Brunswick County Early College High School teacher Ben Ford.

There’s a good chance that what you remember most about your science classes are the experiments. According to Ben Ford, a science teacher at Brunswick County Early College High School, they are the key to understanding science on a deeper level. He received a Bright Ideas grant to buy science kits for his classrooms, to give his students a more meaningful experience.

“The way science is often taught is so content driven; there is so much content, and teachers feel that that’s where they should spend their time. But experimentation and the associated research give students the techniques they need to learn more and makes science much more interesting and relevant,” explained Ford. “One example is when students learn to design a roller coaster. We have what looks like a car with measurement sensors in it, so when it goes down the track it’s measuring all three dimensions at the same time. The data is bluetoothed to their computer screen, so they can see the pitch, the roll, the acceleration, and the deceleration. They put this live data into graphs to be analyzed and used to solve design issues or apply what they have learned to solve future problems.”

Adison Milligan shows off a bristle bot.

The materials from BEMC’s grant are part of Ford’s Environmental and Physical Science class projects. Miniature solar panels are used to pump water from place to place, or to make solar powered cars; the solar panels are also used to charge batteries which can power the cars on cloudy days. Students also create a simple circuit by building a miniature “bristle bot” that is self-contained, and they can experiment on how to make it move. And they learn about wind power by designing windmill blades, to learn what could make them more efficient, and study the benefits of small windmills in capturing energy created in urban heat islands. Ford said this experiential and application-based learning is especially relevant for his Early College students.

“Early college is primarily for students who are more at risk of not going to college than other students. They are completely capable, but for one reason or another have been at some disadvantage, so we provide more support and guided opportunities. They can get their associate degree while they’re here, access scholarships, and transfer easily to four-year schools. It’s really a great program where students can be more comfortable to be themselves without being lost in a traditional High School crowd,” said Ford.

“I’d also like to start finding upperclassmen internships and apprenticeships so they can get better career experience; surveying, water testing, lab assistance, turf management, horticulture, electrician, even information technology. It takes grants like BEMC’s, and other community outreach to give these kids a great start, so they might give back to the community in the future.”