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Curious Curators student participants pose with teachers Traci Curry and April Harrison, along with Museum of Natural History staff.
April Harrison holds a snake from the AUMNH live animal collection.
This summer, the Auburn University Museum of Natural History (AUMNH) and Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) Outreach office partnered to offer Curious Curators, a week-long day camp for rising fourth- through seventh-grade students. The camp combined hands-on scientific discovery with a unique professional development opportunity for three middle school science teachers.
Traci Curry of Drake Middle School in Auburn, April Harrison of Russell County Middle School and Tracy Stallings of Lott Middle School in Mobile County learned alongside students as they explored ecology, paleontology, biodiversity, museum collections and environmental science while gaining classroom-ready activities, STEM resources and new science knowledge.
“This experience was one of the most beneficial professional development opportunities,” said Traci Curry, a sixth-grade Earth and Space Science teacher at Drake Middle School. “Participating alongside the students gave me ideas I can immediately implement in my classroom.” Curry added that the experience increased her confidence in teaching life science concepts.
April Harrison, a seventh-grade Life Science teacher at Russell County Middle School, described the week as “an epic week of professional development.”
Traci Curry looks on as students perform an experiment with butterfly codons based on science curriculum developed by AUMNH.
“This has been an invaluable experience,” Harrison said. “I learned so much that I will be able to incorporate into my classroom for years to come.” She said the hands-on experiences, campus connections and new resources will benefitboth her teaching and her students.
Stallings said experiencing the camp as both a student and educator made it one of the best professional experiences of her career. “Observing students while participating myself provided valuable insight into the teaching and learning process. I am excited to implement what I learned and see my students’ scientific curiosity come alive.”
The camp included field experiences at the Donald E. Davis Arboretum, Mary Olive Thomas Demonstration Forest, Chewacla State Park, Kiesel Park and the AU Smith Bee Lab, as well as behind-the-scenes access to AUMNH collections. Campers also participated in pitcher plant dissections, butterfly genetics investigations, water quality engineering challenges, fossilization studies, nature journaling and carbon cycle simulations.
Through National Science Foundation (NSF) grant-supported teacher participation, educators received funding for classroom materials to bring camp-inspired experiences back to their schools.
By combining youth engagement with educator learning, Curious Curators demonstrates Auburn University's commitment to expanding meaningful STEM experiences across Alabama while equipping teachers with the resources and confidence to enrich science learning in their classrooms.
“Programs like Curious Curators create a ripple effect,” said Michelle Simpson, program lead for Curious Curators. “When teachers learn alongside students and leave with new ideas and resources, the impact extends far beyond a single week of camp.”
For more information about COSAM Outreach and teacher professional learning opportunities, visit www.auburn.edu/cosam/outreach.
