October 23, 2021
Michigan Shakes! Seismology Demo for Wolverine Pathways
I developed and co-presented an interactive workshop for middle schoolers from the Detroit area that showed them how scientists measure seismic waves from earthquakes. I projected my phone’s iSeismometer app on the screen and they kids got to watch the waveforms appear as we played Simon Says. They had me absolutely working out, dancing, jumping, throwing things…
At the end we showed them some actual seismic data recorded in our Department from a ~mystery earthquake~ in Michigan. Suffice to say Ann Arbor goes hard for football.
Thanks to Sydney Gable, Ty Huth, and Bekah Stein for developing ideas and to Jing Ci Neo for co-presenting!
February 20, 2021
Science Olympiad 2021
I returned to the UM Science Olympiad to proctor high school Aquatic Geochemistry exams. We were a little short-handed, so talk about speed-grading under duress! It all went well in the end, though.
March 15, 2020
Young Scientists’ Expo
Well, it would have been today if not for the whole global pandemic thing. I’d been working with the UMich Association for Women in Science to help a pair of middle schoolers develop a science fair project. It was so funny to watch their minds run hither and thither through the process of designing their experiment. They ended up coming up with a pretty solid plan to study mold growth on bread kept in different light and moisture environments (with the permission of their parents, I was assured). My weekly visits to the school were a whole lot of fun while they lasted!
February 15, 2020
Science Olympiad 2020
I helped proctor the middle school Science Olympiad exams on water quality. One of the assignments was for students to build a homemade device for assessing salinity. There were some creative solutions!
November 9, 2019
F.E.M.M.E.S Capstone Activity
Members of my lab group led an activity teaching underrepresented middle school girls about seashells and climate. I was at the station teaching them about microscopy and the cool patterns you can see inside mollusk shells under high magnification. I think it was a success! I now have a card on my desk that says “Allison, ThanK you for Teachig us about SHELLS” and it will make me smile on the daily.
May 19, 2019
Leaving the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring
It seems surreal that my four years as a Watershed Coordinator at ALLARM are coming to a close. Words cannot express how grateful I am to all of my incredible colleagues, especially our Director, Julie Vastine. I’ve been part of 28 public education and engagement events over these years and had the chance to spearhead 12 of them myself. I’ve written 14 fact sheets and summary documents. Spent two years liaising with the Borough of Carlisle’s stormwater management team. Tested lab equipment and done quality assurance/quality control for our citizen scientists. And so many more projects in between.
I immediately become overwhelmed when I think on the energy, dedication, and passion that our lay volunteers have put into their local environmental work, and which they will continue for years to come. Science is power for the people!
Dr. Allison Nicole Curley 