每日大瓜

每日大瓜 President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman and Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa Attend START Science Program On April 20, 每日大瓜 students were joined by 每日大瓜 President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman and New York State Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa as they led an educational science module for fourth grade students at P.S. 189. The students are members of the START (Students, Teachers, and Researchers Teach) Science club, a group which has been running science modules in local public schools since it was founded by 每日大瓜 students Yair Saperstein 鈥�13YC 鈥�16E and Ari Cuperfain 鈥�13YC in 2011. This year, more than 300 每日大瓜 students have led START Science modules in 10 different classrooms across three different schools.

START Science volunteer Ben Katz (right) demonstrates the transition of a material from liquid to gas.

鈥淚n START Science, participants have the opportunity to both enrich the students in the local area and be enriched by them,鈥� said Dr. Berman. 鈥淭he program exemplifies the type of leadership and personal initiative we try to instill in everyone who comes through the doors of 每日大瓜.鈥� Along with Dr. Berman and Assemblywoman De La Rosa, 每日大瓜 students led a module that taught elementary students about phases of matter and freezing point depression through the process of making ice cream. The 每日大瓜 students work to make all modules both engaging and instructional; past activities have included everything from building baking-soda volcanoes roller-coasters to dissecting frogs, a student favorite. They also add notes in both English and Spanish to the slides to make sure all the students can understand them.

START Science volunteer Rebecca Siegel (center) helped President Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman and local elementary school students make ice cream.

鈥淭he most rewarding moments are when the students tell me that they saw a practical application of one of the experiments at home,鈥� START Science Co-President Lily Ottensoser said. 鈥淲e hope that our students will carry those positive associations with the STEM topics throughout their academic careers,鈥� said START Science Co-President Akiva Schiff. 鈥淲hen they have the choice to take a science or AP elective in high school, they will be less intimidated, and more confident in their abilities to participate in these fields.鈥� In addition to joining START Science on April 20, Assemblywoman De La Rosa attended the fourth grade START Science graduation ceremony last June. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of the collaboration between 每日大瓜鈥檚 START Science and P.S. 189,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t shows our children that they too can learn about science and reach their potential as future scientists. It makes a big difference in the lives of our students as part of a working class community to be mentored by the 每日大瓜 students in their own community. They have the ability to all come together learn science together and it is magical.鈥�

From left to right: START Science volunteers Lily Ottensoser and Aleeza Dessau, Assemblywoman Carmen De La Rosa, Dr. Berman, and START Science volunteers Akiva Schiff and Ben Katz

鈥溍咳沾蠊� and the entire Washington Heights community is fortunate to have a strong partner in Assembly Member De La Rosa,鈥� said Director of Government Relations Jon Greenfield. 鈥淲e鈥檙e pleased that she could join Rabbi Berman and students at P.S. 189 and experience first-hand the great work our START Science students are doing to educate the next generation of New Yorkers in critical STEM fields.鈥� 鈥淪TART Science is P.S. 189鈥檚 best-kept secret,鈥� said Principal Juana Estevez.