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Caltech, E.C. school district unveil science project

Staff Writer

This really happened Thursday afternoon: Assorted Imperial Valley science professionals busily occupied themselves designing, testing, modifying and testing again hand-made paper helicopters.

They cut and twisted, folded and paper-slipped. They even stood on chairs to better test their finished products.

They did so on several models, trying to determine the best one to enter into the finals, held later that afternoon.

The activities were staged in the Imperial Irrigation District auditorium in El Centro and coordinated by the El Centro (elementary) School District. The scientists were there as part of an indoctrination into a joint science teaching project involving the El Centro district and the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

The project is designed to move science teaching away from textbooks and pictures and toward more experiment-based teaching. Caltech began the program in the Pasadena Unified School District 10 years ago. It now is found in nine districts throughout the state, debuting in El Centro this past chool year at Hedrick and McKinley elementary schools. It will be implemented at the new Sunflower Elementary this fall.

Caltech provides materials, supplies and teacher training for units such as electricity, the human body, small animals, insects and plants. The scientists assist teachers, providing insight into the thinking processes of a scientist, something a teacher with a math degree may not have.

"Without a scientist involved, your curriculum doesn't stay vigorous," said Laurie Thompson, who coordinates the program for Caltech. She added that scientists are eager to help once they know what's expected of them.

"It's easy to get scientists to participate when they know they don't have to plan or entertain people," she said.

Entomologist Kim Hoelmer, one of the scientists in attendance Thursday, said science should be more than just a textbook.

"The way science is presented now, they're told facts," said Hoelmer, who works tor the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Brawley. "They're not shown the thinking process when a scientist works."

Hoelmer's helicopter-design partner, Bill Roltsch of the state Department of Fish and Game, was looking forward to participating.

"I think people need to interact with schools," Roltsch said. "I think kids will get a bang out of this."

Caltech physics professor Jerry Pine started the project with a colleague 10 years ago. He said the program is now districtwide in Pasadena.

"It's the most liked part of school in Pasadena," he said. "(Students) like science, and they think they're good at it."

Pine added that participation by outside scientists is crucial to the program.

"The curriculum is not allowed to become stagnant," he said.

Sarah Quinn, a science resource teacher with the district and the local program coordinator, said working with Caltech gives her plenty of flexibility.

"Usually when a district adopts a science program, they adopt one for all grade levels," she said. "With this I'm not limited to using one company."

That flexibility allows her to purchase supplies from various companies according to her needs, instead of teaching whatever a certain textbook calls for, such as measuring snowfall.

"We really want to make it unigue to our area," she said.