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Students Connect With Video

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By MICHELE SAGER, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

NORTH TAMPA - They had more than 600 miles and two states between them, but Stewart Middle students didn't let that stop them from talking science with a class in North Carolina.

Stewart students swapped data and showed off classroom experiments via video conference with students from Centennial Middle School in Raleigh, N.C.

It was part of Meet the Hispanic Scientist Day at the Museum of Science & Industry.

Louis Martin-Vega, dean of the College of Engineering at North Carolina State University and a former dean at the University of South Florida, talked with both sets of students. He is the 2007 National Hispanic Scientist of the Year, an award bestowed by MOSI.

Martin-Vega shared his path into engineering with the students. He started his lesson by showing a picture of himself at the South Pole from an expedition in December 2000.

'I've had tremendous opportunities, and you have tremendous opportunities,' Martin-Vega told the students. 'I hope to see you at the South Pole some day.'

After the lecture, the students shared their classroom science experiments.

The Stewart students talked about experiments that involved measurements. For example, the students had to determine whether more weight on a pendulum would make the instrument move faster.

They proved their hypothesis that more weight did affect the speed.

The North Carolina students shared their studies of how pollutants affected water quality. Using a computer program, they were able to show which animals and plants could live in various levels of pollutants.

Stewart teacher Tim Leeseberg said the event opens new doors for his students.

'It shows them that students across the country are learning these same things and how we can work together,' he said.

Eighth-grader Christofer Agostini said he enjoyed the video conference. 'It was cool to finally see the students we had been working with these past weeks,' he said.

Martin-Vega offered some final advice to the students, especially the Hispanic students. 'Education is the key,' he said. 'Be proud of your Hispanic heritage. You are the engineers of 2020.'

Reporter Michele Sager can be reached at (813) 865-4843 or msager@tampatrib.com.

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