Yiwen Shen, 11, showed a bracelet she made in a chemistry lab Tuesday, April 17, at University of Wisconsin-Stout and explained how she learned about light refraction on the beads.
The fifth-grader from Shanghai, China, is one of 20 fourth- and fifth-grade students visiting the Elmwood school district this week from Jin Shan No. 2 Experimental Primary School as part of a sister school partnership.
“Many of the students and teachers are very friendly,” Shen said, speaking through an interpreter.
Students spent most of the day on campus. Some of the activities they participated in included making a plastic mold in the plastics lab, exploring the genetics of zebrafish, learning how to create protective clothing to protect a Barbie doll during a three-story drop from Heritage Hall, taking a campus tour and meeting UW-Stout students.
Xin Yi Zhao, 12, a fifth-grader, said she thought the UW-Stout campus was large, but she enjoyed visiting it. “All the activities were great,” she said, speaking through an interpreter, although her favorite was making the bracelet.
Yuan Shijun, a math and physical education teacher at the Chinese school, said the student activities were educational and meaningful.
“It was really beneficial for the students,” he said, speaking through an interpreter. “All the kids were really happy today and they learned a lot. They keep sending pictures to their parents in China. They are all appreciative of UW-Stout. Thank you from China.”
Elmwood school district Superintendent Paul Blanford visited China last summer as part of the American Association of School Administrators. There was interest in having Chinese elementary school students visit an American elementary school as an exchange. Visiting UW-Stout was an opportunity to show the Chinese and Elmwood students Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University and learn about some of the majors, Blanford said.
“We wanted to make the connection and give our kids the opportunity to see the STEM available,” Blanford said.
Chancellor Bob Meyer, who welcomed the students and had lunch with them, said it is important to encourage youth to look at careers for the future and for UW-Stout to help meet employers’ needs for educated employees.
“There are many opportunities with the global economy,” Meyer said. “Many employers are recruiting for people all over the world, and they are looking for talent not just in the U.S. but globally.”
At one of the Jarvis Hall Science Wing classrooms, the children observed zebra fish. Tiffany Hoage, biology department lecturer, told the students zebra fish have an incubation of two days to hatch and only two to three months until they can lay eggs.
“We can study a lot of human disease in zebra fish,” she said, noting heart disease and skin cancer are two examples.
In Heritage Hall, students used bubble wrap straws and plastic bags to try and protect a Barbie doll from a fall off the building.
Mikaila Gappa, 10, a fourth-grader in Elmwood, said she enjoyed making plastic molds. “We learned how it works in science,” Gappa said. “I think it was really great to learn and find out about UW-Stout.”
Having the Chinese students visit has been fun, Gappa said. “We got to help them, and they got to learn about our culture,” she said.
Riley Ginsbach, 11, a fifth-grader at Elmwood, said visiting a college was a good experience. “I just liked the hands-on activities at a college,” she said, noting her favorite was seeing the plastics lab.
Two of the Chinese students are staying with Ginsbach’s family. “We’re learning new things about each other,” she said. “We’re learning about their culture and what they do.”
The activities were coordinated by the Admissions Office and the Office of International Education at UW-Stout.
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Photos
Shane Medin, chemistry and physics, explains how light refracts on beads to the students who visited UW-Stout Tuesday, April 17. UW-Stout photo Brett T. Roseman
Students from Shanghai enjoyed taking pictures and sending them to their families in China. UW-Stout photo by Brett T. Roseman
Yuan Shijun, a math teacher and physical education teacher in China, explains to students how to protect a Barbie doll in a fall. Students dropped the doll from Heritage Hall to learn about protective apparel. UW-Stout photo by Pam Powers
