CONWAY, Ark. (June 12, 2009) – Dozens of Conway children participated in Hendrix’s Ridin’ Dirty With Science program this week, a popular, hands-on science camp designed to show young students the fun aspects of science. The program, in its third year, is made possible by the college’s Odyssey program, along with a partnership with the Faulkner County Boys and Girls Club.
This year’s leaders, Hendrix students Alex Holmes and Kelsie Holmes, organized a group of 15 Hendrix student volunteers to engage, entertain and educate children, grades 4-8 from the Boys and Girls Club of Faulkner County, in modern science experiments, according to Liz Gron, the faculty advisor of Ridin’ Dirty With Science since the program’s origination in 2007.
As in previous years, the students worked with bacteria in the environment, getting caught “dirty handed,” and extracting sustainable oil products from orange peels, Gron said. A new project this year, “Throw Barbie from the Balcony,” adds physics to the science core, allowing the students to investigate the necessary attributes of a parachute to get Barbie (or other selected dolls or action figures) safely to the ground.
“As usual, none of this would be possible without the help of Marie Abrams (program director at the Boys and Girls Club) or the financial support provided by the Odyssey program,” Gron said.
Hendrix, founded in 1876, is a selective, residential, undergraduate liberal arts college emphasizing experiential learning in a demanding yet supportive environment. The college is among 165 colleges featured in the 2008 edition of the Princeton Review America’s Best Value Colleges. Hendrix has been affiliated with the United Methodist Church since 1884. For more information, contact Mark Scott at scottm@hendrix.edu or 501-450-1462.