spectrUM Discovery Area visits Elmo

The spectrUM Discovery Area in Missoula had interactive display booths sets up as part of the 3-on-3 tournament and as an extension of the Elmo PowWow Saturday in Elmo.

The area partnered with the Flathead Biological station and the PowWow to provide the 3-on-3 contestants of the PowWow with an educational experience.

With a Maker Truck belonging to tribal education that also offers traditional events such as beading and drum making, the booths offered an opportunity for participants to immerse themselves in cultural activities.

GlaxoSmithKline, a pharmaceutical company, also sponsored materials, supplies and training to implement science of the space curriculum on the Flathead Reservation.

“We have paired with the schools’ meal program and spectrum science bytes, which is a joint pairing for school kids offering them lunch,” Katherine Stocker, from community outreach for the spectrUM Discovery Area, said. “We brought a number of museum exhibits during meal times and stayed there for a couple of hours. The kids got to eat and do science. The mission statement for (us) is to engage and promote higher education and Steam programs to the community.”

Stocker said this is the company’s fifth year of their community outreach in the Mission Valley, and they tried to introduce the kids to higher-level science, mathematics, chemistry, physics and engineering.

“The Maker Truck touches on a lot of culturally sensitive activities to be aware of,” Stocker said. “We are teaching them activities that are all culturally relevant to the kids. At the powWow, we try to get a Maker Truck and have a lot of culturally-rich activities. We teach the kids to make a lot of cultural regalias and help them achieve a higher level of math- and physic-based activities.”