Visits And Field Trips | Sixth To Eighth

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unknown status of in-person schooling for the 2021-2022 school year, we will conduct these visits virtually this year. Outreach for each grade will consist of two interactions with STEP team members for each classroom via a video call and lesson. Each session will include a hands-on/interactive experiment for the students.
The YES2SUCCESS class visits and field trips began in 2019 as a way to introduce sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from four neighboring middle schools (in Azusa Unified, Duarte Unified, El Monte City and Monrovia Unified school districts) to cancer research. We aim to engage students in activities that will increase their interest in and knowledge of both cancer research and science.
Class visits: Once a year, STEP team members visit sixth, seventh and eighth grade classes from each school. During each visit, we lead students in a 45 to 60 minute, interactive workshop with a lecture and hands-on activities that introduce students to the material that will be covered on their field trip. In some recent class visits, students have learned about DNA mutations, pathology and careers in STEM. In addition to the classroom visit, we will have a cancer awareness booth for parents and teachers on select dates during student drop-off and pickup.
Field Trips to City of Hope: STEP also invites classes who have been visited by our team of scientists to come to City of Hope to participate in a campus tour and interactive science activities that continue the themes from the class visit. During the campus tour, students learn about the history of City of Hope and discuss the many kinds of employees involved in fighting cancer. During the second stage of the tour, students visit a City of Hope core facility to learn about the research being done there, meet City of Hope scientists and observe an active research project.
Students then participate in a workshop in which STEP scientists teach them more about the material they discussed during the class visit. As part of the workshop, students engage in a related hands-on experiment, such as gel electrophoresis or ELISA. We also show students how what they have learned is connected to research at City of Hope and the core facility they visited.
For more information, please contact Marisa Bowers at mbowers@coh.org.