Kenyon College students are reviving Science Saturday this fall, bringing back a long-running outreach program that has introduced nearly 1,500 rural Ohio middle school students to hands-on science since 2011.
The free program for students in grades 6-8 returns Saturday, Oct. 3, at Kenyon College in Knox County. Participants will explore college laboratories and classrooms through interactive experiments and activities designed to spark curiosity about science.
Science Saturday was paused last year because of faculty scheduling conflicts. This year, however, rising senior Abigail Conklin and a fellow student are leading the program, marking the first time it has been organized and operated by students.
Conklin said a generous family donation has given organizers the resources to expand the program.
"Due to a large donation from a family, we have the budget to make this year's Science Saturday bigger and better than ever," she said, expressing her hope that word of the program reaches more middle schoolers in Mount Vernon and the wider Knox County community.
The program was launched in 2011 by Kenyon physics professor Tom Giblin to address a lack of hands-on science opportunities in rural middle schools, where instruction often relied on traditional classroom methods. Supported by funding from the National Science Foundation, Giblin created two outreach programs: Girls Science Saturday (GSS) and Learning and Doing Science (LADS) for boys.
Each daylong session featured themed laboratory activities, lunch in the college dining hall, and a question-and-answer session with a guest scientist. The programs later evolved into ATHENAS (Aiming To Heighten Her Experience Near and Around Science) for girls and BLAST (Boys Learning About Science Together), broadening their approach while maintaining the focus on engaging young learners.
Over the past 14 years, Science Saturday has welcomed nearly 1,500 students from at least seven school districts and several homeschool programs across rural central Ohio. More than five faculty co-directors, 20 paid student co-directors, 300 Kenyon student volunteers, and 20 high school ambassadors have helped sustain the program.
With student leadership, expanded financial support, and a proven record of inspiring young scientists, organizers hope this fall's Science Saturday will introduce a new generation of middle school students to the excitement of scientific discovery while continuing Kenyon College's tradition of community outreach.
