The Show Must Go On: Learning Science Through Tragedy
Mallory Wills
Our guest this week is Mallory Wills, a biology and earth science teacher at George Washington High School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. In August 2020, Cedar Rapids and other parts of the Midwest were slammed by a derecho – an intense storm with straight line winds that damaged every school in the Cedar Rapids system. In the wake of the devastation, Mallory applied for a SSP (Science for Society and the Public) STEM Research Grant, hoping that the grant would provide much needed funding to help start a research club. Adapted for online learning, the award of $1000 provided take home STEM kits that helped Mallory provide hands-on learning opportunities in an online learning environment. Mallory joins us to describe the damage inflicted by the derecho in her district, how she has been using the SSP award to help her students conduct research in an online learning environment, and to remind us of the resilience, unanticipated benefits and the hope that can shine through tragedy.
Links:
- This Holiday Season, $100,000 will Supply 100 teachers with STEM Research Kits for Remote and In-Person Learning (SSP)
- Mallory Wills, STEM Research Grant Recipient (SSP)
- Inside the derecho that pummeled the Midwest (PBS)
- Months after derecho, Kennedy High plans to welcome students in January (The Gazette)
Photos and featured artwork courtesy of Mallory Wills
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