About 60 third graders from Parkwood Elementary visited Shoreline’s campus on Tues., Nov. 3 and Fri., Nov. 6 to explore careers in science and medicine while learning about heart health. The visit was part of a new partnership between Shoreline and local non-profit Kids in Medicine & Science Seattle (KIMSeattle).
Led by teachers from KIMSeattle, the Parkwood students learned the shocking truth about the high levels of sugar hidden in their favorite snacks, emulated platelets to learn about the flow of blood through arteries and dissected pig hearts.
Founded in 2008 by Joanie Block as the Seattle Science Foundation, the newly named KIMSeattle provides K-12 informal science education through authentic laboratory experiences with the goal of sparking student interest in STEM fields. Program offerings include: The Heart Module, Drug Heist (forensic science), Forensic Anthropology, Birth, Babies & Biotech (birthing simulation and genetics), and Anatomy of Movement.
The mission of KIMSeattle is to “expose, hook and mentor” by exposing elementary students to the world of science and medicine, hooking middle school students and mentoring high school students as they move into the next phase of their academic lives.
“It’s rewarding to see kids get excited about careers they may not have known existed before participating in one of our programs,” said Block. “Several students who were in the pilot program in 2008 are now juniors in high school preparing for a career in medicine because of their experience with KIMSeattle. That’s really gratifying.”
Periodically through the end of the academic year, two classes of fourth graders from a variety of Shoreline-area schools will visit Shoreline’s campus through the KIMSeattle program.
“We are proud to partner with KIMSeattle for this program,” said Shoreline President Cheryl Roberts. “When kids step on a college campus and see the unlimited opportunities they can have in higher education, it helps fuel their passion for being lifelong learners. Couple that with getting them excited about science and medicine, and we’re taking a step in the right direction toward mentoring the next generation of STEM leaders here at Shoreline.”