SURES 2024 (Week of June 10th)

 

 The activity on this Thursday was split into two sections with different goals for each section. 

The first section was a theater improvisation activity. For the purpose of this post, I decided to interview two of the Near Peer Mentor (NPM) participants to gain some insight into the purpose and importance of this type of activity within a STEM summer program. The first NPM that I interviewed was first-year Integrated Biomedical Science (IBS) Graduate Student, Josh Moses. Josh has a background in creative work as his work as a musician, producer, and podcast host in addition to his pursuit of a PhD; I figured he would give a good perspective into how theater/the arts can be tied with STEM. The second NPM that I interviewed was first-year IBS Graduate Student Clarity Voy. Clarity has background in various as a research internships throughout her educational career and has held a position in investigating communicable diseases; I figured Clarity would give a great perspective into how different skills can be utilized in research settings.  

Q1: What is your interpretation regarding the relevance of this activity in a STEM summer program? 

    Josh: "I believe this activity was instrumental in helping the group find their own voices in uncomfortable situations while standing in our own power."

    Clarity: "The relevance centers around working with and connecting with other people. The confidence instilled in us during this activity could be carried over to any profession as it forced us to practice communication skills in a non-traditional setting."

Q2: What was your favorite moment from this activity? 

    Josh: "I enjoyed the machine activity. The exercise was about teamwork, but also learning to find your place in the midst of chaos and remaining unaltered when distractions may come."

    Clarity: "I enjoyed the making machines activity as we played a part in creating a scene together."

Q3: How will the skills from this activity help you? 

    Josh: "I believe this experience will help me take myself more seriously even when I may not feel the most comfortable in public settings." 

    Clarity: "I think the skill of owning my own space will be carried forward." 

Overall, the participants in this activity challenged themselves to step out of their comfort zones and try something new. 

 

The second section of this activity centered on the introductory phase of our Global Gardens activity. Each mentee and NPM that attended the activity was assigned to one of five regions: East Asia and Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, or Sub-Saharan Africa. After receiving their region, each group was provided a list of plants to research how the region utilized the plants for their holistic/medicinal qualities. Additionally, each group researched cultural background, symbols, and architecture of their regions. This research served as inspiration for the painting of planters which will be utilized in the next part of the Global Gardens activity.