Engaging children with STEM while addressing local environmental issues

By Elizabeth Egan 

Monica Miles, an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education, and four University at Buffalo undergraduate students set out to do exactly this when they brought their research on environmental justice to a summer camp in the heart of Buffalo’s East Side.

The six-week summer camp at the Delavan-Grider Community Center hosted 60 youth between kindergarten and sixth grade and offered a wide range of STEM activities aimed at providing a deeper understanding of local environmental issues, increasing interest in STEM, and building awareness of green job opportunities.

“The inspiration to start this program came from a desire to engage children in STEM while addressing critical local environmental issues,” said Miles. “Air quality and environmental justice are pressing concerns on Buffalo's East Side and integrating these topics into the curriculum aimed to make learning relevant and impactful for the students.”

Leia Medina, a senior environmental studies major, Tendaji Ya’Ukuu, a senior environmental design major, Christal Knight, a junior environmental design major, and Akosua Abu, a junior engineering science major, assisted Miles with the activities, bringing their expertise on the subject matter to the campers.

“My experience at the Delavan-Grider Community Center summer camp was incredibly rewarding," said Ya’Ukuu. "It was the first time I had the opportunity to intersect my passions for youth development, environmental justice, and sustainability."

The students spent time conducting literature background analysis on environmental justice issues that affect Buffalo’s East Side in order to be able to lead lessons for the camp participants and teach environmental justice in a way that even the youngest children would be able to understand. Activities included designing air filters, like the ones used commonly in face masks, and learning about environmental literacy.

“One of my favorite moments was seeing the UB students take the lead in teaching the lessons, witnessing their confidence grow as they translated complex environmental concepts into engaging activities for the children,” said Miles. “This not only reinforced the UB students' learning but also inspired the younger students by showing them tangible examples of successful community engagement and application of STEM knowledge.”

The camp participants also had the opportunity to visit UB’s North Campus and go hiking in the Letchworth Forest, with Miles noting that this was all of the children’s first time hiking and most of their first time visiting UB.

“Creating these translational experiences where students have positive interactions with the university and the people that work there is a start towards increasing the interest in students to consider UB, STEM majors, and the environmental job field,” said Miles. She added that the program sought to highlight green job opportunities, encouraging students to envision themselves in STEM careers that will contribute to the well-being of their community.

“Opportunities like this are life changing for urban children,” noted Candace Moppins, director of the Delavan-Grider Community Center.

With support from Second Nature, SEAS and the National Society of Black Engineers, the center raised an air quality flag on August 16, making it the first Enviromental Protection Agency (EPA) Air Quality Flag Program in Buffalo. The flag will be changed based on the color of the Air Quality Index, providing community members with a simple way to find out if the current air quality could be impactful to their health. A green flag will be raised for good air quality; yellow will be raised for moderate; orange for unhealthy for sensitive groups, such as children or people with asthma; red to signal unhealthy air for all; and purple will mean the air quality is very unhealthy and outdoor exposure should be completely avoided for sensitive groups and limited for everyone else.

The STEM activities were also supported by Kate Haq, who co-founded Mother Earth Literacies with Miles, Alexandra Schindel, an associate professor in the Graduate School of Education, and Derek Nichols, the associate director of UB’s Office of Sustainability.

Miles will continue conducting STEM related activities at the community center through the school year and will return to the camp for the summer of 2025.