Dr. Hope Klug works with Bedford County GEAR UP students during a shark dissection activity. Photo by Angela Foster.
In early June, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s GEAR UP program welcomed Bedford County middle school students to campus for a two-day, overnight visit designed to give them a hands-on look at college life.
“GEAR UP projects are a grant from the U.S. Department of Education,” explained GEAR UP Program Director Hunter Huckabay. “Their goal is to help students from schools that typically do not send many graduates to college prepare for college and find the school that best fits their needs.”
During the June 9-10 visit, students took part in activities led by UTC faculty and staff, including a shark dissection, a Lunar Quest simulation and a visit to the Mocs News TV studio.
The shark dissection took place on the first floor of Grote Hall. Students were separated into groups and wore blue gloves as they examined and cut into their sharks.
At first, many complained about the smell, but as they talked and got more comfortable with one another, the mood shifted and the activity became more fun. Comments around the room ranged from “this is gross” to “I love this,” with one student even comparing the shark to the Demogorgon from the hit TV show Stranger Things.
By the end of the activity, the students seemed fully engaged, a trend that continued with ensuing campus adventures.
Bedford County GEAR UP students examine a shark specimen on a lab tray during a hands-on biology activity at UTC.
“I’m a first-generation college student myself,” said UTC Professor of Biology Hope Klug, who has worked at UTC for 15 years. “I first realized that a career in science was possible when I went to a marine biology camp for girls at a university. Before that, I had no idea that you could actually be a biologist for your career. So I know how impactful these types of activities can be, and I’m really hopeful that we can open up some of these students’ eyes to the fact that they can have a career in biology and science in general if they want.”
Another major activity during the event was the Lunar Quest simulation inside UTC’s Challenger STEM Learning Center. After watching a short introduction video, students boarded a simulated spacecraft and took on roles used during a real mission, such as navigator and COM. Other students worked stations like GEO 2 and the ISOs.
“I hope that they have a blast and that they enjoy themselves using all of the things that they learn in school, and see that learning is super fun when you’re actually in that scenario,” explained Challenger Center Director Rob Lein.
This year’s GEAR UP event was the first Lein has been part of during his time at UTC.
“I also hope that they get a good positive exposure to our campus and get to see all the wonderful programs that we have here,” he said, “and that they leave with a positive impression of UTC.
“UTC is a great place to get your start in all of these different careers and programs. They may end up coming to UTC, but I hope that they get excited about what they want to do and start thinking about all the options that are available to them.”
Rob Lein, far right, oversees a Lunar Quest simulation inside UTC’s Challenger STEM Learning Center.
The students also visited UTC’s TV studio in the Metropolitan Building, where students and staff produce programs such as Mocs News. During the visit, the GEAR UP students helped set up the studio and filmed themselves as if they were producing a real news broadcast.
“I could see things kind of click,” said Mike Andrews, an executive video producer in UTC’s Department of Communications and Marketing who led the activity.
At first, when the students were asked to volunteer to be on camera for the mock news segment, they were all hesitant and uncomfortable. However, after some explanations of everyone’s roles, they started talking more and giggling with each other as they all tried to figure out how everything fit together.
“They are middle school kids and they are just now finding their voices and learning to overcome inhibitions, and that is part of what this is,” Andrews explained. “Get out there, try something new every day, and if you flop, who cares? You get up, you do it again and then you finally hit your groove.
“That’s what I told some of them. Even if you don’t end up in this kind of industry, at least you learn some things like coordination with other people, you get to communicate with folks, and you learn how it begins and how it ends.”
Mike Andrews leads a tour of the Mocs News television studio.
Like Klug and Lein, Andrews said he was glad to be part of an experience that could make a difference for students.
“You can see it kind of click with some students in there, and that’s what’s fun,” he said. “When they start getting juiced up about it, and the ultimate ‘This has been the best so far,’ I’ll take that.”
For UTC and GEAR UP, the event was about more than showcasing campus activities. It was about helping students imagine themselves in college and showing them those opportunities are within reach.
“We’re working with these students who are coming from other areas to dig in on UTC, thinking, ‘Is this a good place for me?’ That’s why their GEAR UP staff brought them here,” Huckabay said. “As someone who has worked at UTC for 26 years, seeing it click with them is pretty satisfying, too.”
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Dr. Hunter Huckabay speaks with the Bedford County GEAR UP students.
