Free UAMS Science Camp Goes Zoom
| LITTLE ROCK – Central Arkansas students from first through 12th grades will have plenty of opportunities this summer to participate in interactive science programs through the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS).
Although COVID-19 prevents in-person activities, UAMS’ Kevin D. Phelan, Ph.D., has devised a plan to offer three interactive ArkanSONO STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) summer science enrichment programs using Zoom video conferencing.
Phelan is co-director of the Division of Clinical Anatomy in the UAMS College of Medicine. The ArkanSONO program he leads is designed to increase the diversity of students entering STEM fields. It is supported by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, which is part of the National Institutes of Health.
UAMS will host three Zoom-based programs for central Arkansas students this summer:
- For middle school or high school students. A weekly series of interactive STEM Career Webinars. Students can interact with physicians, nurses, mechanical engineers, therapists, veterinarians, dentists, basic science biologists, and coding or game design professionals. The webinars begin June 3, and will be held each Wednesday from noon-1:30 p.m.
- For first- through eighth-grade students. A free Virtual Science Fair will begin June 8, with a weekly group check-in with all science fair participants. The sessions will be moderated by Phelan and other science professionals who are part of the ArkanSONO faculty, as well as high school students serving as STEM Ambassadors.
- For high school students. A series of interactive Anatomy and Technology webinars. The sessions will begin in June and run throughout the summer. The sessions will focus on the cardiovascular system, respiratory system (lungs), nervous system (brains) and the digestive system. The first session on the cardiovascular system will include the use of skeletons, heart models, pig/sheep hearts, an augmented reality heart app, 3D reconstructions of normal and pathological human hearts using the SECTRA Education Portal, live ultrasound scanning of human hearts, use of an electronic stethoscope, normal and pathological heart sounds using a simulated manikin, and other heart-related activities.
Learn more and register for these programs at http://go.uams.edu/avs2020.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — cancer, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,727 students, 870 medical residents and five dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.