Fairmount Center is involved with many STEM activities and workshops around Wichita, but is organizes and directs three: JASON Days, Kansas Junior Academy of Science, and Kansas Science Olympiad. Information about each program can be found below.
Each fall several middle schools in the Wichita area join us on the Wichita State University campus for JASON Days. Students come out for a full day’s worth of activities with themes modeled after the JASON Project’s award-winning curricula. Your students can expect to participate in many different hands-on activities (including an art project led by the Ulrich Museum of Art) and hear from real scientists about what they do. Scheduling of schools for JASON Days begins right before summer break, so contact Jill Fisher early about being added to the list for the next fall!
Encourage your students to experience science through planning and carrying out their own investigations. Through Kansas Junior Academy of Science (KJAS) students are able to share their findings with other students and scientists interested in the same field. Spring of 2018 marked the first year that KJAS combined with the Kansas State Science and Engineering Fair. Judges representing KJAS selected winning projects and posters to represent Kansas at the next American Junior Academy of Science meeting. Check out the KJAS website for more information!
What is Science Olympiad? It’s a great way to encourage middle and high school students to learn about different areas of science and engineering through teamwork and competition. Students will practice different events covering biology, chemistry, computer science, earth science, physics, etc., in order to prepare for competition day. The events may require a written test, a lab experiment, or a pre-built device. More information and resources can be found at the Kansas Science Olympiad website.