College of Education and Behavioral Sciences News

On Saturday (February 25), WKU Potter College of Arts & Letters and WKU Ogden College of Science and Engineering will host their second S.T.E.A.M. Day for scholars in the Jonesville Academy.

During the S.T.E.A.M. Day experience, the scholars will participate in three workshops from 9 a.m. to noon where the processes they learn and experiment with will result in creative products. This year, grades 7-8 will build an augmented reality project in WKU’s XR Lab while grades 3-6 will create buon frescos (an ancient form of mural painting) and ceramic art pieces.

“It was great to work with the Jonesville Scholars last year, introducing them to multiple creative projects and helping them connect the ways in which the arts have used technology for millennia to explore and understand our world,” said Kristina Arnold, Professor and Department Head for Art & Design. “We’re excited to work with this exceptional group of scholars again as they engage with new ideas and materials, and to see their pride in the work they create.”

The Jonesville Academy is a program for Boys to Men Leadership Group and For a Real Change, Inc., that meets every other Saturday at WKU. More than 60 scholars are enrolled in the program, which is coordinated thanks also to partnerships with WKU College of Education Behavioral Sciences, Bowling Green Independent School District, and Warren County Public Schools. Scholars study reading and writing, S.T.E.M., and history, language, and culture.

During S.T.E.A.M. Day, the XR Lab projects will be hosted by professors Mark Simpson and Kristina Arnold from the Department of Art & Design and professors Greg Arbuckle and Michael Galloway from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Ceramics will be hosted by Art & Design Professor Greg Strange. Art & Design Professor Mike Nichols will host the buon fresco project.

Documentation for the day will be provided courtesy of Imagewest and Professor Kara Williams Glenn.

Contact: Kristina Arnold, (270) 745-3944

-WKU-

Western Kentucky University prides itself on positioning its students, faculty and staff for long term success. As a student-centered, applied research university, WKU helps students expand on classroom learning by integrating education with real-world applications in the communities we serve. Our hilltop campus is located in Bowling Green, Kentucky, which was recently named by Reader’s Digest as one of the nicest towns in America, just an hour’s drive from Nashville, Tennessee.