Hudson Students Participate in Follow a Researcher, WABI Reports
WABI (Channel 5) reported from Hudson Elementary School where fourth graders are taking part in the new Follow a Researcher program offered by the University of Maine Cooperative Extension with support from UMaine’s Climate Change Institute (CCI) and the Maine 4-H Foundation. The program aims to give K–12 students a glimpse into a scientist’s world by providing live expedition updates and facilitating communication between the youth and researchers. Every week, the students take part in a live Twitter session with UMaine climate change researchers Charles Rodda and Kit Hamley who are studying glaciers in Peru. Students in the school also are making connections between the program and projects in other subject areas, such as history and geography, according to the report. “Real life is so abstract when you’re 9 and 10 years old. And so when you can give kids that hands-on experience that connects them to their lives in the moment right now that’s what we want for our kids,” said teacher Sherry Blanchard. The Weekly also published a UMaine news release about the program.