creating magic with logic
As first published on The Columbia Journalist (columbiajournalist.org) on March 28, 2014
Ayana Cruz (left) and Deandre LeBron tested visual and auditory memory. Photograph by Asha Mahadevan
Ayana Cruz and DeAndre LeBron make a good team. She is in the seventh grade and he is in the fifth; he has stage fright, and she is shy. And yet the duo work so well together they were able to conduct an experiment on human memory, running tests on 19 subjects and compiling the results into a presentation, all in a single day.
“We get along,” said Cruz.
“We have fun working,” said LeBron.
And they are motivated to do their best. Cruz and LeBron’s project was one of 49 showcased Wednesday at the 12th Annual Science Fair at the New York Institute for Special Education in the Bronx. Cruz and LeBron are students in the school’s program for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Fair participants included students from two other Institute programs — one for the visually impaired and one for pre-school children who are developmentally delayed.
Their science projects ranged from the cute to the fantastical: a clock powered by two potatoes; a model of the circulatory system; balloons filled with carbon dioxide created by a mixture of vinegar and baking soda; a comparison of the germination process of peas, lima beans, kidney beans and black beans; erupting volcanoes and even a hypothesis on whether the suit that gives the comic book character Iron Man his superhero powers can actually be created.
“Iron Man is my favorite Avenger,” said Nicholas Chimelis, a sixth-grader, as he explained why he chose this project. “He is a walking weapon, but he doesn’t use [the suit] for anything other than to save the world or defend it. He also cracks jokes.”
Chimelis created his project the night before the fair with help from his father. He concluded that it would be possible for experts in the U.S. Army to create an Iron Man-type suit.
Sammi Osborne, a 16-year-old eleventh grader who was born blind, also focused on technology. His project focused on “assistive technology, how it has changed over the years and how it affected people with vision loss,” he said For instance, digital book readers allow the visually impaired access to books and screen readers and magnifiers allow them to use phones and tablets.
“I like using technology,” Osborne said. He put together his project, which included a PowerPoint presentation on various types of assistive technologies, in a couple of weeks.
“The students are as good as anybody, vision or no vision,” said Fay Rahni, a science and math teacher, who coordinated the science fair. “They are so interested in knowing why. They have the same curiosity as other kids.” The only difference, she said, is that the instruments they use have to be adapted to their needs. For instance, the markings on a measuring cylinder are more tactile so that the visually impaired children can feel the gradients.
Before Rahni began teaching at the Institute 13 years ago, she worked at a mainstream public school. The first couple of years after the shift were not easy. “I was depressed,” she said. “I thought why should they face so much problems? Then I learned that they are happy, they are intelligent, they can function as well as others. I learned from my students to be strong and enjoy everyday life.”
Those are lessons Rahni would like to impart to the kids without disabilities who she still tutors. “I see them complain so much,” she said. “They should come here and see these children.”
Rahni’s colleague, Rosemarie D’Amico, who has been teaching special needs children for 30 years, agreed. D’Amico teaches Cruz and LeBron’s class and said the work has taught her to be patient, to listen and to stay calm. “Everybody learns differently, but they can learn,” she said.
As the teachers chatted, Cruz and LeBron continued to test whether auditory memory is stronger than visual memory. Their results suggested that visual memory is stronger. People were more likely to remember a series of random numbers if they read them rather than heard them being said.
While the two had disagreed on the initial hypothesis, they said they like working together because they have a similar approach.
Other students in the class are “hyper,” said LeBron.
“We are a little more mature,” added Cruz.
They have big plans for their project. They plan to continue testing students at the Institute and hope they might get the results published in the school’s newsletter.
“We get along,” said Cruz.
“We have fun working,” said LeBron.
And they are motivated to do their best. Cruz and LeBron’s project was one of 49 showcased Wednesday at the 12th Annual Science Fair at the New York Institute for Special Education in the Bronx. Cruz and LeBron are students in the school’s program for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties. Fair participants included students from two other Institute programs — one for the visually impaired and one for pre-school children who are developmentally delayed.
Their science projects ranged from the cute to the fantastical: a clock powered by two potatoes; a model of the circulatory system; balloons filled with carbon dioxide created by a mixture of vinegar and baking soda; a comparison of the germination process of peas, lima beans, kidney beans and black beans; erupting volcanoes and even a hypothesis on whether the suit that gives the comic book character Iron Man his superhero powers can actually be created.
“Iron Man is my favorite Avenger,” said Nicholas Chimelis, a sixth-grader, as he explained why he chose this project. “He is a walking weapon, but he doesn’t use [the suit] for anything other than to save the world or defend it. He also cracks jokes.”
Chimelis created his project the night before the fair with help from his father. He concluded that it would be possible for experts in the U.S. Army to create an Iron Man-type suit.
Sammi Osborne, a 16-year-old eleventh grader who was born blind, also focused on technology. His project focused on “assistive technology, how it has changed over the years and how it affected people with vision loss,” he said For instance, digital book readers allow the visually impaired access to books and screen readers and magnifiers allow them to use phones and tablets.
“I like using technology,” Osborne said. He put together his project, which included a PowerPoint presentation on various types of assistive technologies, in a couple of weeks.
“The students are as good as anybody, vision or no vision,” said Fay Rahni, a science and math teacher, who coordinated the science fair. “They are so interested in knowing why. They have the same curiosity as other kids.” The only difference, she said, is that the instruments they use have to be adapted to their needs. For instance, the markings on a measuring cylinder are more tactile so that the visually impaired children can feel the gradients.
Before Rahni began teaching at the Institute 13 years ago, she worked at a mainstream public school. The first couple of years after the shift were not easy. “I was depressed,” she said. “I thought why should they face so much problems? Then I learned that they are happy, they are intelligent, they can function as well as others. I learned from my students to be strong and enjoy everyday life.”
Those are lessons Rahni would like to impart to the kids without disabilities who she still tutors. “I see them complain so much,” she said. “They should come here and see these children.”
Rahni’s colleague, Rosemarie D’Amico, who has been teaching special needs children for 30 years, agreed. D’Amico teaches Cruz and LeBron’s class and said the work has taught her to be patient, to listen and to stay calm. “Everybody learns differently, but they can learn,” she said.
As the teachers chatted, Cruz and LeBron continued to test whether auditory memory is stronger than visual memory. Their results suggested that visual memory is stronger. People were more likely to remember a series of random numbers if they read them rather than heard them being said.
While the two had disagreed on the initial hypothesis, they said they like working together because they have a similar approach.
Other students in the class are “hyper,” said LeBron.
“We are a little more mature,” added Cruz.
They have big plans for their project. They plan to continue testing students at the Institute and hope they might get the results published in the school’s newsletter.