‘It’s very inspiring.’ PSU students make physics fun for State College elementary students

Once a month, Penn State science students put away their 400-level textbooks and get back to the basics, teaching students at Park Forest Elementary about physics and engineering.

Emma Steinebronn, a second-year graduate student in the Eberly College of Science, started the PAW Pals program in the spring of 2022, named after the Physics and Astronomy for Women+, a student-run organization at Penn State that helped provide funding. Steinebronn, who wants to work in science education, had participated in a similar program at the University of Florida during her undergraduate years and wanted to help bring hands-on science to local schools.

Steinebronn contacted Elizabeth Maser, the STEM teacher at Park Forest Elementary, and the two worked to plan lessons that correlate with what students learn in class. State College Area School District added STEM to their special class curriculum in 2018, so all Park Forest Elementary classes rotate through Maser’s STEM room once a week.

“We do 3D printing, we do robotics, we do coding and then each grade has two engineering units where we look at what they’ve done in science and then build off of that with our engineering project,” Maser said.

Having the two or three Penn State students come in allows the class to split into smaller groups and get more individual attention during the demonstrations. Steinebronn uses hands-on projects to teach students the practical applications of conductivity, gravity, resistance and more. She writes the plans, gathers materials, schedules lessons and recruits other students to help teach.

“It’s very inspiring to work with the kids because you get to see the curiosity and excitement that kids bring to the table, which is a large part of why I do this,” Steinebronn said. “I want them to be able to have a space where their curiosity is welcomed and encouraged.”

It’s not just physics majors that participate — students from across the science disciplines have joined the program, teaching everything from structural engineering to physics. There’s no class credit or volunteering hours, students do it simply for their love of science, hoping to inspire children to find the fun in engineering early.

“A large part of why there’s such a barrier to physics is because it’s taught so late,” Steinebronn said. “There are lots of people I know that go to college who have never taken a physics class.”

The college students bring a lot of excitement, running circuits through lemon juice, learning about light refraction with lenses and building Popsicle stick catapults. They also learn about the process of engineering and working through problems. Fourth grader Sam Pelletier’s favorite part of the experiment is seeing the progress and possibilities. There’s a lot of trial and error, fourth grader Zoe Angle said.

“It’s mostly error,” Angle laughed, but said her favorite part of the lesson is seeing all the possible ways to make things work.