City Springs Elementry School takes a field trip to JHU

Two faculty members from JHU have visited City Springs Elementary School in East Baltimore on a monthly basis, leading science sessions in which they explain basic science principles, such as water tension and electricity, through simple and lively experiments and demonstrations.

The fifth-grade students visited JHU campus labs as part of the ongoing effort to generate interest in the sciences. Faculty from the Geography and Environmental Engineering departments conducted demonstrations, such as how “clay particles coagulate in a water solution after a chemical is added, a process used on a large scale in drinking-water treatment plants”.

The field trip was part of the City Springs Science Outreach Program, started by Edward Bouwer, chair and Abel Wolman Professor of Environmental Engineering among other professors. Bouwer said that students are not exposed to such topics in their regular school curriculum until grades 7 and 8.

“We are trying to spark an interest in science education with these relatively simple topics, and inject some fun into the school day,” he said. “It’s part of a larger effort to build the future pool of scientists and engineers.”

Bouwer said the program’s year a success, and plans are to continue the program next school term with City Springs’ new fifth-grade class.