PWSSC Team Achieves More than Science Olympiad Medals

The Prince William Sound Science Center (PWSSC) set out on a worthy goal to build a T3 Alaska club and engage students in problem-based learning in their community. Under the direction of Lauren Bien, Education Director and with the dedication of T3 Coach Nachi Yellapragada, the center has fostered a club filled bright, curious, and enthusiastic students. When the group mapped out their semester goals, the Science Olympiad competition presented an opportunity they couldn’t pass up to compete and travel to University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF).

While Nachi provided guidance and feedback to students as they navigated the process, much of their preparations were self directed. The students relied on T3 Alaska’s approach to learning – establishing a growth mindset and utilizing the design thinking process. Growth mindset views learning as a continuum. People can learn new skills anytime and mistakes are a healthy part of the process. Design thinking teaches students to empathize, prototype, iterate and improve on a solution. In preparation for the Science Olympiad, the students did just that, determining their own categories and strategizing approaches.

With this autonomy, the students rose to meet the challenges and were well prepared to compete. At the competition, ⅔ of the team placed and the Cordova team won a gold medal in Mariculture in (agricultural science)!

Photos courtesy Tommy Sheridan

The visit to UAF transcended the competition, because many of the students were visiting a college campus for the first time. They toured many aspects of the campus – from recreational opportunities to hands-on projects in the Makerspace. The students had an engaging Q and A session with Dr. Nima Farzadnia, Director for the Automated Construction and Advanced Materials (ACAM) Lab. Dayne Broderson ARCTIC Program director provided a tour of the ACEP facility and coordinated with the ACEP undergraduates “Cyberpod” to meet with the students.

Bien explains, “It is so powerful to take the students out of Cordova and introduce them to new experiences. Most of the kids have never been on a college campus. At events such as the Science Olympiad, they get to meet kids from around the state working on similar topics and it makes them feel connected. They find the things they study in Cordova are relevant in a bigger context. I think that it opens doors for them to grow.”

When asked if the team will return the following year, Nachi Yellapragada, felt proudly optimistic that they met their primary goals – establishing a club, engaging students with community projects, and giving them a space to grow. Having established this core group of students ready to take on their next challenges is definitely something they will continue.