The Center of Science and Industry, from Columbus, OH, team members are visiting Wrangell during this week’s jam-packed Bear Fest. It is a nationally recognized science center that focuses on educating the public on everything science.
At Bear Fest, the COSI team will be handing out science kits while they assist with various events, including their Wednesday evening presentation on why they want to invest in Wrangell youth.
The team was first identified by local District Ranger Claire Froelich with the Tongass National Forest. Froelich connected with COSI last year while planning for the Capitol Christmas Tree tour, when a local spruce tree journeyed to Washington D.C. She received one of their educational COSI Connects Kits, and was impressed.
“I was obsessed with it. It is super cool,” she said. “(I) still have it in my office and I started talking to them about all the cool things that we do here in Alaska, specifically in Wrangell.”
That led to further collaboration with COSI. They promote STEAM careers, which stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics.
Forest kit in the Tongass
The forest kit teaches about different types of trees, seed dispersal, tree age and health, waterways and watersheds.
“I think a lot of those are slightly magnified here, as it’s an island in Southeast Alaska,” Froelich said. “So a lot of things happen here quick and big and so it’s a fun way of interacting.”
Erica Olivares-Vincent, who’s with COSI, said they created the educational kits during the height of the pandemic for easier access to science. Since then, they continued to be popular and the science center shifted their focus to reach more kids.
“We focus a lot on both rural and inner city engagement, and have been primarily focusing on rural engagement over the last couple of years,” she said.
They previously worked with the University of Alaska on a snow and permafrost kit, and over the past year have been in communication with the U.S. Forest Service Wrangell Ranger District.
“Our hope is…we’ll be working with kids here like a pen pal program”
Olivares-Vincent said the team wants to return to Alaska through Bear Fest to invest in this community and continue partnering with the University of Alaska.
“Our hope is that over the next couple of years, whether we’re physically here in Wrangell or we’re doing some other type of engagement back in Ohio, we’ll be working with kids here like a pen pal program; we’ll still be doing some work up here with the Wrangell community,” she said.
Other COSI kits cover topics such as American innovation and electricity. Froehlich said COSI sent 2,000 pounds of kits to Wrangell, each kit weighing less than two pounds. But Wrangell isn’t keeping all of them.
“(We received) two pallets that were over 10 feet tall,” she said. “Last week we went through the pallets, undid them all, and then recounted, repackaged them, and sent education kits to Ketchikan, Juneau and Anchorage.”
These kits, that are the size of a shoe box, are designed for students from third grade to high school.
They contain all materials needed for the activities, like magnifying glasses and safety glasses and students can keep everything in the kit.
Froelich said there’s enough kits for every child on the island, and possibly more for the school year.
