain teasers at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • two children dressed as fire fighters
    Jeremiah and Amuthan dress up as firefighters at the Alaska Area Health Education Center (AHEC) photo booth at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • computer science faculty demonstrating virtual reality goggles
    Kenrick Mock, Dean of the UAA College of Engineering and Professor of Computer Science, speaks to families about augmented reality at the 2022 STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on October 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • woman facilitating a hand washing station
    Megan Brauner, Biological Sciences student, runs an activity on washing hands at the Advanced Instrumentation for Microbiome Studies (AIMS) table at the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)
  • wwami students holding up organ models
    Alaska WWAMI medical students Michael Kaden-Hoffmam and Austin Hess prepare human anatomy models for the UAA STEM Day in the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building on Oct. 1, 2022. (Photo by Vicki Nechodomu/UAA College of Health)

After a two-year hiatus, UAA STEM Day returned to campus on October 1, drawing over 1,500 community members to the ConocoPhillips Integrated Science Building to celebrate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, commonly known as STEM. Attendees, primarily children, enjoyed activities, challenges, demonstrations, tours, and planetarium shows that explored a wide range of STEM topics from biology to robotics. 

"All people are explorers, and that’s what STEM Is. To explore and to test our boundaries as to what we’re doing in our lives and what we need in our lives," said Rachel Hannah, associate professor of Biological Sciences and STEM day volunteer.  "We come together and think together and share our knowledge together."

Ian McCarthy, K-12 Education Coordinator for the Alaska Center for Rural Health and Health Workforce, hosted a health care photo booth where participants used provided props to dress up as health care professionals. “STEM day reminded me why I work for University of Alaska Anchorage. It was inspiring to see future UAA students and their families from all different backgrounds wandering from booth to booth to explore with curiosity the world of STEM," said McCarthy. “Families and students were taking ownership of their own education. They were teaching each other, asking thoughtful questions, and engaging with hands-on materials and props.”

The Center for Human Development (CHD) hosted several activities that taught children how to shape behavior. Rachel White, Capacity Building for Autism Interventions program director, ran an activity in which one person had to get another person to perform a secret action without telling them. “One thing that I really enjoyed was seeing it click for people that they could shape the correct behavior by clicking the clicker when the other person touched the right object or moved it in a certain way,” said White. “There were also really good conversations among participants about how they could use this strategy to shape the behavior of the people and animals they interacted with in their daily lives.”

Chris Sturm, clinical director of Effective Behavior Interventions, taught STEM Day attendees how to shape the behavior of a digital rat in a computer simulation.  “The high level of interest that some of the kids had was my favorite part,” said Sturm. “Applied Behavior Analysis isn't typically viewed in the same light as other applied fields like engineering and medicine. People were more curious about the applied science of behavior than I was expecting.”

One particular image stayed with McCarthy. "One young girl wanted to dress up as a doctor. She put on a lab coat that draped on the floor behind her, held up a stethoscope in her hand, and smiled radiantly. She dreams of being a doctor. That day, she was one. And some day, she may have the diploma to prove it. In that moment she was empowered by her imagination. 

ktuu video embed
View KTUU video story, "UAA promotes careers in science, technology, engineering, and math at STEM Day."

 

coffee cup iconSTEM Day is hosted by the College of Arts and Science, the College of Engineering, and the College of Health. Health faculty, staff, and students interested in participating in STEM Day can contact Vicki Nechodomu, communications director for the College of Health.

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