January Post

    January Service Hours: 5 hours

    Total Service Hours: 5 hours

    January’s here, and we’re back to learning! This month was all about diabetes, and I’m so glad I finally know so much about this disease, since members of my family have it (not looking good for my genetic predisposition). I honestly didn’t know too much about the interactions between insulin and glucagon, and really always wondered why diabetics (especially ones taking insulin) had to sometimes drink juice or eat a piece of candy to avoid passing out. Now I know that this is to avoid hypoglycemia, a dangerous side effect of taking too much insulin, or other diabetic drugs. Now I'll be ready if I see these symptoms in any of my relatives!

    This month, I volunteered with STEMNOLA STEM Saturday: The Art and STEM of Mardi Gras; at this event, I worked with my group of 3 middle-school age students to learn about the science of Mardi Gras. We completed four experiments, learning how circuits and simple machines work in the context of Mardi Gras floats. The final experiment involved helping the kids make their own mini-floats, and, luckily, one of my students made it into the final round of the competition for her design. I really enjoyed spending some time with the kids, and was glad they came out in the rain at 9 in the morning on a Saturday to learn about science, something I wouldn’t have been too happy about at their age.

Me and Pepper, the robot helper at STEM Saturday.