Museum directors from across the country have gathered in Chattanooga to learn ways to “grow a new crop of scientists.”
This week, the Creative Discovery Museum is hosting the “Farming for Fuels” workshop designed to prepare teachers, scientists and museum directors to teach fourth- through eighth-graders about alternative forms of energy, said Sue Kral, outreach manager at the museum.
“We have to catch them at this age because they’re still interested in science,” Kral said. “We’re just trying to grow a new crop of scientists.”
Specifically, the workshop trains on how to use hands-on methods – including a sugar-tasting experiment and the opportunity to grow a switchgrass plant – to teach students about the need for a nonfood source of biofuel, Kral said.
The workshop began when the BioEnergy Science Center in Oak Ridge, Tenn., contacted the Creative Discovery Museum to lead a training workshop for national representatives, said Lynda LeVan, director of external affairs at the museum.