BRYAN, Texas — For the first time ever, students at Sul Ross Elementary experienced STEM on wheels with the Trailblazer II through TAME.
TAME Trailblazers are STEM museums on wheels that travel to schools and communities across Texas, giving students hands on opportunities while learning.
Students learned about science, space, energy, biotechnology, aerospace, and weather.
“This is the first time it’s been here,” said Elizabeth Desern, 3rd grade teacher, Sul Ross Elementary. “Super excited. Lots of energetic kids ready to come in, absolutely loving going inside and seeing all the STEM opportunities.”
3rd and 4th graders rushed out of the classrooms Friday afternoon to jump on the Trailblazer II.
“They’re so excited,” said Desern. “Our kids here have had a really long week and this is exactly what they needed to end their week.”
Third grader Zanae Duran was fascinated by the different stations offered inside the stem bus.
“The trailblazer,” said Zanae Duran, 3rd grader at Sul Ross Elementary. “It was like where they had this close up thing, the medic stuff — and you could put it close up to something and it would show up real close.”
Jeremiah Barnett, a third grader, enjoyed learning from the interactive stations inside the bus.
“It was very fun,” he said. “It was very learning. It was pretty fun just to look at all the science things and just to learn about it in general. I think it’s going to be pretty fun for everybody that goes here — and they’re going to learn a lot.”
Barnett’s classmate, Duran, enjoyed learning how tornadoes form and interacted with a cyclone model.
Did you visit the weather station inside the bus?
“Yeah,” said Duran.
You could see how to make a tornado?
“Yeah I saw that.”
Did you have fun making a tornado?
“Yeah, I had fun making a tornado.”
Barnett also enjoys weather and says rain is his favorite.
You like the weather? I like the weather too. Do you love when it rains?
“Yes,” said Barnett.
Do you like thunderstorms? What’s your favorite part about weather?
“Rain,” said Barnett. “I love the rain.”
Desern says the stem bus gives students the chance to experience new areas of interest.
“They’re right at that age you know when they are starting to figure out what things they are interested in, what career opportunities they may want to pursue so this is a great way to show kids who might not have seen before that they can have those opportunities in the STEM field and say ‘hey, this is something cool,” said Desern. “I can do this.”
For STEM related activities, you can learn more about TAME and the Trailblazers here.