Adnan Akyüz, associate professor of climatological practices and state climatologist, recently gave some Fargo eighth-graders a close look at his subject of interest. On Nov. 17-18, he described the abstract concept of atmospheric moisture to Discovery Middle School students in earth sciences classes.
Using hands-on demonstrations, Akyüz effectively got his message through to the students. The outreach visits were an example of NDSU's land-grant mission.
He noted that it's important for the students to learn about topics related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, known as STEM.
"We must inspire students at all levels with live examples of the science around us so that they have foundation in STEM subjects and be able to use this knowledge in their daily lives," Akyüz explained. "Science does not have to be just another subject to fulfill their requirement for graduation – I want to show them that it is exciting and fun so that they can think about having careers in STEM field."
NDSU students Trevor Haugdahl and Allison Haider accompanied Akyüz. They both had previously taken his Meteorology and Climatology class.
"It feels good to be able to give back some of what we learned and get the next generation of students excited about science," said Haugdahl, a junior majoring in psychology. "With a little assistance from us, the students picked up on the material right away, and even understood some of the same topics we were taught in our class at NDSU."
Haider, a senior majoring in biological sciences, said the students used sling psychrometers to determine temperature, dew point and relative humidity.
"As a future science educator myself, it was an excellent opportunity to engage with the students and help them bring what they are learning in class to life through the meteorological activities we conducted," Haider said. "It helped them to see just one of the many ways science is intertwined in their everyday lives."
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.