Status 2007-2008 : Active
Contact: ncssm@sciencedays.org

Website: http://chaoticvoid.com/sciencedays/

Chapter Directors:

Lea Gold, Class of 2008, UNC-Chapel Hill '12.
For Lea, her interest in becoming a chapter director lies in her enjoyment of working with children, the desire to be more involved in the community that she lives in, and her love for science.  She believes that "collaboration of schools is an effective way to build a stronger community. It also expresses the importance of education and how fun education can be."  Before becoming a chapter director, Lea was actively involved in the organization at NCSSM.  Some experiments that she had done as a mentor include Colors Behind Black, Volcanoes, Snap Crackle Jump, and Electric Current. The most exciting lesson she taught with another peer was  extracting DNA from a strawberry.  She reports, "at first, the children thought it was impossible to extract DNA from strawberries with simple materials, but they found it fairly easy after they had done the experiment.   Her other extracurricular activities at school include Government Association, Envirothon, Blue Mirror Literary and Art committees, Asia Cultures Club, Freestyle Soccer Club, Wind Ensemble, women's varsity soccer, Key Club, Math Club, and Seeds of Change.

Past Chapter Directors:

2006-2007:

Wendy Hua, Class of 2007
UNC-Chapel Hill Class of 2011, Carolina Scholar
As a director, Wendy helped establish the first chapter of ScienceDays at NCSSM and helped write and edit many of the lesson plans now available online. She helped recruit and train new mentors at the beginning of the year and helped with demonstrations at E. K. Powe and Club Boulevard Elementary Schools. Wendy's other extracurricular activities include choir, theatre, and tennis. She is also an active member of her local Habitat for Humanity.

Mike Mian, Class of 2007
UNC-Chapel Hill Class of 2011, Morehead-Cain Award Winner
The very first ScienceDays chapter was set up at NCSSM, and Mike had spearheaded the effort all year. Working with the school’s Distance Learning department, he established contacts in local schools. He met with the after-school coordinators of Durham Public Schools, E.K. Powe Elementary School, and Club Blvd Humanities Magnet to organize the ScienceDays programs to complement each other. They also worked with a school in Charlotte through Distance Learning.  During the 2006-2007 school year, Science Days mentors visited these schools once a month to provide demonstrations for the students.  Their demos covered topics from gardening and environmental science to chemistry to electrical circuits.  Just over the course of a trimester, Mike recruited about 20 high school mentors from NCSSM who created lessons and mentored over 100 students across the state of North Carolina— more than 80 of them from less privileged schools in Durham.  Mike says, "It is difficult to convey my visions when I first learned of the circumstances surrounding the budding Science Days program. I saw ScienceDays as an avenue through which I am able to use my passion for science to contribute to people in need. I believe that both science and public service can be intertwined, allowing people like me to use their academic interests to help mold the next generation of young investigators."  Mike has been working closely with the national chapter since graduating from NCSSM, and he is now one of the directors of the national chapter.  He has also been named a National Merit Scholar, a Carolina Academic Scholar, and a Carolina Undergraduate Research Fellow.

Regarding his experiences as a Chapter Director this year, Mike says, "ScienceDays provided me with an invaluable learning experience. Establishing the program tested me in many areas. Not only did I have to teach the lessons, but I had to manage the entire organizing, advertising, and other business aspects of running the program. Both the academic and real-world managing aspects were integral factors in founding and running this program, allowing me a well-rounded learning experience.  Not only have I been able to stay involved in an academic interest of mine, but I am able to spread that same excitement to the young people around me, providing them further opportunities in their futures. Through ScienceDays, I have learned the true value of the social entrepreneurship this organization embodies, using my own knowledge and skills to not only help those around me, but to grow as a person and scholar as well."

Chapter
Photo
Gallery

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2006-07