National leaders in science and technology will gather in Chattanooga to attend workshops at Creative Discovery Museum, the only institution in the United States that has implemented a model biofuels curriculum for elementary age students. From Aug. 10–13, representatives from five nationally recognized museums, as well as six regional organizations in Tennessee and Georgia will participate in workshops to learn best practices for teaching alternative forms of energy to young children.

In 2008, Creative Discovery Museum was selected to receive a grant from Oak Ridge National Laboratory and University of Georgia’s Education Department to develop and pilot science lessons on biofuels and alternative energy for transportation. The Museum accepted this honor and worked with top scientists, engineers, and science educators to create a classroom lesson that is presented through the Museum’s school outreach program, Museum-A-Go-Go. The lesson which is appropriate for Grades 4-7 communicates the scientific processes for creating biofuels from switchgrass rather than from corn.

This grant enabled the Museum to develop curriculum for alternative fuel lessons in collaboration with scientists currently in the field and become an educational model for others in the field.

Here is the list of participating museums: The New York Hall of Science, The DuPage Children’s Museum, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas, Tx., Arizona Science Center, and Fort Myers’ Imaginarium Hands-On Museum and Aquarium. Regional delegates will represent East Tennessee’s Hands On! Museum in Johnson City, East Tennessee Discovery Center in Knoxville, Lichterman Nature Center in Memphis, Adventure Science Center in Nashville, Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, Ga. and National Science Center/Fort Discovery in Augusta, Ga.

“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome other professionals to the Museum to share what we’ve learned,” said Dr. Jayne Griffin, Creative Discovery Museum’s director of education. “It is an honor to be first among the great museums out there that are beginning to incorporate such technology and advanced science into curriculum for younger kids. The Museum approaches teaching with the knowledge that kids are naturally curious, and what better way to nourish that curiosity than to let them experience science that is fun and relevant with issues of today. They are the scientists of tomorrow, so what they learn today will help us all in the future.”

Those attending the workshop will visit Hardy Elementary on the evening of Aug. 10 to observe a biofuels Family Night. On Aug. 11, scientists from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Brian Davison and Suzy Fowler, and the University of Georgia, Dr. Jan Westpheling, will give scientific information and updates from the BioEnergy Science Center. On the morning of Aug. 12, the workshop participants will help set up a demonstration outreach lesson, “Farming for Fuels,” at East Ridge Elementary.

In 2009, Creative Discovery Museum worked with UGA and BESC to present lessons and family nights to over 1,000 students at area schools.
In addition to the information gained during the August workshops, each participating museum will receive materials to present educational family events at their own organization, in schools, as well as at community events for up to 300 people.

In the “Farming for Fuels” Family Night, children and caregivers are posed the question “Is grass the fuel of the future?” Adults and children work together to experiment with the ideas scientists are using to create biofuels. Examples of activities include making molecule models representing ethanol and other carbons, planting seeds and comparing plant growth, using assorted items to make cells that mimic plants’ different cell walls, and experimenting with building a vehicle that can move on its own using various materials.

“Farming Fantastic Fuels” is a lesson teachers can schedule for Museum Staff to present in the classroom setting. Students gain first hand knowledge about the sources of energy and their effect on the environment as they explore the carbon cycle, cell structures, and how these relate to the development of biofuels. The lessons encompass observation of a gasoline engine with parts exposed so students can see why a liquid fuel is needed, a sugar testing station where students evaluate the amount of sugar found in various liquids, a food processing station where students grind corn and soybeans with mortar and pestle or a mechanical grinder and then see the four steps that would be necessary to get the sugar out of switchgrass or poplar, and a model car station where children compare engines powered by solar, wind and hydrogen technologies.

“These lessons are of great benefit to classrooms,” said Sue Kral, Creative Discovery Museum’s outreach program coordinator. “Besides giving good, hands-on science materials for students to work with that teachers or schools couldn't likely afford individually, the Museum’s mobility to take these lessons to different schools enables us to reach many more children and also demonstrate ideas and practices for teachers to incorporate hands-on lessons that truly spark kids’ interest in science as it relates to improving the world around them.”