Project and Water News

Midterms are a notoriously stressful time in students' lives but it doesn’t need to be that way. A little bit of planning and prep can move your midterms from stress-fest to success. Here are 4 tips to make the test times just a little easier:

1) Take a minute to strategize

Like any big endeavor in life, a little bit of planning for midterms goes a long way. It’s easy to look at your to-do list and want to bury your head in a pillow, but one small activity could change your whole outlook. Make a plan. A few weeks before exam time, outline what topics you will study when so that you don’t end up trying to cram everything in during that week when you have four major tests.

2) Take heed of basic needs

Sure, you can’t study while you’re sleeping, but it’s much harder to study if you haven’t slept. As you make your plan, be sure to include time to rest, eat regular meals, and exercise. By taking care of your basic needs, you’ll give your brain the nourishment it needs to focus on that study guide in front of you.

3) Grab a friend

The French essayist Joseph Joubert once said, “to teach is to learn twice over.” There is nothing quite like having to explain something to someone to illustrate how well you know or don’t know material. Find a fellow classmate and set up study sessions. Not only will it help you to relay and solidify information you know, but it may also help you clear up questions that are raised along the way.

4) Small rewards go a long way

All work and no play is a tough rhythm to maintain, particularly while under pressure. Just spent an hour working on a tricky math problem? Reward yourself with a walk outside or phone chat with a friend. Rewards not only give you something to look forward to, but can also give your brain the break it needs to maintain optimal productivity.

Sources:

• https://www.examtime.com/blog/midterms/
• http://www.uloop.com/news/view.php/136456/Three-Midterm-Studying-Tips
• http://stemjobs.com/surviving-thriving-midterms/

CI-Water partner Wyoming EPSCoR bids farewell to Dr. Anne Sylvester and welcomes Dr. Brent Ewers to the director position.

4-H, known for its outstanding clubs for future farmers, has expanded to include high-tech activities, and kids in Logan, Utah are all-in. Their club, Cache Makers, meets weekly to code computers, build robots, construct electronics, explore 3D printing and more.

“Our goal is to expose kids to a variety of things and help them find their passion or possibly a future in a STEM career,” says club mentor Kevin Reeve, who was interviewed for this Utah public radio feature earlier this year.

About 30 children ages 9-15 are working with Kevin and several other volunteer mentors on a curriculum developed by 4-H. Dedicated to the principle of “learning by doing,” 4-H offers clubs on a wide range of topics, including several in science and technology.

Kids interested in joining any 4-H club can check with their county extension office to see if there’s one in their area with openings, or start their own. Typically, costs are limited to project materials, although some 4-H chapters charge dues to cover costs. Cache Makers, which currently has a waiting list, is supported by several area sponsors. Parents and mentors can request the free curriculum guides for Code Clubs, Crime & Spy Science, Force of Natures and many more. Local clubs are registered through county extension offices.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) takes public communication seriously, frequently requiring grant-funded projects to find ways to bridge the gap between researchers and the public who helps fund their activities. Like many NSF-EPSCoR projects, CI-WATER has included video as one platform for making the science more accessible. To better understand the role video is playing in science communication, CI-WATER’s Jenn Gibbs and Utah EPSCoR’s Lauren Petty surveyed EPSCoRs throughout the nation.

Seventeen representatives from the nation’s 21 EPSCoR programs responded to questions about the types of videos their projects have produced and how they’ve been received. Based on these responses, the most impactful video is five minutes or shorter and explains a key concept related to the science as opposed to simply describing the project itself.

“That’s not to say there isn’t a need for other types of videos,” Jenn says. “Most of the respondents say they’re measuring impact by the number of views. That’s a useful marker to track, but it doesn’t tell the whole story. There may not be a large audience for an hour-long conference talk, but for the people who need that information, it’s great to have.

“The main point of the survey is to start a conversation about what works in using video to raise awareness of these NSF-funded projects.”