2021 GoTeach! Classroom Grant Award Surprise Teacher visit, Dr. Aaron Snyder, Santaluces High School
2021 GoTeach! Classroom Grant Awards Surprise Teacher visit - Dr. Aaron Snyder from Santaluces Community High School, who was awarded an inaugural GoTeach STEM! Innovation Award for $5,000 thanks to the generous grant contribution by the Stiles-Nicholson Foundation.
Aaron's project is called, "BioVerse". This project aims to magnify students' understanding, intuition, engagement, and academic performance in the realm of biological sciences including Anatomy and Physiology, biology, Biophysics, and Biochemistry. Using biophysical animations and software, this program seeks to enhance student understanding of biology content through mathematical and formulaic descriptions of biological phenomena.
The innovation at the heart of the program is best reflected by BioVerse's use of holographic technology to display animations of cellular processes that are highlighted in contrasting colors to offer students perceptive visualization of cell parts. BioVerse also utilizes laser 3D printers for students to engage in design and functional analysis of stem cells and neurons, introducing them to neuroscience and biomedical engineering. The mathematical modules approach to biology will awaken students to the fields of biophysics and molecular mathematics and thereby enhance students' STEM skills. For those not interested in niche STEM career, students will be able to design cells through painting and art digital tolls using principles of graphic design. The use of creative design will propel students understanding of cellular structure and familiarity with cellular models, thereby developing analytical abilities. An elaboration of the benefits of the mathematical approaches of this program, will increase career readiness for students by preparing them for algorithms relating to cellular automata, a highly useful skill to have in the evolving world of artificial intelligence. This program will not only prepare students for medical and technological pursuits, but also for finance careers, as algorithmic and data-driven trading strategies are heavily utilized in the finance industry. Conducting this program will lead to the establishment of a student-led program named CreatiVerse, an upcoming extracurricular program that encourages and supports students to utilize their analytical mastery to create startup economic and capital ventures as well as improve nonprofit operations in the county.
Finally, through a partnership with nearby scientific instructions in our community, such as Scripps and the Max Planck Neuroscience Institute, students will gain real world insight into how their curricula is utilized for the bleeding edge of molecular medicine and neuroscientific advancement.