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Scientist hopes to spark student interest through "jolts and volts"
SCHOOLS
BY STEVE SHEPPARD INDEPENDENT WRITER
Students and teachers alike should be ready for an exhilarating look at science when Dr. John Cohn visits the island this Friday.
 | | One of Dr. Cohn's hair-raising experiments "wows" students of all ages. |
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Dr. Cohn, known around the world for his educational and entertaining programs, will present "Jolts and Volts" to elementary and middle school students from all island schools in the high school auditorium. Through electricity, Dr. Cohn will show students the wonders and magic of science.
The hope is that his presentation may turn on a few minds to the exciting realm of the scientific world.
"It's pretty goofy, it's a little over the top. I'm trying to challenge the stereotype that math and science are hard, and boring. Engineering is portrayed as being hard and not particularly exciting, but it's one of the fields where creativity is used pretty much all the time," Dr. Cohn said Monday from his home in Vermont.
His trip to Nantucket was arranged through friends he has on the island and is welcomed by the schools. The IBM Fellow and chief scientist of design automation at IBM, has taken his love of science to over 35,000 students since he began visiting schools in 1992.
His innovative approach sometimes includes wearing a tie-dyed lab coat, riding a robot made from an old wheelchair motor and lighting up pickles with 100 volts. "I look like a mad scientist," he admits.
He has honed his program with the help of his family, most notably his sons. "I'm really a nerd," he said, "and they aren't math/science type kids." When his boys found his experiments enlightening, he knew other children would be interested. "I realized it could be a connecting point," he said. "I started doing some programs in their schools (with his sons taking turns being his assistant) and spread out from there." With the support and blessing of IBM, Cohn now visits about two schools a month.
A goal is to attract more students to the study of science. "How do you get that message to more kids?" he wondered. "We're in kind of a crisis in the West, there aren't as many kids going into these fields as we need. It's going to be kind of a tough time for this country, exacerbated by the fact that we're not keeping up in these technical fields."
One way he knows this will happen is through teacher support. "I'm really interested in how you support the teachers in this," he said. "I got involved in Vermont's science teaching assessment, and through that I realized what a hard time teachers have." It isn't enough for him, he says, to "wow the kids on a oneday program. I'm psyched about meeting with the teachers and see what can be developed long-term."
It's an idea to which island teachers are receptive. "I think it's awesome," said fifth grade teacher and former elementary school science coordinator Mike Girvin. "It will be refreshing for teachers to be able to see Dr. Cohn and come up with new teaching ideas."
Dr. Cohn will arrive with "450 pounds of stuff" he'll use in his presentation. He's looking forward to this visit, especially because of the island's scientific pedigree through Maria Mitchell. He hopes to see her observatory and, perhaps, hobnob with fellow scientists there.
Mainly, however, he's here for the kids, and he hopes his visit will ignite a spark in one or two, or more. "I really believe that everybody has that spark in
them," he said. I
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