Biking across America to teach pop-up science classes
Forget about the Tour de France鈥攆or Elizabeth Case and Rachel Woods-Robinson, it鈥檚 time for Tour de U.S.A.
On April 17, the two UCLA alums will embark on an eco-friendly cross-country road trip, pedaling their bicycles over 3,800 miles from San Francisco to New York City. Along the way, they鈥檒l make pit stops to teach middle school students quick lessons in physics, solar power, and renewable energy.
鈥淭he whole thing is a little terrifying, to be completely honest,鈥� said Case, who met Woods-Robinson while studying abroad in Europe. 鈥淏ut we鈥檒l get on our bicycles, , and we will make it across the country somehow.鈥�
Full of wanderlust but also passionate about the world of science, the duo wanted to turn their adventure into something that others could benefit from as well. Thus, Cycle for Science was born.
鈥淪cience is what explains our world, and it is our hope that every kid has a chance to understand that,鈥� Case said. 鈥淓veryone, but especially girls.鈥�
In 2012,聽 of female college freshmen intended to pursue science and engineering degrees. And in 2011, the Economics and Statistics Administration reported that women hold聽 of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) jobs in the United States.
Case said she didn鈥檛 realize her passion for physics and engineering until part way through her years at UCLA. Originally an English major and intending to pursue a career in journalism, she ended up switching to physics instead鈥攖he same subject that Woods-Robinson studied.
鈥淕irls in middle school and high school don鈥檛 necessarily have a role model in these fields. That makes it more difficult to visualize themselves as successful female scientists,鈥� Case said.聽
Because kids seem to think that scientists are men in white lab coats with frizzy, unkempt hair, Case thinks there is a great opportunity to have an open conversation about women and the role鈥攐r lack thereof鈥攖hat they play in the sciences.
鈥淏ut it is even more than that,鈥� Case said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a chance to encourage people to take a moment and just teach a little science. Like if there鈥檚 a kid playing in the mud, say, 鈥楬ey, let鈥檚 take a closer look at the mud. Look, there are microbes in it. What else do you observe here?鈥� 鈥�
On their cross-country journey, Case and Woods-Robinson plan to conduct lessons in a kid-friendly way by using the Sol Cycle, a miniature, 3-D printable bicycle model they designed and created themselves.
They will also interview teachers at each of the schools they visit.
鈥淚t鈥檚 easy for us to talk about the need for hands-on learning, but these teachers have almost no budgets for labs,鈥� Case said. 鈥淲e have ideas, stereotypes. and assumptions, and we鈥檝e read studies. But they have such grit, dedication, and passion. We want to know what they find difficult, rewarding, and successful.鈥�
Having raised enough money for the bike trip but not for the educational portion of the endeavor, the two launched a fund-raising campaign to help offset the cost of building the models.
The Cycle for Science campaign kicked off on Feb. 17 and raised $1,041 within the first 48 hours鈥攚ell on the way to their $6,000 goal. The money will go toward building materials for the Sol Cycle models, video equipment for teacher interviews, and extra travel costs due to the extra days allotted for teaching.
Case said the outpouring of generosity and support they鈥檝e gotten so far is astonishing. 鈥淲e could not have predicted it. It鈥檚 remarkable to think that that people see something like this and feel as strongly as Rachel and I do about it.鈥�
鈥淚 think there are these questions we can ask in the world, and encourage kids to ask them too. That鈥檚 what will produce the next generation of scientists,鈥� Case said. 鈥淚 mean, you don鈥檛 have to become a scientist. But no matter what you do, it鈥檚 good to wonder.鈥�
鈥� Ashley Jakubczyk is a graduate student at Harvard University. She has also written for Thought Catalog,The Daily Bruin,The Daily Breeze, and Peninsula People magazine.
鈥� at , a leading source of socially relevant news, features, opinion, entertainment, and information 鈥� all focused on the issues that shape our lives. Visit .
