Misión Possible

Scholars often develop their hypotheses and project proposals together, which requires learning how to delegate tasks and troubleshoot collective challenges. “We were able to get everything done by focusing on teamwork,” said SA Bed-Stuy MS sixth grader Camden Lucas (front left). “You have to be open to other people’s ideas.”

Scholars, like SA Midtown West sixth grader Aiden Mendez, incorporate a physical component like a poster, a tech component such as a “how-to” video playing on a laptop, and an oral presentation.

“I was testing how ash clouds affect animals and plants,” explained SA Midtown West fifth grader Jaiden De Munn (right). “When there’s ash in the sky, it blocks the sunlight, which is bad for the plants, and when animals eat those plants, they get sick. The effects of ash clouds from volcanoes are so big.”

SA Harlem West eighth graders Madison Middleton, Crystal Banahene, and Leyla Murray (left to right) built a massive trebuchet out of lumber and piping after several different experimental versions. “I feel like I can build anything,” said Crystal.

SA Harlem West eighth graders Elijah Napper, Brian Adames, Sambo Bousso, and Juan Delgado (left to right) built a small catapult to test how the mass of a projectile impacts its trajectory. (Small pom-poms were superior to rubber balls!)

SA Harlem West eighth grade scholars Iyanna Ruffin and Aaniyah Scipio used engineering concepts to develop a roller coaster as they sought to evaluate the impact of added mass on the coaster’s speed.

“I saw on the news how hurricanes caused so much destruction in Puerto Rico and Texas a few months ago,” explained SA Myrtle fifth grader Jelissa Olivo (right). “I used the Exploratorium to figure out what caused them.” Jelissa created a hurricane simulator using soda bottles and dyed water, and included images and video from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria in her presentation.

Scholars regularly practiced 30 second “elevator pitches”and prepared for questions from visitors and peers. At SA Bronx 1 MS, fifth graders Emmanuel Cepeda, Dwight Perez Jr., and Reyli Renoso (left to right) used three types of volcano models and videos playing on laptops to show how they calculated the speed a person needs to run to escape an eruption, noting that, based on their own cross-country times, even they couldn’t outrun the lava!

Radiantou Ouro-Bodi, Ndeye Fatou Niang, Layla Nassam (left to right), all fifth graders at SA Bronx 1 MS, helped Exploratorium visitors test for themselves how a tsunami can redistribute plant nutrients in coastal regions.

Scholars are encouraged to take risks and learn from mistakes, and they also share many funny moments. Kailey Galvez, Dana Jones, Aissatou Bah, Savana-Jae Alicea (left to right), fifth graders at SA Bronx 1 MS, teamed up to engineer a drip irrigation system that keeps eight plants alive for a month while the owner is gone.