Experiential learning clubs provide science-based experience

Clubs within SEMO’s Biology Department aim to give members the chance to gain real-life experience while still in school. As one example, the Stream Team of SEMO analyzes waterways and trains students to earn their Level One Water Quality Certification.

To do this, students work online at their own pace through modules and quizzes and collect five hours of community service. After they complete the modules, they have a certification day, during which students take part in a stream water quality assessment in order to officially receive their official certification.

Assistant biology professor Kelly Fritz is the academic adviser for the club. She helps members through the modules and ensures they are ready for the workforce when they graduate college.

“Students get hands-on experience in things they can use to fill out their CVs and résumés,” Fritz said. “I tell students to make sure they get this before they graduate, because it’s a competitive field, and I want them to be as marketable as possible.”

Clubs associated with academics look to help their members grow in their fields of expertise through meetings and hands-on experiences. Biology professor Michael Taylor is an advocate for clubs using their platform to bring in professionals for meetings, as well as helping students find experience and job opportunities post-graduation.

“You can do something cool, but you can also think of the practical applications,” Taylor said. “You can think about an experiment and find out the types of applications it has in biological disciplines. Whether you’re just a general ecologist or looking at medical technology in that field, sometimes, it can diverge in different areas but have applications in surprising ways.”

Junior microbiology and biochemistry major Justine Miller is a member of SEMO’s Diversity STEM club. The club had become inactive due to a lack of interest. Miller has talked with students in the past year to get it active again. Although the club does not have many members or meetings, she hopes to attract minority STEM students to a club where they can feel welcome.

“I want to create a community where people like me can come together and create a community with each other,” Miller said. “I want to educate people and provide resources and scholarships.”

Along with restarting the club, Miller wants to bring in professionals from the STEM field to talk to the club about their past experiences.

“I want to bring in doctors and engineers of minorities, because the experience is there,” Miller said. “It’s great to hear someone communicate those experiences and say that even though you’re gonna go through these trials, you can make it.”

With the club in the working stages of revival, Miller hopes to get more people together to start meetings as soon as this semester. She hopes to use events like Microbiology Week to get the word out about the diversity STEM club.

To learn more about the Stream Team, you can visit their website at mostream.org. To learn more about Diversity STEM, email Justine Miller at jlmiller18s@semo.edu.