By Tiffany Whitfield and Maya Reid

Old Dominion University hosted its annual Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST) summer program sponsored by the Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC). Lead organizer, Vukica Jovanović, Ph.D., associate professor in the Batten College of Engineering Technology and co-lead organizer, Balša Terzić, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Physics introduced students to the world of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) at Old Dominion University.

For the first time, BLAST was held virtually, due to COVID-19, but it was still a hands-on, intensive STEM-related program offered to rising ninth and tenth grade students from across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

This summer, 80 students and eight teacher-chaperones participated in two different sessions that took place June 20-23, and July 18-21, 2021.

"Virginia Space Grant Consortium is pleased to sponsor the BLAST program and partner with Old Dominion University on this immersive STEM experience for Virginia students," said Mary Sandy, director of VSGC. "Participants overwhelmingly tell us how much they enjoy the program and how much they learn; and ODU faculty and staff who lead the program do a remarkable job!"

"BLAST has been designed to build leadership and activate STEM in each ODU BLAST Scholar" said Jovanović. "With the help of ODU's faculty and graduate students, we accomplished our goal this summer."

Guest speakers highlighted STEM fields through a plethora of activities. Students were gifted with STEM kits to utilize during and after the program.

ODU BLAST participants used the kits to engage in experiments about water filtration, led by Mujde Erten-Unal, Ph.D., associate professor, ODU's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Additionally, students watched exciting demonstrations and gained essential knowledge about how to pursue a career in STEM, all from the comfort of their homes.

Student were able to hear from both Engineering and College of Sciences faculty. Ben Stuart, former dean of the ODU's College of Engineering and Technology shared an overview of what ODU has to offer students interested in engineering while the student panel shared experiences and offered advice on choosing high school classes and extracurricular activities for the college application process.

Assistant dean in the Batten College of Engineering and Technology, Carol Considine, presented, "Going Green to Reduce Flooding and Build Climate Resilience."

Gail Dodge, dean of the ODU College of Sciences, talked to students about what ODU has to offer students interested in the sciences.

"The BLAST program is a very special opportunity for 9th and 10th-grade students to engage in fun and challenging science and engineering activities," said Dean Dodge, "I am very proud of the many dedicated faculty and staff who run BLAST and inspire the students to pursue STEM careers."

Other speakers and presenters included George McCleod, director of the center for Geospatial & Visualization Computing at ODU and Justin Mason, director of the Michael and Kimthanh Lê Digital Theater & Planetarium.

"The rising STEM students were able to explore Earth and its relationship to other celestial objects as well as learning how to create story maps to communicate data," said Terzić.

During the last day of the program, students were able to engage in a variety of lessons including "Internet of Things" by Murat Kuzlu, Ph.D., assistant professor of Engineering and Technology, "Intro to Cryptography" by Otilia Popescu, Ph.D. associate professor of Engineering and Technology, "A Dip into Biology Using Indicators" by Denise Tombolato-Terzic, Ph.D., senior lecturer, Department of Molecular Biology and Chemistry at Christopher Newport University, and "Robotics" by Thomas Alberts, Ph.D., professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. ODU BLAST Scholars ended the day with a virtual tour of ODU, including the Michael and Kimthanh Lê Digital Theater & Planetarium housed in the New Chemistry Building, and a glimpse into other VSGC programs.

"I am glad to be a part of this amazing program - BLAST 2021 - and really enjoyed teaching "Internet of Things" (IoT)," said Kuzlu. "All sessions were so fun and interactive, and I get an incredible feeling of joy when I realize how students are learning new technologies quickly."

High school students were not only able to gain insight into the life of STEM, but they were also able to create meaningful friendships throughout the entire program. Upon leaving the program, students were able to reflect on their experiences and shared the following comments:

"I loved working with Arduino, and although some parts were hard and difficult to understand at first, the overall outcome of programming things is very cool and I enjoyed it."

"I liked learning about the different fields of engineering and science and figuring out which ones I like."

Other students listed their favorite thing about BLAST:

"My favorite thing about BLAST was mechatronics."

"I really enjoyed the projects. I also really enjoyed learning about the career options."

"I loved the impact of climate change on the living world."

"My favorite thing about BLAST was learning about the science of how certain things work."

"I liked the virtual environment and how engaging it was."

"I enjoyed meeting people who are truly passionate about their field of study."

To learn more about BLAST visit the website. Registration will open November 12, 2021 for the 2022 summer program. VSGC has sponsored the BLAST program since 2016.