Denver School of Science and Technology students visit campus

​By Daniel Martin
Office of Integrated University Communication

Students from Denver's Cole Middle School visited the Auraria Campus on July 22 to learn about sustainability research being done at the University of Colorado Denver. Cole is a Denver School of Science and Technology (DSST) with a focus in sustainability.

Associate Professor Doris Kimbrough, Ph.D., chemistry, outlined the day’s agenda and directed the students to rotate through learning stations to see different projects. “Any time we have kids on campus, I think it’s just enormous for them,” Kimbrough said. “Look how enthusiastic they are!”

At each learning station, the middle-schoolers worked with university students and faculty to understand projects that could improve the way cities are built and how resources are managed. In keeping with the theme, Auraria Campus Planner Jill Golich noted, “This is really one of the most sustainable campuses in the nation. The electricity used at the Auraria Campus is completely offset by wind credits."

At one of the learning stations, university student Pedro Garcia demonstrated wind power. Ken Bettenhausen, Ph.D., an associate professor in the Business School taught students about carbon dating. Civil Engineering Assistant Professor Stephen Durham, Ph.D., displayed and discussed a new asphalt mixture that stays cooler and improves water drainage. Greg Cronin, associate professor of integrative biology, focused on the agricultural method called aquaponics, or growing food without soil, little water and little space.

“Engineers are visual learners,” said station leader Adam Kardos. “It’s fantastic that they’re exposing them to this information at their age because it can really drive an interest in the sciences.”

By seeing the frontier of sustainability research at CU Denver, the students from Cole Middle School might be inspired to be pioneers in the field themselves and bring new ideas to American sciences.

Parent and chaperone John Schwuyer said when he was in school, he would have valued such an opportunity. “It’s an absolutely wonderful experience,” Schwuyer said. “I spoke with (my son) after we left the last demonstration and it was wonderful.”