Sixth grade students from Kuehn-Haven Middle School with Montrose Community Schools finished up their studies of type 2 diabetes by presenting their Community Action Research Projects to family and friends on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022, at the Genesee Career Institute (GCI). This fall, they learned about diabetes, genetics and nutrition in their science class through their studies of “Health in Our Hands: What Controls Our Health?” Their studies culminated in their research project to study how health education can affect people's knowledge, attitudes, and maybe even behavior. At their school, they hosted a Health Summit and shared presentations about how genetics, environment, and nutrition can have an impact on risk for diabetes. They taught their peers how to read food labels.
Students presented their results at GCI explaining how their data and graphs showed increased understanding about diabetes and the importance of eating healthy by those who attended the event at their school. They thanked their teacher, Mrs. Kelly Sanborn for her dedication and for making science fun!
“This year in science I have learned how much sugar and other unhealthy foods can affect my body in different ways. Ever since I learned about this stuff, I have been trying to eat healthier things,” said Bee Swzed, 6th grade presenter.
In addition to presenting, students were able to take part in a tour of GCI educational and technical programs for high school students. The GCI staff members conducted a thrilling tour of health and STEM-related classrooms and labs. Particularly popular were the Crime Scene Lab and the Video Gaming Design Program. Tour guides emphasized the math and writing skills needed to be successful in these programs and encouraged young women to consider fields such as Welding and Diesel Mechanic.
Although external community partners were not able to attend due to the recent surge in Omicron, we were able to arrange for three groups of students to present their findings and discuss their recommendations during the Health in Our Hands (HiOH)-Flint/Genesee Partnership Meeting which took place the next day.
HiOH is a research project led by CREATE for STEM Institute at Michigan State University in a community-academic-school partnership, supported by the NIH Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA).
